There is going to be a toy and game inventor forum Nov. 20-23 in Chicago. It is a bit more specialty and mass market oriented than hobby market, but still many might find it of interest. And on Friday night will be an inventor awards dinner which promises to be chock full of big names designers (again from specialty and mass market).
The link is http://www.toyandgameinventors.com/home.html
I will be on the speaker panel, and the rest of the list is pretty impressive. The current list is:
- Richard Gill, Emmy Nominated Executive Producer of syndicated television and interactive gaming platforms, the man who built Pictionary into a global brand.
- Mike Hirtle, Head of Gobal Product Acquisition and Inventor Relations, Hasbro, Inc.
- Mike Gray, Senior Director of Global Product Acquisition, Hasbro, Inc.
- Dave Okada, Vice President, Inventor Relations, Mattel, Inc
- Richard Gottlieb, President of Richard Gottlieb and Associates, Author, Playthings® Columnist and Consultant
- Tim Walsh, Play Entrepreneur, Inventor, Author and Documentary Producer
- Michael Gray, Senior Director of Global Product Acquisition, Hasbro, Inc.
- Brandi Field, Game/Toy Buyer, Calendar Club and GO! The Game Store
- Matt Nuccio, Partner of Design Edge
- Darlene Calhoun, Publisher and Editor of Board Game PR
- Ellen Heaney Mizer, Games Buyer at Barnes and Noble
- Tracy Dudkiewicz, President, TAP Marketing
- Peggy Brown, Peggy Brown Consulting
- Carina, Latino Radio and TV Personality and author of Carina's Annual Ten Best Toys and Games
- Julie Livingston, Senior Director, Public Relations, Toy Industry Association
- American Library Association - Speaker to be announced
- Keith Meyers, President, Game Design Central
- Patrick Matthews, Live Oak Games, President and Co-Publisher of GameforEducators.com
- John Bell, Buffalo Games, Manager of Product Design
- Jonathan Leahy, Buffalo Games
- Steve Toth, VP Inventor Relations, Fisher Price
- Ron Weingartner, Weingartner and Associates, Consultant, Co-author of the Toy and Game Inventor Handbook
- Juan Mendez, President of Delano Service
- Brian Maggio, Principal, Revenew Sales & Market Development
- Roger Gehrke, President, Sybarit AB, Sweden
- Al Waller, President of Out of the Box
- Max Osterhaus, Inventor Relations for Out of the Box
- Mary Couzin, Founder and Director of Chicago Toy and Game Fair and DiscoverGames.com
