The Toy Fair is arguably the busiest toy trade show of the year – so it pays to prepare your visit in advance. Dominic Sacco explains how to get there, the changes for 2013 as well as listing the nearby hotels, and more importantly, bars
HOW TO GET THERE
The 2013 Toy Fair takes place at the London Olympia’s Grand Hall from Tuesday, January 22nd to Thursday, January 24th from 9am to 6pm.
The address is as follows: Hammersmith Road, West Kensington, London, W14 8UX.
By train – the nearest train station to London Olympia is Kensington (Olympia). It’s one stop from Shepherd’s Bush on the Central Line or West Brompton on the District Line. The London Olympia is next to the Kensington (Olympia) train station.
By car – directions vary depending on where you’re driving in from, so why not use a sat-nav or Google Maps to seek directions by inputting the Olympia’s postcode – W14 8UX. You can also pre- book parking by visiting www.eco.co.uk/p/olympia -venue-parking/215 online.
By bus – you can get the following buses to London Olympia: 9 (from Aldwych to
Hammersmith), 10 (from Kings Cross to
Hammersmith), 27 (from Chalk Farm to Turnham Green), 28 (from Kensal Rise to Wandsworth), 49 (from White City to Clapham Junction) and 391 (from Fulham to Richmond).
By plane – whether you’re flying into Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton or City Airport, you can catch a train into London then head to Kensington (Olympia) using the Underground.
196 February WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK
There are dozens of places around Olympia to have a meal with your team or business partners, including the following:
Zaika (Indian restaurant) Timo (Italian) The Jameson (British food plus bar) The Jam Tree Kensington (British)
The Albion (British food and pub) Sticky Fingers (American) Society (British food plus bar) Popeseye Steak House (British) Live and Let Live (pub and bar)
Within the Olympia halls you can find the following
food and snack bars: The Orchard Food Market The Glass House Taste Italia Olympia Gallery Café Crussh Cappuccino Espresso Bar Café Pizza Express (Italian restaurant)
WHERE TO STAY
Expotel has been appointed as the official accommodation and travel agents for the London Toy Fair. You can book online at www.expotel.com, email events@expotel.com or call 0845 054 8470, quoting event code TOY2013.
The closest ten hotels to the London Olympia are as follows: Hilton London Olympia, K West Hotel, Think Earls Court Apartments, Hilton London Kensington, Novotel London West, Holiday Inn Express London Earls Court, 59 Longridge Road Serviced Apartments, K+K Hotel George, Templeton Place and NH Kensington.
HOW TO REGISTER AS A VISITOR
It’s free to attend if you’ve already pre- registered, otherwise it costs £15 on site. To register as a visitor, call 020 7701 7127.
WHAT’S CHANGED FOR 2013?
The 60th annual Toy Fair has increased its floor space by 2,500 square metres over the 2012 show, by expanding into the newly opened Upper West Hall at Olympia. Over 230 companies will be launching new products, including 53 first-time exhibitors and 21 firms taking bigger stands. The increase in floor space on the upper level will provide a dedicated event space for the 2012 Toy Industry Awards, which will run on January 22nd.