After a fantastic end to 2024, with a host of successful events and the release of Stronger Point Expansion One, 2025 has hit top gear very quickly for the Strong Point team!
We exhibited at The Toy Fair at London Olympia for the first time in January, which meant as soon as the Christmas and New Year celebrations were done and dusted, almost before the decorations were down and packed away, we were busy in preparation mode.
The Toy Fair was a different kind of exhibition for us. We are very comfortable and familiar with Markets and Expos where we are talking to customers wanting to buy Strong Point, but this was all about selling the Strong Point vision to retailers, distributors, and even influencers! In the run up to the show we spent a lot of time thinking of how we wanted our stand to look. We wanted something that was true to our unique brand look, something that would catch the eye in a maze of eye-catching stands.
There were a few late nights and stressful days getting all the designs as we wanted them and just right for printing, and it got right down to the 11th hour before things came together! But they did come together, and by the time show opened on the morning of Tuesday 21st January we were pretty satisfied with how things looked. What do you reckon?
One of the most exciting things about exhibiting was that it was the first time we have been able to showcase the forthcoming Stronger Point Junior Expansion, and our new look for Strong Point. Strong Point will still be the same amazing trivia fun that it has always been, so when it comes to game night you can still showcase your trivia expertise. All that has changed is that the game has had a slight re-branding so that the game and the 2 expansions look like the complete trivia package and fit perfectly together on your game shelf! It was great seeing the 3 games together for the first time and really made us realise how far we have come since we started this trivia adventure a few years ago!
The three days of the show went by so fast and in that time we met and spoke with so many wonderful and friendly people. The response from those that visited the stand was fantastic and we had some truly wonderful feedback. One of the highlights was speaking to the lovely Anna Williamson from the Toy Fair TV team, who not only talked to Si, but also tried the game out .
I think she liked it! You can watch the video here:
Gill also found time to meet Sonic the Hedgehog, Mr Bump, and Touker Suleyman from Dragon's Den while wandering the arena!
Overall, we are happy with how the show went, and the connections that we made. We will see in the next few weeks and months how the possibility of possibilities evolve and develop. Hopefully we've shown that Strong Point is the perfect trivia game for a fun and exciting games night, and with Stronger Point Expansion One and Stronger Point Junior Expansion, the Strong Point Collection is perfect for adults and families, with the Junior Expansion giving youngsters the chance to show the adults who's the trivia expert in the house.
We finished the week in London with a trip to some of the city's best Board Game Cafes. Storm Eowyn had hit the North-East in the early hours of Friday, and we didn't really want to take any chances travelling into the teeth of the storm. So, we loaded up a backpack with a few copies of Strong Point and visited Bad Moon Cafe, Otter Chaos, and Draughts, leaving them each a copy of the game for their libraries.
In the week prior to Toy Fair, we were invited to exhibit at the Creative Industries Growth Summit, at The Glasshouse (formerly The Sage), Gateshead. This was a conference where creative industries in the North-East were asked to showcase their businesses to Creative UK and their partners from all over the UK, including the Government Minister for the Department of Culture Media & Sport, local MPs, and influential people in the creative industry such as Sara Davies MBE, BBC Dragon (there have been Dragons around in the last few weeks, but thankfully no Dungeons!) and founder of Crafters Companion.
This was another great opportunity to demo Strong Point, but also talk about the game design community in the North-East.
Unfortunately we won't make The Big Creative UK Summit, Investment for Growth Event in London on 4th March 2025 but we're very grateful for the invitation and support from Creative UK and hope to attend more events in the future.
The highlight was undoubtedly Sara Davies coming to our stand and asking if she could have a copy of the game and expansion! Fingers crossed she loves it as much as the hundreds of people who've given us 5 star reviews do!
Gill says: It was amazing rubbing shoulders with two of the 'Dragons', especially the wonderful Sara Davies who is an icon in the North East of England and very much an inspiration for me as the epitome of successful female entrepreneurship. Sara is extremely passionate about running all the while putting in the hard work which you can imagine resonates massively with me as a seasoned marathon runner. Striking a healthy work/life balance is so important and Sara promotes this on her social channels fantastically. https://www.instagram.com/saradaviescc/
It's been an exciting start to 2025, so keep watching this space for more details about events we plan on being at this year, but also to stay in the loop about the very exciting forthcoming release of Stronger Point Junior Expansion.
Thanks to all of the people who stopped by our stands at the two events, it was lovely to meet you all!
Some useful links:
https://www.wearecreative.uk/investment-in-the-creative-industries-our-2025-big-creative-uk-summits/
https://toyworldmag.co.uk/ (You can find a short feature on Strong Point Games in the January Toy Fair edition)
Onwards and upwards,
Si
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