In my Fortune 500 days, we had but a handful of competitors. Most were well financed and had very smart marketing and they had to because it was often a zero-sum game. If they didn't buy my company's product, they would go to the competition. With toys, however, most families buy several if not dozens so it's a bit less bleak in terms of purchasing behavior.
Back to the show... I make it a rule to walk by every single booth with at least three ideas in my mind. In this case, I was looking for (a) companies who might distribute our games, (b) interesting/unique attributes in terms of board design, and (c) potential mentors. While in 5 hours of constant walking and talking I covered just 70% of the floor, I managed to make respectable progress in each of these three areas.
I'm truly convinced we have something that is totally different and will set the market on fire. Yes, I'm dreaming of winning several Toy of the Year awards (or at least nominations) in 2009. Aspirations like these are a blessing as well as a curse. It's good to think big and believe; but to do this will present marketing challenges I cannot even begin now to fathom.
What I liked most about the show was the spirit of the vendors, especially the small businesses who rely on success to feed their families. They had to learn to do it all; they tired beyond recognition yet they are also terribly excited about what they do and genuinely appear happy to see bright, shiny faces like mine who are attempting to grow the industry even more.
I certainly hope our entries are as well received as they have been (so far) conceived...
It's not enough to simply go to your local toy store or even the local chain store to see how many other folks make games.
market is - especially when you naively hold notions of penetrating it in an enormous way - which we at Better Indeed do with our game Family Matters.
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