Ramping Up for the Big Day

Familiar faces and new friends began to arrive in Phoenix today as the pre-ToyCon festivities kicked off in full swing this morning. Several teams hit one of the three award-winning golf courses here at the Wigwam Resort and Spa, meetings of the Toy Industry Foundation and the Toy Industry Association Boards of Directors were hard at work. Everyone came together this evening for an opening night reception on the terrace under a pleasant desert sky.

ToyCon Committee Chair Arete Passas welcomed guests to the reception and thanked her colleagues on the committee for their hard work and vision: Nancy Zwiers, ToyCon vice-chair, Funosophy; Nurit Amdur, ALEX; Joel Berger, Cardinal Industries; Dan Henderson, Summit Toys; and Bob Wann, Patch Products.

Several attendees were awarded $50 gift cards for their prowess on the gold course: Sam Harwell of Big Time Toys was recognized for hitting the longest drive (inches shy of 300 yards); Dave Parzen of NSF International racked up two prices – the first for closest to pin and another for being a member of the winning team. His teammates included first-time attendee Stephen Cullen, Eastman Chemical Company, and Benjamin Thrush of HUB International.

And that was it for formal remarks!

As Arete said . . . This was a beautiful evening set aside for nothing but “re’s”: re-connecting, re-freshing,