Welcome to the
UK Toy Inventors’ Dinner
The annual get-together of inventors, designers, product-pickers and other toy business professionals from around the world.
Wednesday. 25th January 2023
Searcys in the Gherkin, London (Level 39 and 40)
PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS
Welcome to the
UK Toy Inventors’ Dinner
The UK Toy Inventors’ Dinner is a forum for toy inventors to get together informally during the UK Toy Fair with representatives from the toy manufacturing community. Since the first dinner, in 1984, thousands of inventors and manufacturers have taken the opportunity to get to know each other and catch up with old friends over a good meal.
Open only to bona fide toy industry professionals, the dinner is held at a different London location each year and features awards, fun challenges and an after-dinner casino in aid of a children’s charity.
The 38th UK Toy Inventors’ Dinner will take place on Wednesday, 25th January 2023 at Searcys in the Gherkin, London (Level 39 and 40).
For directions and venue details please find more information here (below the contact form).
We look forward to welcoming you in January; The Inventors’ Dinner committee: Mary Danby, Kirstin Knox, Billy Langsworthy, Lizzy Moody, TJ Morrison, Gary Pyper, Simon Skelton and Nicola Wastie.
PURCHASE YOUR TICKETSThere’s no better way to kick off the toy fair season than with the UK Toy Inventors’ Dinner – a night of frivolity and celebration where the industry’s most talented gather to crown the next great I.D.I.O.T.
David Winter, Senior Director, New Product Acquisition & Inventor Relations, Jazwares
Reasons to Attend
Join us at our annual get-together of inventors, designers, product-pickers and other toy business professionals from around the world.
A bit of light relief during the hustle and bustle of the London Toy Fair, the UK Toy Inventors’ Dinner is a relaxed, informal gathering.
Read More...What to Expect
A bit of light relief during the hustle and bustle of the London Toy Fair, the UK Toy Inventors’ Dinner is a relaxed, informal gathering. Ties are optional. After a drinks reception, a three-course dinner is served, with no set seating, followed by awards and fun stuff, then there is plenty of time to mingle and network as well as trying your luck at the casino.
Current members of the organising committee are:
Mary Danby
Kirstin Knox
Billy Langsworthy
Secretary
Lizzy Moody
TJ Morrison
Gary Pyper
Simon Skelton
Chairperson
Nicky Wastie
Treasurer
Previous Locations
The first dinner took place in 1984 aboard HMS Belfast, on the Thames, and was organized by John Reynolds, Richard Maddocks and the Wyman inventing group. In the following years, the dinner has been held at many prestigious, exciting and interesting locations: London Zoo, The London Transport Museum, The London Dungeon, The Serpentine Restaurant, The Lloyds Building, The Queen Mary, The Brewery, The Hurlingham Club, The Institute of Directors, Kensington Roof Gardens, the Copthorne Tara Hotel, The Café Royal, the Silver Barracuda riverboat, The Savoy Hotel, Staple Inn Hall, The Design Museum, The Museum in Docklands, the Clink Prison, Ironmongers’ Hall, HQS Wellington, One Whitehall Place, the Churchill War Rooms, Fortnum & Mason, BMA House, The Law Society, London Zoo (again), the Connaught Rooms, Painters’ Hall, the Café de Paris, KidZania and the Ivory Vaults.
The W.I.T.T.Y. Prize is presented to the inventor(s) of a product introduced in the preceding year and judged by Inventors' Dinner attendees
Read More...W.I.T.T.Y
Inaugurated in 2013, the W.I.T.T.Y. (Winning Inventor Toy of The Year) Prize is presented to the inventor(s) of a product introduced in the preceding year and judged by Inventors' Dinner attendees to be the most exciting and/or inventive.
W.I.T.T.Y. Award winners
2013: Fibber (NPD Toys)
2014: HolograFX (Andre Armenante)
2015: Gravity Maze (Fuse)
2016: The Greedy Sheep (Tricky Ltd)
2017: Silly Sausage (7Towns)
2018: Thomas Sea Monster Pirate Set (Dominic Yard/Gil Zalayet)
2019: Tweet Beats (Identity Games/SoSound/Tricky)
2020: The Blockbuster Game (Big Potato)
The I.D.I.O.T. Award is given as a tribute to luminaries who have made outstanding contributions to the toy industry.
Read More...I.D.I.O.T
I.D.I.O.T. stands for International Designer and Inventor of Toys, and the award, initiated in 1988, is given as a tribute to luminaries who have made outstanding contributions to the toy industry. Holders of the award can be identified by the medals on red ribbons they wear to the dinner.
I.D.I.O.T. Award winners
Torquil Norman, Mary Danby, Roger Ford, John Reynolds, David Fear, Eddy Goldfarb, Pierre Sourdive, Bob Fuhrer, Nick Austin, John Dixon, Chris Taylor, Chris Wiggs, Peter Manning, John Barbour, Mike Meyers, Robin Black-Harris, David Berko, Mike Bucher, Mark Setteducati, Ben Rathbone, Harry Thomson, Jim Becker, Rob Kay, Stan Clutton, Casey Norman, Richard Pain, Ben Varadi, Simon Holdsworth, Mike Hirtle, Mike Gray, Pete Kellond, Simon Birchenough, John Stewart, Mike Moody, Gerry Crown, Audrey New, Ruth Elliott, Ben Dermer, Adi Golad, Mary Couzin and Max Ford. In 1996, five Mini-Idiot awards were presented to Tom Kremer, Tom Mason, Paul Snyder, Mike Lyden and Mike Meyers.
Each year, one of our dinner guests is invited to nominate a children’s charity. Guests are asked to support the charity by buying vouchers to take part in an after-dinner entertainment.
Read More...Charity
Each year, one of our dinner guests is invited to nominate a children’s charity. Guests are asked to support the charity by buying vouchers to take part in an after-dinner entertainment (often a casino). We are proud of having raised tens of thousands of pounds to improve the lives of children, both in the UK and around the world.
Charities supported
Action Aid, The International Spinal Research Trust, The Heidi Hinton-Clark Trust, PACE, The Starlight Children’s Foundation, The Make-a-Wish Foundation, The Children’s Adventure Farm Trust, The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, The Dame Hannah Rogers Trust, Evelina Children’s Hospital Appeal, Shooting Star Chase, Play Matters, Happy Days, The Chickenshed Theatre Company, Winston’s Wish, Super Shoes, The Leicestershire Autistic Society, CLIC Sargent, Kathy’s Kindergarten.
We are grateful for the support of generous sponsors who help us each year to offer you a special evening and raise funds for our chosen children’s charity.
Read More...Sponsorship
We are grateful for the support of generous sponsors who help us each year to offer you a special evening and raise funds for our chosen children’s charity. Please let us know if you would like to support our next dinner, and we will provide details of our sponsorship packages.
Previous Sponsors
Art + Science International, Bandai, Big Ideas, Blisters, Calvert & Danby, Cartamundi, Carterbench, Character Group, Corgi, Evolve, Fisher-Price, Flair, Fuse London, Golden Bear, Goliath, Hasbro, Identity Games, Industrial Plastics Manufacturing, John Adams, K’Nex, Mojo Nation, Moose Toys, Origin, Seven Towns, So Sound, Spin Master, Tomy, University Games, Vivid Imaginations, Worlds Apart.
