The Toy Industry Association (TIA), owner and operator of the 111th American International Toy Fair, reports that GRAMMY-winner Alicia Keys, co-creator of the interactive children’s app The Journals of Mama Mae & LeeLee, will help cut the ribbon at Toy Fair’s opening ceremony on Sunday, February 16 at 10 a.m.

Immediately following the ribbon-cutting, Keys will hold a press conference on the app with TIA’s vice president of meetings and events, Marian Bossard.

The exciting show opener will officially kick-off the largest toy show ever held in North America, as an anticipated 30,000+ attendees from 100 countries descend upon New York City to see hundreds of thousands of toys and games across a record-breaking 411,500+ net square feet of exhibit space.

“Renowned for being the only toy marketplace in the world that provides showgoers with direct access to the unique and innovative playthings made by North American toy companies, Toy Fair 2014 is expected to be bigger and better than ever before,” said Bossard. “We look forward to welcoming global buyers, exhibitors, licensors, entertainment executives and other play industry professionals for a jam-packed week of business, networking and world class education!”

Among a slate of exciting initiatives, the show will break new ground this year with the introduction of ShopToyFair365, a free e-commerce tool that empowers buyers and sellers anywhere in the world to connect and do business online before, during and after the show. Nearly 1,000 buyers and exhibitors have already registered for the platform since its January launch; information kiosks on the show floor will help Toy Fair attendees navigate and utilize the tool.

Toy Fair will once again offer business-building educational sessions under the umbrella of “TIA’s Knowledge Network.” Seminars will cover a wide range of topics pertinent to toy industry stakeholders, including play in the 21st century; toy safety; development, production and marketing advancements; and doing business in the global toy marketplace. During TIA’s annual Toy Trends Tea (Monday, Feb. 17 at 4 p.m.), the Association’s trend experts will unveil the year’s top six trends using examples from the show floor and live product demonstrations.

After-hours and networking events during Toy Fair week will also abound, beginning with the 14th annual TOTY (Toy of the Year) Awards on Saturday evening, February 15th at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. The event, which supports the philanthropic work of the Toy Industry Foundation, will honor the most outstanding toys and children’s entertainment properties of the past year and celebrate the induction of five individuals into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame.

The 111th American International Toy Fair takes place February 16-19, 2014 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. To learn more, visit http://www.ToyFairNY.com or Toy Fair’s official Facebook page. Join the online conversation using hashtags #TF14 and #TFNY.