Pro Inventor & Product Acquisition Conference Schedule

 

Thursday, November 17th - Keynotes, Speakers and Panels are held in hotel ballroom. 

6:30pm - 9:00am – Breakfast in atrium - doesn't mean you need to be there at 6:30am. Arrive as you wish. (cooked to order)

8:30am - Robert Fuhrer Debuts POPDuo: Will Shortz Interview with Josh Wardle, Inventor of Wordle! 

9:00am Keynote - Ted Curtin, EVP & Chief Innovation Officer at ProdigyWorks on Breaking Through Innovation Barriers in Uncertain Times

9:30am Keynote - Peyton Gulley, Director, Content Partnerships and Development at Calm on Supporting the Mental Health of Kids – We all Have a Part to Play

10:00am - Expert speakers from curated panel videos answer questions from new inventors (see speakers on Conference homepage)

11:00am - James Howard with a few stars from his episodic documentary series The GATHERING - A Black Inventors Got Game Episode 1

12:00pm - 2:00pm – New Inventor Walkabout (Speed Pitch) with Lunch - Super Important for Product Acquisition Execs! 

2:00pm - 5:30pm – Pro Inventor Pitches and Full Access to Innovation Conference Sessions

5:30pm - 7:00pm – Evening Reception - two complimentary drinks - beers, wines, and premium spirits, appetizers (in hotel atrium)

6:30pm - Buses leave the hotel for Radio Flyer, if you miss the buses, the address for Radio Flyer is 6515 W Grand

7:00pm - 10pm – POP Pub Night featuring dinner, open bar and a savagely hilarious Roast of Matt Nuccio by a bevy of his peers – at Radio Flyer

One lucky attendee will win a Radio Flyer Electric Bike!

10:00pm - Buses leave Radio Flyer for Embassey Suites

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Friday, November 18th 

6:30am - 9:30am – Breakfast in atrium - arrive when you wish (cooked to order)

10:00am - 10:30am – New Inventor Mentoring – Product Acquisition Exec - New Inventor will meet you in your suite

11:00am - 5:00pm – (This is primarily for new inventors, but you are welcome to participate.) Advice from Experts! Book a meeting for advice from experts in manufacturing, legal, design, shipping, retail, other shows, exhibiting, social media, marketing/pr, pitching, financial and more!

11:00am - 5:30pm – Pro Inventor Pitches

5:30pm - 7:00pm – Evening Reception - two complimentary drinks - beers, wines, premium spirits, appetizers  (in hotel atrium)

7:00pm – Open to book your own activity

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Saturday, November 19th

7:30am - 10:30am – Breakfast in lobby - arrive when you wish  (cooked to order)

8:00am - 5:00pm – Pro Inventor Pitches

11:00am - 5:00pm – (This is primarily for new inventors, not pros.) Advice from Experts! Book a meeting for advice from experts in manufacturing, legal, design,  shipping, retail, other shows, exhibiting, social media, placing ads, marketing/pr, pitching, financial and more!

12:00pm - 4:30pm – Young Inventor Challenge Judging and Awards at Radio Flyer, 6515 W Grand, Chicago (includes lunch) – Click Here to be a mentor/judge - you'll love this event!

5:30 - 7:00pm – Evening Reception - two complimentary drinks - a variety of beer, wine, and premium spirits  (in hotel atrium)

6:00pm – TAGIE Awards at the Epiphany Center for the Arts, with cocktails/appetizers and afterparty in the catacombs under the Great Hall! (You'll need to order a taxi, uber or lyft to 201 S Ashland.) Lifetime Achievement Honorees: Alan Hassenfeld, Leslie Scott and Kantaro Tomiyama. Keynote by Ben Varadi and TAGIE Nominees! Seated dinner, open bar, celebratory, star-studded evening. Black-tie optional, but bring on the sparkles! Photos from last in-person HERE!

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Sunday, November 20th

7:30 - 10:30am – Breakfast in lobby - arrive when you wish (cooked to order)

All Day - Pro Inventor Pitches

5:30 - 7:00pm – Evening Reception - two complimentary drinks - beers, wines, premium spirits, appetizers.

 

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"CHITAG/POP​ has become one of the most important events of the year for me in the toy and game industry. The intimate setting and well organized format of the workshops promote a sense of community not found at other toy fairs and I have connected with many new toy companies and peers that have become invaluable to my network. ​" -Dan Klitsner, ​KID Interactive

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"CHITAG/POP is “THE” event for Inventors and Manufacturers within the Toy Industry, it is a who’s who of Toy & Game Inventors and Toy & Game Companies. The Conferences, Gala and Fair are unmatched for Educating, Celebrating and Playing in our industry. I’m very excited for this year’s event - it is timed perfectly for seeing the best of the best toys and games right in the heart of our biggest selling season!" 

- Gary Swisher, former EVP Design, Spin Master

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"ChiTAG is a high point of the year as I am able to meet and speak with inventors from around the globe in an amazing, innovative and supportive environment.  It is the only toy and game fair that offers this combination of new and experienced inventors, learning and networking opportunities, and an event that is literally and figuratively built around an open-to-the-public Toy Fair set on Chicago’s historic Navy Pier.  It is a great place for me to experience every part of the toy industry, from the inventors, colleagues, and business partners, to watching the children’s reactions to the toys and games on the show floor to wrap up the week.  To experience all of this against the backdrop of the great city of Chicago makes this a much anticipated week on my calendar!”  - Rich Mazel – VP, Spin Master

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"Chicago Toy & Game Week’s Professional Inventors Track is not just fertile ground for making the connections necessary to do business, it’s the annual gathering of the inventor tribe. In the whole wide world, there’s not a better place for independent toy and game inventors to go to catch up with each other, build friendships and strategic alliances, and spend quality time engaged with others who truly understand the nuances of the toy and game invention industry and share the common goal of expanding and improving our business opportunities. No other convention compares in personal warmth, richness of content, generosity of information sharing, and glorious un-rushed bubbles of quiet time to meet in depth and set a well-considered course right before the show season swings into hyper-warp mode and calm clarity morphs into frazzle." - Peggy Brown of Peggy Brown Creative

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