"The conferences were informative and motivating. It was wonderful listening to industry professionals speak to a variety of relevant topics. We attended as new inventors with a diverse portfolio of ten games to pitch. The connections we made at ChiTAG resulted in licensing six concepts and one brand. Pretty remarkable! We look forward to many more conferences in the future. Thank you!" - Brenda Ekstroem of Blue Ninja Studios and Erica Golub of DesignELF Studios.

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“My game is being manufactured by PlayMonster for a 2020 launch, and I am already working on my next game. My goal is to be there every year from here on out to exhibit a new game.” Shawn Villela

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“The Inventor Conferences are an incredible opportunity to network and pitch your ideas to industry professionals. I licensed my game, Stripes, to Breaking Games after pitching it at a speed dating event. The contacts I made remain invaluable years later. Thank you, Mary!” -Maxine Ekl, Clever Playing Cards, Protospiel-Chicago organizer

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The Inventor Conferences and consumer Fair surpassed our wildest expectations. We have interest from retailers, licensees and met vendors with whom we have now contracted for manufacturing and fulfillment. The Conference panels were so rich with content and we are so grateful for this insider knowledge. Perhaps the most rewarding element, was the direct family and kid feedback we received at the Fair following the Conferences. The positive reception gave us the data we needed to accelerate getting our game into the market! - Stacy Katz and Maximina Revis, Co-Creators of Not Parent Approved

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BrainSpin continues strong sales at Winning Moves USA, selling over 50,000 copies since its debut in 2016. I learned so much at the Conferences and Fair and could not have gotten this deal without the work you do supporting newbies like me. I came to understand the value of licensing versus self-publishing; learned the important terms, conditions and gray areas of legal deals; met a Hasbro executive and played my game with him (he later connected me with Winning Moves); and a colleague of his, who kindly offered his advice on who to work with and what I could expect in a deal; and I boosted my credibility by selling more than a hundred copies of BrainSpin at the Fair. Super psyched to come back this year with a new idea!" - Frankie Abralind 

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"CHITAG is the best conference and networking experience I have ever had!" -Heidi Larson, Hb's Toys & Accessories

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"You can spend years trying to figure out the ropes of a new industry, or you can spend two days at T&GCon and meet those that know, listen to those that know, and then you can move forward with your idea. We listened. When we left we had orders and we had a vision. We went from being a nobody to a somebody. Thank you so much!" - Bill Witt, Founder, Pajaggle, Inc

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“First class - ample venue, fine food/beverage, well-credentialed speakers, awards dinner, impressive and well-connected industry execs attending. Your event far exceeded my expectations! A great experience! The face-to-face contact with industry folks is invaluable. I heartily recommend this for anyone hoping to break into the business. Even if a person does not find the news to be good about their proposed toy or game, then they at least know that they gave themselves the very best chance for success. Thanks to T&GCon, my game “Choice Words” was picked up by MindWare.” - Bob Kamp

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“We went to a Toy Show, and it happened to be the Chicago Toy Fair, and within the first hour we got offered a license agreement.” —  Dustin "Red Dragon" Berk, Ninja Cards on Shark Tank

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"This event makes me fall in love with the Toy & Game Industry each year!” - Megan Hinterman Kanous - Publisher Services, Inc.

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"I don't think I have learned more about the Toy Biz since... ever. I didn't want it to end." - Carle Wunderlich, President, Best of Best Toys, Inc. 

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The Innovation Conferences are aa valuable a networking event to me, as it is to the inventors attending! Mary and her team assemble some of the most talented people in the industry. It is like no other toy conference available. I am sure some the industry’s best, new ideas are being discussed and created throughout the conference events – we will just have to watch the toy shelves to see!" - Tracy Dudkiewicz, TAP Marketing

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"In two days companies such as Hasbro and Barnes and Noble covered everything from what the major retail buyers were looking for, how and why decisions were made, to how to save on manufacturing. This was topped only by the opportunity to have a one-on-one with the same experts allowing them to comment on our product and answer our questions. They were all very generous with their time and suggestions. T&GCon  is a must for anyone who wants to understand the toy and game industry or market their product. I came away from the event both professionally and personally enriched." - Gary Nolan, Inventarium