toy fair 2018 pr manual · toy fair 2018 pr manual 23-25 january 2018: grand hall, olympia, london...

Ó 2017 This content is copyright of the British Toy & Hobby Association and London Toy Fair. All rights reserved.

TOYFAIR2018PRMANUAL

23-25January2018:GrandHall,Olympia,London

WelcometotheToyFair2018PRManual–wehopethatitanswersyourqueriesaboutthePRopportunitiesavailabletoyouasaToyFairexhibitor.AsToyFair’sPRagency,ouraimistosecurecoverageaboutthefair,itsexhibitorsandtheirproductsinthetrade,consumerandnationalmediabefore,duringandaftertheevent.Lastyear,morethan300journalistsattendedToyFair,includingTheGuardian,DailyTelegraph,DailyExpress,andtheBBC.Tohelpusreachthesepublications,allyouhavetodoiscompletethePRformsonline.We’lldotherest.Thethemeofthisyear’sToyFairPRActivityis“MyToyFairIs”.Aswellasfocusingonthoseimportantproductlaunchesandannouncements,wewanttomakethisyear’sToyFairfeelmorepersonal.Asyou’llseeinthefollowingpages,wewanttotellthestoryofthepeoplebehindtheindustry–yourstory.WhenworkingonyourownPRideas,thinkabout“WhatdoesToyFairreallymeantoyou?”IfyouhaveanyquestionsaboutPRbeforetheshow,pleasedon’thesitatetocontactRaviVijh,BeckyMullenorDeanBarrettatBastionon02038417660.Oryoucanemailusattoyfair@bastion.co.uk

Ó 2017 This content is copyright of the British Toy & Hobby Association and London Toy Fair. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS

PRE-SHOW-PROPPORTUNITIES......................................................................................3

SOCIALMEDIAOPPORTUNITIES.........................................................................................6

ATTHESHOW-PROPPORTUNITIES..................................................................................7

ATTHESHOW-PRESSOFFICE............................................................................................9

ATTHESHOW-PRLOGISTICS..........................................................................................10

ATTHESHOW-COSTUMECHARACTERS..........................................................................12

Ó 2017 This content is copyright of the British Toy & Hobby Association and London Toy Fair. All rights reserved.

PRE-SHOW-PROPPORTUNITIES PRFormsOurgoalistosecureasmuchmediacoverageaspossibleforToyFair2018.TheshowisakeymomenttopromotetheUKtoyindustry,whilealsoraisingawarenessofthecompaniesandproductsthatshapeit.Todothis,weneedyourhelp!ThesePRFormsenableustotellthemediawhatishappeningatToyFair,whowillbeexhibitingandwhatwillbeonshow.Weaskyoutofillintheseformsandreturntousbytheirindividualdeadlines,asthiswillallowustopromoteyouproperlyintherun-uptotheshow.MediaInvitationsTheBTHAwillcreatemediainvitationtemplatestoallowyoutoinvitemediatoToyFairdirectly.Wewillsendthesetoyouaroundmid-September.Inthemeantime,ifthereareanymediathatyouwouldlikeustoinvitetoToyFaironyourbehalf,orthatyouwouldlikeaddedtoourpresscentretoreceiveToyFairupdates,pleaseemailtoyfair@bastion.co.uk. MediaComicTheMediaComicistheofficialteasertoToyFair.CreatedbytheBTHA,newproductlaunchesareannouncedinastylesimilartoclassiccomicsliketheBeano(seeexamplebelow).Aswiththerestoftheshow,thisyear’scomicwillbethemedaround“MyToyFairIs”. ThecomicwillbesenttoeveryoneonthemedialistinearlyJanuarytoencouragethemtoregisterforToyFair.Ifyouwouldliketobefeaturedinthecomic,pleasecompletePRForm2by23November2017.It’simportanttorememberthatthecomicistargetedatmedia,notbuyers.Highqualityimagesandpotentialstoryhooks/angleswillattractmoreattentionthanasimpleproductdescription.Wewilluseasmanyentriesaswecan,butspaceislimited.

