happenings
Toy Industry Association
Q&A
WITH
JOHN GESSERT
CEO, AMERICAN PLASTIC TOYS CHAIRMAN, TOY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (TIA)
The Toy Book spoke with John Gessert about the current state of the industry, his goals for the future as the new chairman of the Toy Industry Association (TIA), and his expectations for the upcoming holiday season. What are your primary objectives as chair of the TIA? One of the great things about TIA is that it’s an organization made up of companies of all sizes that work together in the interest of guiding the toy industry’s growth and bringing the magic of play to children worldwide. As an everyday Midwesterner who just happens to be CEO of a mid-sized toy company, I am honored to be the new TIA chair and recognize the challenges that lie ahead of me. I have outlined four key objectives that I plan to address during my two-year chairmanship: Membership: Having recently attained a record high of more than 700 members, TIA will continuously find new ways to enhance membership value and cultivate the development of young, incoming toy executives who breathe new life and innovation into the toy industry. Advocacy: For the past several years, TIA has worked relentlessly to build a powerful and meaningful presence on
Capitol Hill. Our advocacy team will continue to work proactively with policymakers whose decisions impact the everyday operations of toy businesses and raise awareness about the toy industry’s caring approach to keeping kids safe at play. Events: While the American International Toy Fair continues to grow and expand year after year, Fall Toy Preview is a somewhat polarizing event. Some exhibitors consider it to be a very important and effective way to show product early in the process, while other companies feel Fall Toy Preview has become less effective for them. The time has come for TIA’s Trade Show Committee to review the fall show and initiate the necessary changes to ensure that it is effective and productive for the toy producers and retailers we serve. Philanthropy: The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF), the philanthropic arm of TIA, brought 3 million toys to needy children last year alone. While TIF has grown wonderfully during the past decade, I look forward to watching this growth continue through the formation of new programs and increased consumer and industry awareness.
What are the biggest challenges facing the industry today? The traditional retail avenues for getting product from manufacturer to consumer are definitely blurred and evolving at a very rapid rate. To a certain extent, it’s analogous to the
10 • THE TOY BOOK
MARCH/APRIL 2014