When Imran Hakim of iTeddy based in Bolton booked his stand at the Toy Fair he had no idea what to expect as a new entrant to the market. iTeddy, however, proved hugely popular with the audience so much so that Hakim twice had to draft in additional staff to cope with the level of interest from the trade professionals attending.
All of the leading buyers visited the iTeddy stand with genuine interest shown by most including representatives from market leaders Hamley’s, Toys’R’us’ and Harrods. By the close of the show Hakim expects orders for the Christmas peak to run to 7 figures a number that will challenge his work force but he has no doubts they will meet.
And it wasn’t just trade interest, iTeddy featured on 5 News as well as on SKY. The Sun and the Telegraph were among the nationals that interviewed Hakim for follow-up feature articles. A delighted Hakim exclaimed “£200,000 would not have bought the media exposue generated as a result of exhibiting!”
iTeddy’s investment in the show was between £7,000 and £8,000 and as a result of the company’s participation in the event Hakim expects sales to exceed £10 million. “To get to where I have got to in the last 4 days I could have been knocking on doors for next 3 years” he concludes.
STOP PRESS – Imran Hakim and iTeddy have subsequently appeared on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den and secured backing.
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To view this press release in pdf format, please click here.
The EIA is supported by marketing partners Dubai World Trade Centre, IELA and getmemedia.com
Link to video Interview - http://www.eventsreview.co.uk/news/events/423
Event: Toy Fair 2007 (24-27 January)
Venue: ExCeL, London
Exhibitor: Imran Hakim of iTeddy, Bolton, UK
Product: iTeddy - update on a classic icon, the teddy bear with a built in personal media player.
BACKGROUND
PRODUCT - iTeddy
The main design elements include;
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lightweight teddy bear housing cushions knocks and keeps bear cuddly - the way little children play
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USB connector for easy data transfer and recharging internal battery
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Built in speakers to eliminate need for earphones
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Sleep function for auto timed shut down and hold feature to avoid activating buttons during play.
www.iteddy.co.uk
The main functions include;
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Video - watching cartoons or even your home movies
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Audio - Nursery rhymes, bedtime stories even tracks from cds you already own
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View/store your favourite holiday or family photos to share with your friends anywhere anytime.
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Built in tetris style block game
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Record feature to allow kids to record themselves with quick and easy playback
Drag and drop system as well as child friendly menu system makes it easy for kids to navigate.
EVENT – Toy Fair 2007
Toy Fair:
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Is the only dedicated toy, game and hobby exhibition in the UK.
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Has over 250 exhibitors from large internationals to the new start up companies.
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Provides trade visitors an overview and insight into an innovative & exciting industry.
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VENUE – ExCeL London
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£300 million international events venue
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Largest and most versatile space in London
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£13 million investment in IT infrastructure
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Since opening, has hosted over 1,500 events and welcomed over 4 million people from 193 different countries.
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2 out of 3 of the UK's largest consumer events are held at ExCeL London - London Boat Show and the British International Motor Show.
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9 of London's top ten trade shows are held at ExCeL London.
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Corporate event clients include M&S, Barclays, HSBC, IBM, Morgan Stanley, Tesco, ASDA, Oracle, Toyota, Wella, Deloitte and the Royal Bank of Scotland
www.excel-london.co.uk
For more information, visit the website at www.eventsindustryalliance.com
Contact
Events Industry Alliance (EIA)
Declan Gane, EIA PR Manager
Email: declan@eventsindustryalliance.com
Events Industry Alliance (EIA)
119 High Street
Berkhamsted
Hertfordshire
HP4 2DJ
Telephone: (01442) 873331
Facsimile: (01442) 875551
