A successful networking event during LA Fall Preview gave toy and game inventors and industry veterans a chance to connect, talk shop, and build relationships — all without the pressure of pitching.

One of the livelier gatherings during this year’s LA Fall Preview wasn’t a retailer meeting or product presentation. It was a room full of toy and game inventors and industry professionals simply getting to know one another.

On September 16, The Toy Association, in partnership with the United Inventors Association’s (UIA) Toy Hub, hosted their first inventor-focused gathering in Los Angeles at an Inventor Networking Hour at The Toy Building in El Segundo. The event, sponsored by Eastar Toy & Game Manufacturing, brought independent toy and game inventors together with manufacturers, inventor relations executives, product developers, and other industry professionals.

And there was one important distinction: This wasn’t a pitch event.

“We wanted to create a casual, high-value opportunity where inventors and designers could connect with inventor relations professionals, toy company representatives, Toy Building tenants, and other industry leaders,” said Jackie Retzer, senior director of event management at The Toy Association. “This event was really about creating more ways for the inventor community to build relationships and feel connected to the industry throughout the year.”

That focus reflects what inventors themselves have said they are looking for. In a recent Toy Association inventor survey, 79% of respondents expressed interest in networking opportunities and 55% in mentoring opportunities. Their top educational interests pointed to a similar need: learning how to get in front of companies and build industry relationships.

The Inventor Networking Hour was developed by Shannon Swindle, director of programs and special projects at The Toy Association, in collaboration with UIA’s Toy Hub, to help address that need. The event is also part of The Toy Association’s broader effort to expand inventor-focused programming and create more touchpoints for the creator community.

“The toy business has always been about relationships,” said Matt Nuccio, president of Design Edge, vice president of UIA, and chair of UIA’s Toy Hub. “The Toy Association and UIA wanted to create an environment where inventors could get to know people in the industry without feeling like they immediately had to pitch them something. Together, we turned that idea into an event, and the response showed us there was a real need for it.”

What Are the UIA and Toy Hub?

The United Inventors Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and supporting independent inventors and helping them navigate the often complicated path from an initial idea to the marketplace.

The UIA Toy Hub takes that mission and focuses it specifically on toy and game inventors.

The Toy Hub’s advisory board brings together experienced professionals from across the toy and game industry, giving inventors access to practical knowledge about product development, intellectual property, licensing, manufacturing, marketing, pitching, and other aspects of bringing an idea to market.

Nuccio, who has spent decades designing and developing toys through his company Design Edge, has helped lead the Toy Hub’s efforts to build a stronger bridge between independent inventors and the established toy industry.

“There’s no shortage of people willing to tell inventors what they should do,” Nuccio said. “With the Toy Hub, we wanted to connect them with people who actually work in this business every day.”

That philosophy was very much on display in Los Angeles.

No Pitch Deck Required

Instead of inventors waiting for their turn to make a presentation, conversations happened naturally throughout the room. With coffee and pastries on hand, the format was intentionally casual and relationship-focused, giving attendees an opportunity to connect without the pressure of a formal product pitch.

Inventors could introduce themselves, ask questions, exchange contact information, and meet people they might otherwise never encounter. For industry professionals, it was an opportunity to meet new creative talent without the structure or time constraints of a formal submission meeting.

Eastar Toy & Game Manufacturing supported the event and helped bring the manufacturing side of the business into the conversation.

“Supporting the inventor community is a big part of what makes Eastar who we are,” said David Du, CEO of Eastar. “These are the people dreaming up the future of toys and games, and we want to be the kind of partner that helps them bring their best ideas to life. Being part of the Toy Association Inventor Networking Event last week in LA was a real highlight. Getting to meet so many inventors in one room, hearing what they're working on, and feeling that energy in person reminded me why we do this.”

Representatives from established toy and game companies participated as well, including The Op Games, giving independent creators an opportunity to interact directly with people involved in evaluating and bringing new products to market.

“What a great way to start off the day for me at LA Fall Preview, meeting some new amazing toy & game designers at the Toy Association’s Inventor Networking Hour,” said Tony Serebriany, vice president of inventor relations at The Op Games. “I wish I had more time to spend with this talented group, and to have gotten to meet everyone that I do not already know. I guess there is always next year!”

For the inventors themselves, the accessibility of the people in the room was a large part of the event’s appeal.

“The Inventor Networking Hour was a super fun way to meet people in a casual way,” said Hilary Rich, an independent inventor who attended the event. “It really felt like a welcoming door into the toy inventor world, and I even came away with two follow-up meetings!”

And that is perhaps the clearest measure of the event’s success: relationships made during an informal networking hour were already turning into conversations that would continue after LA Fall Preview.

Building More Doors Into the Industry

The Inventor Networking Hour in LA is part of a broader effort to create more opportunities for toy and game inventors to learn the business, build relationships, and connect with the people already working within it. The Toy Hub helps make those connections more accessible, while Toy Association events give inventors a welcoming place to start.

The momentum will continue from November 5 to 7 at the Global Inventor Pitch & Innovation Conference, the largest and longest-running toy and game inventor event of its kind. Hosted by People of Play, a division of The Toy Association, the conference brings the toy and game inventor community together for networking, education, mentoring, and pitching opportunities. UIA’s Toy Hub will also be participating in inventor-focused programming throughout the event.

In addition, The Toy Association and UIA’s Toy Hub plan to create additional opportunities for inventors, including Creative Factor: Inventor Day at Toy Fair 2027, which offers selected toy and game inventors a more structured opportunity to formally pitch their concepts directly to participating companies.

From Networking to Pitching

Creative Factor: Inventor Day at Toy Fair takes a different approach from the Inventor Networking Hour in LA.

Whereas the LA event was deliberately about networking without pitching, Creative Factor: Inventor Day gives selected toy and game inventors an opportunity to pitch their concepts directly to toy and game companies interested in outside innovation. Creative Factor: Inventor Day will take place on Tuesday, February 23, at Toy Fair, with pitch applications currently open. Click here for more information.

The UIA Toy Hub also works with participating inventors to help them prepare, offering mentoring and practical advice about presenting their concepts and navigating the submission and licensing process.

“Creative Factor: Inventor Day is where you get the opportunity to pitch,” Nuccio said. “What we created in LA was about what happens before that — meeting people, learning the business, and becoming part of the community. Inventors need both.”

And in an industry built as much on relationships as it is on great ideas, that first conversation can be just as important as the pitch that comes later.