Toy Fair organizer Toy Industry of America and LeftField Media are partnering to produce a consumer show tied to the 113-year-old trade show.  Play Fair, described as “a celebration of play and entertainment for all ages” will be staged in the Javits Center North on Saturday, February 13 and Sunday, February 14, contemporaneously with Toy Fair, which is held in the rest of the Javits Center on those days and into the following week.

The focus at Play Fair will be on creating experiences, including toy reveals, photo ops, character interactions, stage performances, author readings, celebrity signings, live music, and giveaways.  There will also be a retail component, with show exclusives, limited edition products, and rare variants of toys and games. 

Other locations in the city will also be incorporated as parts of a gigantic game board, with Play Fair brand activations, including discounts, exclusives, and rewards, at iconic New York institutions and landmarks. 

We asked LeftField CEO Greg Topalian about the game component.  “We're getting a pretty good response from the tabletop and a little bit of the video game industry,” Topalian told ICv2, “from companies that are trying to attract new users.“  A section of the floor will be devoted to games.   

There’s going to be a heavy focus on the family market, Topalian said, although toy collectors are also seen as a longer-term segment.  “Over time, we can grow to serve the collector market,” he said.  “They’re part of that family.  We know there are dads that say, ‘I am the hard core fanboy; this is my chance to bring my kids into my world.’”

The event will break each day into two “sessions,” which will be separately ticketed, with the facility emptied between the day-parts.  The 110,000 square foot space of the Javits Center North limits the potential attendance somewhat, and the multiple sessions per day helps ameliorate that limitation.  The event could accommodate about 25,000 unique visitors over the four sessions on two days.   

LEGO Group and Nickelodeon are presenting sponsors of this first Play Fair.    

LeftField Media was co-founded by former Reed Exhibitions executive Greg Topalian last year (see “Greg Topalian Founds LeftField Media”); the company announced this week that it was acquiring D.C.-based pop culture show Awesome Con (see “LeftField Media Acquires Awesome Con”).