In 2016, LeftField Media, a boutique events company, teamed up with the Toy Association to produce a brand-new, consumer-facing event. The goal: bring an experiential family event to New York City focused on celebrating all forms of play.
The first event was co-located alongside the Toy Association’s annual industry trade show, Toy Fair, and sold out in its first year! Again in 2017, Play Fair took place in New York City, this time independent from Toy Fair in order to accommodate the demanding size of the event. The event was again a huge success, and the event organizers felt it was time to take the event on the road to new consumers and locations.
In 2018, Play Fair PDX will make its first stop on the road and will be co-located with Rose City Comic Con in Portland, Oregon, on September 7-9 at the Oregon Convention Center. The event will continue to focus on its mission of celebrating all forms of play, featuring a kids’ American Ninja Warrior-like obstacle course, playing card tournaments, archery lessons, hands-on science experiments, interactive storytelling and many more activities that encourage movement, fun and learning.
“Parents have started to shift their focus on experiential moments with their children, and…primary focus is just that: experiential [activities] throughout the show floor,” says the LeftField Media president, Kelly Comboni.
Play Fair will also be making its way to Washington, D.C., on April 26-28, 2019; New Orleans, Louisiana on May 31-June 2, 2019; and back to Portland on September 13-15, 2019.