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Q&A with PLAY USA Interviewee: Stephanie Gaspari | Interviewer: Nick Truss
Trade Shows are a boon to everyone involved. Business owners can exhibit their wares in a highly curated and exclusive environment, the host city receives a surge of business from traveling attendees, and buyers can be treated to a smorgasbord of the trendiest goods all in one place. Most importantly, the diamonds in the rough have a chance to make their splendid debut, get a big break, and the recognition they deserve. Enter NY NOW, the place to be for exhibitors and buyers alike, and one of the largest trade shows around. Hosted in New York City’s prestigious Javits Center (home of Book Con, NY Comic Con, and much more), NY NOW has the space and reach to regularly pull over 1,000 exhibitors and over 10,000 attendees total! This biannual event saw success for a wide range of goods, but particularly for toys. Year after year, toys demonstrated their telltale allure to attendees. That’s when Stephanie Gaspari, Senior Sales Manager at Emerald (the facilitators of NY NOW) had the idea to dedicate an entire portion of the show to these products. Thus, PLAY USA was born! With two PLAY USA’s under her belt, we sat down with Ms. Gaspari to discuss the beginnings of PLAY USA, the results of its maiden voyage, the successes and learned lessons, and what makes PLAY USA a must-attend event that the industry should keep their eye on. We are extremely grateful for her time, especially considering that this conversation took place not long after the wrapping of NY NOW’s Summer Trade Show and the second-ever PLAY USA! 30 tfe October 2023