Press release -
BTHA Confirms 8th Annual Student Seminar at Toy Fair 2017
Attracting creative talent to the UK toy industry is more important than ever
Friday 16th December: The British Toy and Hobby Association has today announced the return of the Design Student Seminar which will take place on the third day of Toy Fair 2017.
Since 2010, the BTHA has organised the seminar to encourage university students to consider a career in toy design.
Around 120 students from seven universities will attend the seminar. The University of Sussex, Sheffield Hallam University, University of Portsmouth, Brunel University and the University of Brighton have all been represented in previous years, while the University of East London and Coventry University are new additions for 2017.
“The toy industry brings 50-60,000 new toys to market every year, some of which become huge hits and household names, all of which bring fun and joy! We need to encourage the best innovation within our industry to inspire the children who play with our toys and to do that we want to encourage the most talented UK students to think about a career in the toy industry”, said Kerri Atherton, Communications & Public Affairs Officer
To encourage the best creative talent to come to the fair there is a strong programme of speakers and a chance to meet the companies exhibiting at the show. The seminar will begin with a welcome introduction from John Stewart, co-founder of Worlds Apart and BTHA council member, followed by talks from James Wing, R&D Manager at Vivid Imaginations, Sammy Davis, Junior Designer at Design by Touch and David Fry, UK & European Patent Attorney at Agile IP.
Jonathan Rowe, Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Portsmouth said, “The seminar is a great opportunity for our product design students to learn more about the toy industry, design process and protecting their ideas as they start to think about their future careers. Students thoroughly enjoy and benefit most from being able to hear first-hand from industry professionals, many who have also come from product design backgrounds like themselves. We’re grateful to the BTHA for giving students such wide exposure to hundreds of companies, and thousands of products at Toy Fair, it undoubtedly leaves students coming away with the inspiration and passion to design fun products.”
Atherton added, “We are trying to create a virtuous circle of talent; attracting the best design students to the industry who will go on to design inspiring products – those toys will encourage children to play with toys that develop creativity, learning and 21st Century skills - and in turn those children will go on to be the innovators and designers of our future. With Brexit on the horizon early next year we want to encourage students from around the country to make the next generation of exciting and vibrant products to influence future generations”.
With Toy Fair running from Tuesday 24th to Thursday 26th January at London’s Olympia, the Design Student Seminar is just part of a jam-packed three days for the UK toy industry.
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Toy Fair 2017 is the UK’s only toy, game and hobby trade event taking place at London’s Olympia from 24-26 January 2016.
Press Day is Tuesday 24th January.
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About the BTHA
The British Toy & Hobby Association was established in 1944 to represent the interests of British toy manufacturers and to raise standards of practice in the industry. Today it has around 140 members ranging from international toy giants to small family-run businesses that together account for over 90% of the UK toy market. Membership of the British Toy & Hobby Association shows the member’s commitment to adhere to the BTHA Code of Practice under the umbrella of the Lion Mark which includes rules covering ethical and safe manufacture of toys, toy safety, a ban on counterfeit goods, an assurance to market responsibly, a commitment to improving sustainability and a desire to promote the value of all play through support of the Make Time 2 Play campaign. Our members are manufacturers committed to making good quality toys in a responsible way. The BTHA also administers the Toy Trust - the industry’s charity.
About Toy Fair
Toy Fair is the only dedicated toy, game and hobby exhibition in the UK. Toy Fair is 63 years old in 2016 with more than 260 exhibiting companies - ranging from the large internationals to the new start-up companies - showcasing thousands of brand new toys, games and hobbies to the UK’s largest gathering of toy industry professionals. Toy Fair provides visitors with a real insight into a fun, innovative and exciting industry, as well as a great opportunity to touch, feel and experiment with the products of the future. The exhibition is a showcase, a networking opportunity and an ideal event to do great business in an exciting environment.
