Outdoor Toy Show gets off to promising start

The first annual International Outdoor Toy Show drew more than 50 exhibitors and dozens of major retailers to Phoenix May 4 to 5 and is expected to become a fixture on the Toy Industry Association's (TIA) growing list of smaller toy shows.

TIA spokeswoman Diane Cardinale said the date and venue for the 2005 Outdoor Show haven't been announced yet but should be finalized sometime in June. Overall, TIA president Tom Conley said the turnout at the inaugural show last month was encouraging.

"We were very pleased with the initial response from exhibitors and buyers alike," said Conley.

The show featured a standard show floor and an outdoor exhibition area that allowed suppliers to show off their newest gadgets, including water toys. Toy categories on display included bikes, ride-on vehicles, science toys, scooters and skates. More than 70 retailers were on hand to check out what toy suppliers have on tap for 2005, including Kmart, Target, Wal-Mart, RadioShack and Toys "R" Us.

Exhibitor John White said the show was quieter than most but it still managed to exceed his expectations. "I thought that if I came out of the show with one or two solid leads it would be worth it and I got more than that," said White, marketing manager for Insect Lore, a supplier of science and nature kits based in Shafter, Calif.

White said the venue's small scale worked to his advantage. "I saw people like Eckerd, which is a huge buyer who I probably would have never spoken to at a larger show like Toy Fair," said White.

The next show on the horizon for toy suppliers and retailers is the American International Fall Toy Show, which will be held in the Toy District in New York City Oct. 19 to 21.