What makes for great licensed toys and games? How can brands successfully engage with the inventor community? And what are licensors looking for in a perfect toy partner? All this and more is explored in the Playing with Brands Panel session.

This panel delves into the good, the bad and the ugly of life as a solo toy inventor; looking at the importance of collaboration, whether companies treat solo creators different from bigger invention studios and what some of the perks of going it alone are.

Celebrating 90 years of Fisher-Price, this panel session features Fisher-Price designers and external inventors discussing why Fisher-Price has thrived for so long, and what the key is to creating great product for the brand.

This panel session delves into why inventors are important to Universal, what’s key to inventing for Universal IP and what opportunities are there to explore within the firm’s portfolio of brands, spanning Jurassic World to Universal Monsters.

Trend Bible founder and CEO Joanna Feeley pinpoints the trends that have accelerated as a direct consequence of the pandemic and shares how inventors and toy firms alike can identify future opportunities to stay resilient and relevant in the face of these unprecedented changes.

Elan Lee – CEO at Exploding Kittens – discusses the origins of the now iconic card game, sheds light on where the idea for the company’s latest game – Poetry for Neanderthals – came from, and his top tips for fuelling creativity.

This ‘Failure is the Key to Success’ session delves into how certain toys – that seemed destined for greatness, but flopped – provided some key lessons that were instrumental to the future success of other toys and games.

How do you pitch a game idea to Hasbro? Where does Funko Games start when turning iconic movies into great tabletop experiences? What can an indie like Gamely Games do to stand out in a crowded market? All this, and more, is covered in this Game On! panel session.

How has lockdown changed how toy and game inventors pitch their concepts? What are some of the pros and cons of showing off ideas virtually? And what impact has the pandemic situation had on how inventors fuel their creativity? All this and more is explored in our ‘Pitching in Uncertain Times’ panel.

“Now felt like the right time for me to return to my roots; focusing on game design and public advocacy for our amazing hobby,” said Lang.