Time for Toy Fair: So much to see, so little time!

In today's market, toy fairs have more purpose than just a theme event. They are a place for retailers, manufacturers, inventors—you name the industry professional!—to meet face to face, evaluate companies and products and forecast future successes.

Your No. 1 reason for attending a toy fair, in fact, is to gather information about new product introductions. Important, too, is building business relationships via "face time" throughout the fair.

Next month's New York International Toy Fair is one of the best industry events to accomplish both. The only challenge is making it successful to you and your business.

So, first off, it's a good idea to use exhibitors' advance public relations material to create your own agenda.

It's important for attendees to understand that some showrooms do require appointments. And even if you do have a scheduled appointment, you may be asked to wait as other customers/licensors move through the space. It's imperative, then, to check the listings of exhibitors in advance, so you can arrange meetings at the events you plan to attend.

As you meet with potential vendors, remember to look for dynamic presentations of thorough marketing plans. Remember that a successful brand is created with smart strategic thinking from the outset.

When meeting with leading manufacturers that have top brands, examine what exactly they are doing to keep their product lines fresh and exciting for an ever-changing consumer group. It's amazing how even classic brands can reinvent themselves each year to stay cool and relevant to today's kids.

Attending Toy Fair gives you a chance to determine which brands have the most consumer recognition and to what extent toy manufacturers are supporting these brands with advertising and innovative promotions. You also should note how a company's marketing strategies can help drive sales in your own business.

Take Mattel's Hot Wheels, for example. Doug Wadleigh, vice president, and Ned Ward, brand director, Mattel, explain their approach to buyers: "We strive to ensure that we communicate what our brand stands for and our key segments for the year ahead."

Strong brands can most certainly drive category sales for a retailer.

Is it important for buyers to look at more than just product demonstrations? How do advertising and innovative promotions extend a brand and increase sales? These are just two of the myriad questions Toy Fair attendees—especially 'first timers'—consider while they are at the show.

While product demonstrations are exciting, for retailers the question that comes up most often is, "How are you going to let people know about it?" Individual toy concepts are great, but if a company showcasing the product doesn't have the ability to communicate this message to consumers, the toy may never even have a chance on store shelves.

It is important for companies to fully communicate marketing plans to retailers to demonstrate how their customers will learn about the product and come into their stores.

Toy Fair "face time" is a great opportunity to begin or continue business partnerships. With forward planning and an agenda, you can make the most of your time during one-on-one meetings with other industry professionals. This holds true whether you are laying the groundwork for a new alliance or cementing an existing one.

Toy Fair may only be a few short days, but it's possible to pack a lot of potential into them.