Toyfair

Name

Toyfair

Legal name

British Toy & Hobby Association Limited

Website

https://toyfair.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Toy Trade Exhibition

akta.pro primary industry

Family, Kids & Education Fairs (MPAGAFAH)

Keywords

• Toy trade show
• Toy industry exhibition
• Trade fair services
• B2B toy exhibition
• Industry networking events

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Exhibition Stand Fees: Revenue generated from exhibitors who pay for stand space at the annual Toy Fair event. Pricing tiers include space-only, shell scheme, and shell scheme economy packages. Exhibitors pay a non-refundable 25% deposit to secure booking with balance due by specified deadlines.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Toy Fair organizes the UK's largest dedicated toy, game and hobby trade exhibition, held annually over three days at the end of January at Olympia London. The event sells exhibition stand space to more than 250 toy manufacturers, distributors, and licensors, and provides free trade visitor registration for retailers, buyers, media and other industry professionals. Supporting offerings include sponsorship packages, an on-site press office, Toy Fair TV & Demo Zone coverage, an Influencer Day, the Toy Industry Awards, and Hero Toys selections.

Product overview

Toy Fair is a trade show event (not a technology product) organized by the British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA). It is the UK’s largest dedicated toy, game and hobby trade exhibition taking place annually at Olympia London. The event features more than 200 exhibiting companies showcasing thousands of products to visitors including retailers, buyers, media and the wider industry. The show runs over three days at the end of January each year and includes exhibitions, networking opportunities, press events, and industry awards. The Toy Fair also operates a MyToyFair Blog, a members area for exhibitors, and provides visitor registration services through their website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Toy Fair Annual Trade Exhibition The UK's largest dedicated toy, game and hobby trade exhibition, held annually over three days at Olympia London. More than 250 exhibitors showcase thousands of products to trade visitors including retailers, buyers, media and the wider industry. Sold via tiered exhibition stand packages (space-only, shell scheme, and shell scheme economy Gold Zone).
• Toy Fair Sponsorship Opportunities

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 90% of exhibition space re-booked by returning exhibitors for 2024 show
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• KidsOutminorOthers · 26 January 2023Official charity partner for Toy Fair, receiving toy donations through the annual Trolley Dash. KidsOut helps children who are victims of abuse and had to leave home, providing toy boxes. Toy Fair exhibitors donated 5,000 toys in 2023.
• Retail PRminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 July 2022Toy Fair's official PR agency starting from 2023, handling press office and media relations for the show.
• British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA)coreOthersThe BTHA is the organizing body behind Toy Fair. Established in 1944, it represents British toy manufacturers and administers the Toy Trust charity. BTHA members account for more than 80% of the UK toy market.
• Olympia LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner hosting Toy Fair annually at Olympia London, Grand, National and Upper West Halls. Venue undergoing £1.3 billion redevelopment program.
• Mojo NationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Inventors Lunch networking event and Design Student Seminar, inspiring the next generation of toy designers.
• CircanaminorOthersGlobal market research company providing annual industry data and insights on UK toy market performance, presented at Toy Fair.
• Toy Fair TV TeamminorOthersOn-site production team featuring presenters like Maddie Moate and Gavin Inksip interviewing exhibitors throughout the three-day show.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Origins Game Fair: A US-based hobby games trade and consumer show run by GAMA. Comparable as a hobby/games exhibition organized by an industry trade association, attracting publishers, distributors and retailers with product launches and awards programming similar to Toy Fair.
• The Toy Association (Toy Fair New York): Operates the Toy Fair New York trade show, the leading B2B toy exhibition in North America, organized by the US industry trade association. Directly comparable business model and exhibitor base to Toy Fair, anchored by many of the same global toy brands.
• Japan Toy Association (Tokyo Toy Show): Operates the Tokyo Toy Show, Japan's leading B2B and consumer toy exhibition organized by the country's industry association. Directly comparable as a national toy trade fair with manufacturer/distributor exhibitors, awards programming and an industry association organizer structure.
• Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA): US trade association for the hobby games industry that runs the GAMA Trade Show and Origins Game Fair. Directly comparable as a hobby/games industry trade show organizer serving publishers, distributors and retailers, overlapping with Toy Fair's games and hobby segments.
• Hong Kong Trade Development Council (Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair): Runs the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair, one of Asia's largest B2B toy trade exhibitions. Comparable as a major international B2B toy show attracting manufacturers, distributors and licensors with the same exhibitor profile as Toy Fair.
• Spielwarenmesse eG (Nuremberg International Toy Fair): The world's leading B2B toy trade fair held annually in Nuremberg, Germany. Directly comparable as the dominant global toy, game and hobby exhibition serving the same manufacturers, distributors and retailers that exhibit at Toy Fair (e.g. LEGO, Hasbro, Spin Master).
• UK Games Expo: The UK's largest hobby games convention, including a dedicated trade day for publishers, distributors and retailers. Comparable as a UK-based B2B-adjacent games and hobby exhibition overlapping with Toy Fair's games and hobby product segments.

Emerging players

• Brand Licensing Europe: A leading European B2B licensing trade show (operated by Informa) covering toy, entertainment and brand licensors. Comparable as a sister B2B exhibition serving a subset of Toy Fair's exhibitor base (licensors, manufacturers) with overlapping buyers and exhibitor rosters.

Broad incumbents

• NürnbergMesse: Major German exhibition organizer that runs Spielwarenmesse and other consumer goods and hobby events. Comparable as an incumbent trade fair venue and organizer whose infrastructure and event portfolio overlap with Toy Fair's toy, game and hobby category.
• Messe Frankfurt (Consumer Goods fairs): One of the world's largest trade fair operators, running consumer goods and lifestyle exhibitions such as Ambiente. Comparable as a large incumbent trade show operator with multi-vertical event portfolios and venue partnerships, contrasting with Toy Fair's single-event focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCS0e_c8kzAJs04utWx2WatA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-toy-fair
• Instagraminstagram.com/toyfairuk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Toyfair