US Toy Fair 2020 to host inaugural Student Congress event

This year’s US Toy Fair will host the inaugural Student Congress.

Taking place on the final day of the show (Tuesday, February 25th), students across design, marketing and entrepreneurship courses will be in attendance at the event.

Designed to help students learn more about the industry and think of it as a future career destination, the Congress kicks off with a ‘Meet and Eat’ session, where students can network over breakfast.

This will be followed by a panel session called ‘Toy Story: Not the Movie… The Career!’ chaired by ChizComm’s Kathleen Campisano and featuring Funko president Andrew Perlmutter, SuperAwesome’s head of global sales Lee Veitch, ViacomCBS account exec Michelle Grossman and Mattel’s senior director of inventor relations and strategic partnerships, Dave Harris.

Students will hear the panellists speak about their varying roles and will ultimately better understand the scope of careers within the toy industry and get a feel for which opportunities interest them.

Following this panel session, Mojo Nation’s own Billy Langsworthy and Deej Johnson will be hosting the Student Congress Innovation Workshop. This hands-on workshop will provide students with a raft of creative techniques used by designers in the industry and help them understand the various routes they have to choose from once they have a great idea for a new toy or game.

The Student Congress will close with a series of booth visits where students are invited to walk the show floor and meet with exhibiting companies.

“For many years Toy Fair New York has opened its doors to an average of 250 university level students,” said Marian Bossard, Executive Vice President, Global Market Events at The Toy Association.

“The Congress will bring soon-to-the-workforce students together with an industry ready to welcome new talent.”

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