Page 30 - Toy & Hobbby Retailer Magazine Nov-Dec 2018

ATA UPDATE
BY GABBY ANDERSON
A hive of activity at the ATA
THE past few months have been anything but quiet for the ATA with a number of events, campaigns and even an office move – to 448 St Kilda Rd – taking place during an action- packed second half of 2018.
On the events front, the ATA held it’s second annual Mid-Year Preview which, as reported last month, was a success!
During the September school holidays, the ATA was pleased to support the inaugural Play World exhibition which took place over two fun-filled days at Sydney’s International Convention Centre.
Over 15,600 people attended the event which enabled children (and the young at heart) to play, touch, laugh, sing, dance and generally have fun with activations and products from some of the world’s biggest brands.
Highlights of the event included a jam- packed main stage full of content including Beyblade Championships, Taronga Zoo Animal Shows, Mr Snot Bottom Comedy for Kids and three sold-out workshop rooms with content from Code Camp, Ranger Jamie and the Sydney Dance Company.
The ATA members who took part in the event were Entertainment One, The Walt Disney Company, Axis Toys, Funrise, Ballerina and Me, Hasbro, Mattel, Winning Moves and Smarter Puzzles. We hope the event was a success for all involved!
COMING UP
Looking forward, we are under six months away from the 2019 Toy Hobby and Licensing Fair which is set to take place from Sunday
03 March to Wednesday 06 March at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event is the biggest and most important
industry event in the Southern Hemisphere attracting the biggest names in toys and licensing along with thousands of retailers and buyers from around the world.
While interest has been extremely positive
to date, there are still a range of high-profile spaces and sponsorship opportunities for exhibitors to showcase their wares and be part of a celebration of the latest toys, gadgets and licensing trends. Registration for attendees goes live this January, so watch this space!
On the first night of the Fair, the ATA will hold its annual Gala Dinner where a number of awards will be handed out including the prestigious Rising Star Award which recognises the outstanding achievements being made by men and women in the industry aged 40 or
below. Nominations are open until Friday 18 January and the ATA encourages all members with a bright young star within their ranks to nominate ahead of this date.
The ATA also encourages members to
attend and contribute to the Annual General Meeting which is to be held at the ATA office on Wednesday 21 November where the industry will review the past year and table priorities for the coming 12 months.
Finally, the ATA continues to play an active role in the areas of Safety and Compliance with a particular focus on the Modern Slavery Act which will require companies to manage social compliance risks in their supply chain through mandatory reporting which is expected to commence in 2019.
From a product perspective, the potential dangers associated with squishies have been widely reported in the media, a recent Danish EPA report revealed some positive facts including no evidence of the migration of toxic chemicals to a sweat solution and no risk from toluene or styrene to users.
That said, members should continue to exercise normal due diligence with regards
to age grading, recommendation listings for users aged three years and over and controlled manufacturing to minimise the production of any volatile by-products.
From an industry perspective, we are now moving into the most important retail period for your companies as we approach Christmas. With this in mind, the ATA would like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous Christmas trading period as we look forward to 2019. ❉
Trade diary
HONG KONG TOYS & GAMES FAIR
7-10 January
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong, China event.hktdc.com/fair/hktoyfair-en/HKTDC- Hong-Kong-Toys-and-Games-Fair.html
LONDON TOY FAIR
22-24 January
Olympia, Kensington, London, UK www.toyfair.co.uk
NUREMBURG INTERNATIONAL TOY FAIR
30 January-3 February
Nuremberg Exhibition Center, Nuremberg, Germany
www.spielwarenmesse.de
THE RETAIL QUARTER MELBOURNE
2-5 February
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre www.reedgiftfairs.com.au/retail-quarter- melbourne/
SPRING FAIR
3-7 February
NEC Birmingham, Birmingham, UK www.springfair.com/
NEW YORK TOY FAIR
16-19 February
Jacob K. Javits Convention Centre, New York City, New York, USA http://www.toyfairny.com/
REED GIFT FAIR SYDNEY
23-27 February
ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre www.reedgiftfairs.com.au/sydney-february/
AGHA SYDNEY GIFT FAIR
23-26 February
Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park agha.com.au/events/agha-sydney-gift-fair
30 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2018