Marketplace & Academy Long Beach Show Recap

from Toy Times August 2022

Get on Board the ASTRA Toy Boat

“The ASTRA Crowd ROCKS! Big thanks to all who attended the The Toy Book’s first ASTRA panel! Maddie Michalik and I had a great time hanging with you today!”

James Zahn – The Toy Book

Highlights from a fantastic Marketplace & Academy in Long Beach

It was real, it was fun and it was packed with great new products! Here are some comments and photos on the next 4 pages shared on the Marketplace & Academy Facebook page that say it all.

“Thanks for making 2022 such an amazing show! Kudos to all the staff that worked so hard to make this a terrific event. Thank you especially to all the extraordinary humans who traveled far and wide to bring world class toys, games and art supplies to the children in your home town!”

Alex Provda – The Pencil Grip Co.

ASTRA President Sue Warfield sets the stage for the start of Marketplace & Academy.

“Had a great time hanging out with old friends and new friends during the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy this week!”

Adam Hocherman, Glenn Drover, Mark Carson, Jay Esser, Dan Huter, Tres Patten, Cooper Yearick

“Thank you, Astra for another amazing, wonderful, fantastic show.

Loved meeting so many new friends this time around, found some fabulous new vendors, had the BEST time performing in the lip sync battle. Can’t wait to do it all again next year.

I did make a decent bit of social media content, if you’re on TikTok and would like to give us a follow, our handles are listed below.

Wishing you all amazing holiday seasons filled with all the sales!”

Neela Lingenfelter – Timbuk Toys TikTok: @smurf_berries @timbuktoys @mrpaulsplace

ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2022 in Long Beach was LIT

But seriously, it was such a good time!

By Lisa Orman

Here’s a completely unscientific survey of a bunch of people who attended the recent ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. It shows that people were overjoyed to meet, visit and do business with new and old toy friends alike.

“My heart is full!” “I can’t stop smiling thinking about my time in Long Beach!” “I’m sooooo glad I went!”

Those comments weren’t uncommon throughout the week.

For some, because of the pandemic, it had been three years since they attended an in-person trade show. Marketplace & Academy turned out to be a joyous reunion for many. It was also a time of learning, and for some first-timers, a chance to jumpstart their business as the COVID-19 pandemic made things tough for three years.

“We’re very happy with the show,” said Kevin Nelson, who exhibited his Spokester bicycle accessory with his son Adam for the first time at ASTRA. “Everyone was so friendly, we got to compare notes with other vendors and share ideas and resources with each other, and we wrote some good orders. The venue was great.”

Attendance was strong as vendors reported steady traffic. Orders were written, and there were a lot of non-quantifiable benefits for attendees such as feedback on prototypes or concepts, networking, and feeling more connected to ASTRA as a group.

Next year, Marketplace & Academy is scheduled for Columbus, Ohio from June 11-14.

On top of that, ASTRA will host the first-ever toy cruise on the Toy Boat from February 20-24 on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas as it sails to the Bahamas. It’s part trade show, part family vacation, and it’s sure to be a blast!