Ó 2017 This content is copyright of the British Toy & Hobby Association and London Toy Fair. All rights reserved.

ToyFairHeroes2018TheToyFairHeroesisashowcaseofthemostexcitingtoysatToyFair2018.NominationsforToyFairHeroesisopentoexhibitorsandretailersatthisyear’sshow.CompletePRForm3by23November2017tonominateoneherotoyforthefinallist,whichwillbechosenbyapanelofindustryexpertsandtheBTHA.Tochooseyourherotoy,considerwhatwillmakeyourtoystandoutfromthecrowdatToyFair!Wewanttoysthatareinnovative,exciting,andbreakthemould.WinningcompanieswillbecontactedbeforeChristmasunderembargo,sentacertificateandlogoandrequiredtosupplyasampleproductfordisplayatToyFair.Winnersineachcategorywillbeannouncedinapressreleasereleasedontheopeningmorningoftheshowandwillbedisplayedatthefrontofthepressoffice. NewProductGuideThenewproductguideiscreatedeachyeartoencouragemediaattendingtheshowtoseekoutyourproductlaunches.Thenewproductguidewillalsobeplacedonlinefromthefirstdayoftheshow,tosupportmediawhocannotattendinperson.Tobeincludedinthisdocument,pleasecompletePRForm4by7December2017.Wewillincludeamaximumofthreeentriesperexhibitor.Pleaseensurethatanyembargoedproductsareclearlymarkedwiththedateofembargo. VIPChristmasGoody-BagsEveryyeartheBTHAsendsChristmasgoody-bagsoftoystoourtop20media,suchasTheSun,TheMirror,TheDailyMail,andITV.ThisisafantasticopportunitytogetyourbrandinfrontofVIPjournalistsfromnationalnewspapersandbroadcastersaheadoftheshow.Ifyouareinterestedinprovidingtoys,)pleaseemailtoyfair@bastion.co.ukbythe24November2017.Wewillneed5-10toysfromeachexhibitor,nobiggerthan20x20x20cmandreasonablylightweight.Pleasenotethattoysdonothavetobrandnew,andwecannotincludeflyersinthegoody-bags.Ifyouwouldliketoincludecontactinformation,pleaseattachthistoyourtoy.Wewillendeavourtomailoutalltoys,butifthereareanyleftovertheywillbetakentoToyFairanddonatedtoToyFair’sofficialcharity,KidsOut.

Ó 2017 This content is copyright of the British Toy & Hobby Association and London Toy Fair. All rights reserved.

ToyTradesPreviewsKeytoytradeswillbewritingpreviewsonToyFair2017fortheirissuesthatcomeoutinJanuary.Tosuggestyourproductforpotentiallyfeaturinginthemagazine,contactthefollowingpeoplebythegivendate:ToyNews:RobHutchins(rhutchins@nbmedia.com;01992535646)Deadline:13November2017ToyWorld:JohnBaulch(john@toyworldmag.co.uk;01442502406)Deadline:1December2017Toys‘N’Playthings:MirellaCestaro(Mirella@lemapublishing.co.uk;01442289941)Deadline:4December2017ToyTradeFeaturesIntherunuptoToyFair,thePRteamatBastionwillbeplacingseveralfeatureswiththetradepress.Wewillcontactexhibitorsdirectlyfornecessaryinformation.

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SOCIALMEDIAOPPORTUNITIESToyFairBlogInthethemeof“MyToyFairIs”,theBTHAwouldliketorunaseriesofblogfeaturesthattelltheexhibitorsstoryofToyFair2018.WhetherthisisyourfirstToyFairoryourtenth,we’dlovetogetyourperspective!Blogpostscanbebetween300-500words.Ifyouwouldliketocontributetotheblogseries,pleaseemailtoyfair@bastion.co.ukwithabriefoverviewandaproposeddeadlineforyoutodeliverthearticle.Thedeadlineforsubmittinginterestis2November2017.Pleasenotethatanyblogsover500wordswillbeeditedbyBastionwithoutapproval. ToyFairPRsFacebookGroupTheToyFairPRsFacebookGroupwillbeupdatedwithnews,mediaopportunities,andimportantinformationintherunuptothefair.TofindtheToyFairPRsFacebookGroup,search“ToyFairPRs”andrequesttojoin.YouwillbeaskedtoprovideyourcompanyandstandnumberatToyFair.Whenrequestingtojointhepage,pleasenotethatyoumustmakeyourrequestfromanindividual/personalaccountandnotacompany/group/page.PleasenotethatallpreviousmembersoftheToyFairPRsGrouphavebeenremovedtokeepthepageuptodate.IfyoupreviouslyjoinedtheGroup,wewouldaskthatyousignupagaintoensureyoudon’tmissanyupdates.

ToyFaironTwitterTheofficialToyFairTwitteraccount,@ToyFairUK,willbetweetingabouttheeventusingthe#MyToyFairIshashtag.Joinintheconversationyourselfwith#MyToyFairIs!IfyouwouldliketheofficialToyFairaccounttopostaboutyouractivitybeforeorduringthefair,pleasesend140charactertweetstotoyfair@bastion.co.uk.Pleaseensureyourtweetincludeslinks,photos,videos,orothersocialassets–ifnotavailable,genericimagerywillbeprovided.

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ATTHESHOW-PROPPORTUNITIES ToyFairTVPresentedbyAnnaWilliamsonandGavinInskip,ToyFairTVisanopportunityforyourstandandproductstobestreamedliveonToyFair.co.ukandbroadcaston24screensaroundtheOlympia.Ifyouwouldliketobeinvolved,pleasefilloutForm6andreturntousby14December2017.YouwillbecontactedbyMattCummins,theToyFairTVproducer,inJanuary.Towatchlastye’r'shighlightscheckouttheToyFairwebsite.

ToyFairDemoZoneTheDemoZoneisaToyFairTVsegmentbroadcastintheToyFairTVstudio.TheZoneishostedbyAnnaandGavin,andwillgiveexhibitorstheopportunitytodemoaproductlaunchingatToyFair.Thepresenterswillalsointerviewchildrenontheday,tohelpdemoandsharetheiropiniononthetoys.Eachprogrammeis30minuteslonganddedicatedtoaspecificcategory.Exhibitorshavethechancetobookatwo-minutedemonstrationwithinarelevantcategoryduringeachdayofToyFair.Thetimetablewillbeorganisedonafirst-comefirst-servedbasis,soifyouwouldliketobeinvolvedpleasecompleteForm5andreturntousby14December2017.Pleasenote:AlltoyssubmittedtotheDemoZonemustbepresentedbyamemberofyourteamattheallottedtime.Thepresenterwillnotbeabletodemonstrateyourproductforyou.PleasearrivefiveminutesbeforetheDemoZonesessionstarts.Youmustbeavailableforthefulldemoslot,aswecannotguaranteetheexacttimeyourdemoslotwillbe.Pleasearrivewithyourtoyassembledandreadytodemo.

Ó 2017 This content is copyright of the British Toy & Hobby Association and London Toy Fair. All rights reserved.

ToyFairDailyNewsTheToyFairDailyNewsistheofficialToyFairdailypaperproducedoneachofthethreedaysofToyFair.ThepapercontainsonlynewsfromToyFairexhibitorsandisdistributedthroughoutthehallforvisitorstoread.ToysNPlaythingsisresponsibleforwritingtheToyFairDailyNews.Pleasecontacttheeditorialteam:mirella@lemapublishing.co.ukDeadlinesforsubmittingnewstoToyFairDailyNewsis12January2018.BroadcastmediaIfyouareinvitingbroadcastmediatoToyFair,pleaseletusknowsothatwecansendthemthebroadcastinformationpack.Pleasecontactusattoyfair@bastion.co.ukformoreinformation. Ifyouwillhaveatoyattheshowthatwouldlookgood/workwellonTV,pleaseletBastionknow. ToysamplesToysampleswillbeondisplayintheToyFairTVstudio,andareoftenusedasabackdropformediafilmingatthefair.Ifyouwouldlikeyourtoystobeincludedinthisdisplay,pleaseprovideacardthatcanstandnexttoyourproductdetailingyourcontactname,onsitephonenumber,companyname,standnumber,andkeyinformationabouttheproductincludingprice.Pleasenote:ToysamplesneedtobedeliveredtothepressofficeonMonday22January2018by12pm.ItisyourresponsibilitytoretrievethetoysonceToyFairhasclosed.Anytoysleftoverat5pmwillbedonatedtotheofficialshowcharityKidsOut. PressclippingsToyFairisunabletotrackclippingsforexhibitors.IfyouwouldlikearecordofyourcoverageatToyFair,werecommendthatyoubookapressclippingsagencysuchasKantarMediaorCisiontotrackthisforyou.

Ó 2017 This content is copyright of the British Toy & Hobby Association and London Toy Fair. All rights reserved.

ATTHESHOW-PRESSOFFICE Around300journalistsvisitToyFaireachyear.Thepressofficeiswheretheyfindoutwhatishappening,whatisnewandwhattheyabsolutelycannotleavewithoutseeing.ThepressofficeislocatedupstairsinRoom158,nexttotheTFTVDemoZoneandToyTrustCoffeeLounge.AccesstotheToyFairpressofficeisrestrictedtojournalistsonlyonpressday(Tuesday23January).HoldingmeetingswithjournalistsOnpressday,pleaseusethecaféareasoryourstandtoholdmeetingswithjournalists.Pleasecheckwithreceptionondaystwoandthreeforavailabilityinthepressoffice.InternetaccessThepressofficehasaWi-Finetworkavailableforjournalists.Afterpressday,itmaybepossibleforexhibitorstohavelimitedaccess.Pleaseenquireatreception.ISDNlineThepressofficehasanISDNlineforhighqualityradiointerviews.Tousethisfacility,pleasecontactBeckyorRaviatBastionon02038417660beforetheshoworaskatreception. DisplayingcompanymediapacksWerecommendthatyouprovide50-100mediapackstobedisplayedinthepressoffice.Wherepossible,wewouldaskthatyouhelpreduceourcarbonfootprintbycreatingenvironmentallyfriendlypresspacksorstoringthemonUSB.Pleasedonotbringcataloguestothepressoffice,asjournalistsnevertakethem.Pleasenote:MediapacksneedtobedeliveredtotheToyFairPressOfficeatOlympiaby4pmonMonday22January2018.Thereislimitedspaceinthepressofficebutwecanstoreuptooneboxperexhibitor.Wewillensureyourpacksarereplenishedthroughouttheshow,butpleaselabelthemwithPRcontactdetailsandstandinformationsothatwecancontactyouiftheyrunout.Unusedmediapackscanberetrievedfromthepressofficefrom4pmonThursday25January2018.Anypacksremainingafter18:30willbedisposedof.Wedonotallowexhibitorstotakecopiesofothercompanies’presspacks.VIPMediaOnsiteGoody-BagsEachyearwecreategoodybagsforVIPmediatotakeawaywiththem.Ifyouwouldliketobeincluded,pleasebringbetween5and20toystothepressofficeonMonday23January2017before12pm.Heavytoyscannotbeaccepted.

Ó 2017 This content is copyright of the British Toy & Hobby Association and London Toy Fair. All rights reserved.

ATTHESHOW-PRLOGISTICSOnsitePRbriefingBastionwillholdanonsitePRbriefingat4pmonMonday22January2018,whenwewillshowyouaroundthepressoffice,outlinewhichpresswillbeinattendance,whatpresseventsarehappeningwhen,anddiscusstheshow’smarketingmessages.Ifyouwouldliketoattend,simplyturnup.PresseventsdiaryTheToyFairpresseventsdiaryisalistofallpresseventstakingplaceatToyFair,senttojournalistsaheadofthefair.Ifyouwouldlikeyoureventtobeincludedinthisschedule,pleasecompletePRForm7andreturntousby11January2018.

Pleasenote–thisisveryimportant:Timesareallocatedonafirst-come-first-servedbasis.However,duetothelimitednumberoftimeslotsavailableduringpressdaycomparedtothevolumeofexhibitorsonsite,itisNOTpossibleforBastionorToyFairtoguaranteethatyoureventwillbethesoleoccupierofthattimeslot.

Wewilladviseyouifanyeventscropuppost-bookingthatclashwithyours.However,it’simportanttonotethatwemaynotbecomeawareofthisuntildays–sometimesevenhours–beforetheshowopens.

PhotographyIfyouwouldliketobooktheofficialshowphotographertotakeshotsofyourstand,pleasecontactMajen@btha.co.ukformoreinformation. Thepost-showpressreleaseEachyearwedistributeapost-showreleasethatoutlinesthesuccessofToyFair.Ifyouwouldliketosubmitacommentorquotefromyourcompany’sexperienceatToyFair2018,pleasecontacttoyfair@bastion.co.ukby10amonThursday25January2018.

Ó 2017 This content is copyright of the British Toy & Hobby Association and London Toy Fair. All rights reserved.

ChildrenatToyFairToyFairoperatesastricttradeonlypolicyandisrestrictedbyhealthandsafetyregulations.Inlightofthis,childrenbetweenfiveand16areprohibitedfromenteringthefair.Childrenundertheageoffivearepermittedwhenaccompaniedandsupervisedbyanadult.Childrenshouldbekeptinpushchairswherepossible.Proofofagemayberequested.

TherewillbenocrècheprovidedatToyFairin2018butdetailsoflocalcrèchesintheareacanbefoundonthewebsite.

Pleasenote:Aspecialconsiderationwillbemadeonpressday,whenpre-registeredpublicitychildrenareallowedtoattendforthepurposesofdemonstratingproductonly.Toapply,pleasecontacttoyfair@bastion.co.uk.AllchildrenmustbelicensedbytheirlocalcouncilandthislicencemustbesharedwithBastionandtheBTHAbeforeentrycanbepermitted.Ifthechildrequiresachaperone,thechaperonemustbelicensedaswellandtheBTHAandBastionmustbeinpossessionofthislicencebeforeentryispermitted.Pleasenote:Childrenarenotallowedintothepressofficeonpressdayduetohealthandsafetyconsiderations,exceptunderexceptionalcircumstances.Pleasenote:ToyFairwillnotbeabletoprovidechildrenforpressevents.AnypresschildrenhiredbyToyFairwillonlybeavailableforToyFairspecificactivities.Nochildrenbetweenfiveand16willbeallowedintoToyFairwithouttherequiredlicence.TheToyFairhasalegalresponsibilitytoupholdthisrequirement.

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ATTHESHOW-COSTUMECHARACTERSToyFairwelcomesyoutobringcostumecharacterstotheshowfreeofcharge.Allcostumecharactersmustbepre-registered.PleasebookanexhibitorpassforthemandtheirmindersothattheycangainaccesstoToyFairbefore9amwhentheshowopens.Ifyouwouldliketobringacharacter,pleasecontacttoyfair@bastion.co.ukorcalluson02038417660sothatyourcharactercanbeincludedintheannualphotoshoot.Pleaseinformusinadvanceifyouneedspaceinthechangingareaforyourcharacter.Ifyouwouldlikeacharactercreated,pleasecontactDavidScott,RainbowProductions(david@rainbowproductions.co.uk)ThecharacterlineupwilltakeplaceonTuesday23Januaryat11:15.