A successful Spielwarenmesse encourages the toy business

 

There were great expectations for the 2023 edition of the Spielwarenmesse, the largest and most representative toy fair in the world, after a gap of three long years when the event was cancelled due to the pandemic, and they were met, or even exceeded: although 700 exhibitors were missing as compared with the 2019 show – 2,100 companies from 69 countries participated this year – and visitors dropped by 8% to 58,000 from 128 countries, the German toy exhibition, held for the 72nd time in Nuremberg (February 1-6), was considered a real success by anybody concerned. It is obvious that the war in Ukraine and the compulsory visa for Chinese visitors kept both exhibitors and visitors from several territories away. On the other hand, attendance from the US toy market was higher than ever, growing by almost 10%. Since most international toy markets registered turnover decreases in 2022, the positive feeling that was manifest in the Nuremberg fair halls pointed to better results in 2023.

All the leading companies in the international toy business were present. New products and concepts abounded. A significant shift toward sustainability was on the forefront everywhere. The Toys Go Green area enjoyed great acceptance with its presentation of the sustainability theme in four sections. There was strong focus on one of the three trends selected by the Spielwarenmesse together with the international TrendCommittee, namely Meta Toys, which opens new technological horizons for the toy business. The other trends were Discovery and Brands for Fans.

The usual itinerary through the halls underwent some changes as a few major companies were moved to different locations but those exhibitors eventually expressed satisfaction with the new placement. A survey revealed that 95% of exhibitors rated participation in the event as important or very important, and 92% declared themselves satisfied or very satisfied with the way it went. Christian Ulrich, Spokesperson of the Executive Board at Spielwarenmesse eG, announced that 83% of the exhibitors were already making plans to take part again.

On January 31st, during the Spielwarenmesse Press Preview, six products received the coveted Toy Award: among them, there were EverEarth 7 in 1 Space Activity Cube by Ever Earth Europe (Baby & Infant Category, 0-3 years) and Yummy Bear Scale by Topbright (Preschool Category, 3-6 years). Paw Patrol AR Tattoo & Stickers by Holo Toyz was awarded a Toy Award for the Startup Category. Among the Soft Toys, Wooden Toys and Educational Toys areas, we met a broad selection of products relating to babies and infants. We noticed Montessori-inspired articles for the children’s room, extended employment of eco-friendly materials, wooden outdoor play equipment. Baby and infant toys were exhibited in several other halls of the Spielwarenmesse.

The next Spielwarenmesse’s dates will be announced within the end of February.

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Strong international Kind + Jugend impresses the industry

by | Sep 13, 2022 | Articles

Top decision-making competence of the visitors underlines the significance of the international trading platform Kind + Jugend and sets a clear business signal.

The BCMI at Kind + Jugend 2022 – Back row from left: Carola Siksma-Ruiters (BabyWereld, Netherlands), Katja Keienburg (baby&junior, Germany), Marc & Emili Alsina (Puericultura Market, Spain) – Front row from left: Hans Henrik de Glasenapp (Baby, Hobby & Leketoy, Norway), Lena Hedö (Lek & Babyrevyn, Sweden), Anne-Grethe Buro (Baby, Hobby & Leketoy, Norway), Urszula Kaszubowska (Branza Dziecieca, Poland).

High number of foreign visitors, dynamic business, satisfied exhibitors: Kind + Jugend from 8 to 10 September 2022 was a successful trade fair experience in all respects. With an impressive number of around 500 exhibitors from 38 countries, from top players through to newcomers, the trade fair offered a comprehensive overview of the industry again this year. Around 10,000 trade visitors from 103 countries attended, 75 percent of whom came from abroad. They showed a high interest in new and existing products from all exhibition segments and ensured good order books and high hopes for a good post-fair business.

“This on-site edition of Kind + Jugend with such high-quality encounters, has impressively demonstrated that the industry and trade need and intensively use the marketing tool, trade fairs, more than ever,” commented Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH. “The first event after the Re-Start edition has already accentuated this. This was an important step in returning to the old strength of Kind + Jugend,” Frese added.

Alongside the excellent visitor numbers, the trade fair’s international attendance was particularly impressive – over 75 percent of the visitors came from abroad. The majority of the visitors travelled to the trade fair from all countries of Europe. A high number of buyers from Turkey also attended Kind + Jugend in Cologne. Furthermore, a large number of visitors attended from North America and Australia, as well as from the Near and Middle East, particularly from Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Many visitors also travelled to Cologne from Korea, India and Japan as well as from other Asiatic countries.

The exhibitors unanimously praised the high degree of decision-making competence of the visitors. They came from the international wholesale and retail trade, from the online trade, from drugstores and furniture stores, from purchasing associations as well as from the import trade.

This year, the exhibitors came from all areas of the baby and toddler outfitting sector and included products from the segments of strollers, child seats and carriers, children’s furniture and room furnishings, safety and monitoring, fashion and streetwear for babies and pregnant mothers, toys for kids and, of course, care and nutrition. 85 percent of the exhibitors came from abroad.

Along with numerous leading manufacturers and brands, many small and medium-sized suppliers as well as young companies and start-ups were represented at Kind + Jugend. The majority of the exhibitors came from European countries and Turkey. However, companies from China, India, Israel, Canada, Korea, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and the USA were also represented at this year’s trade fair.

The industry is expecting stable turnovers in spite of the partly challenging framework conditions. For example, the birth rates rose in Germany again recently. Parents and grandparents haven’t shown any buying restraint yet when it comes down to purchasing items for the tiny tots, according to the German Association of the Toy Retail Trade (BVS). However, themes like sustainability are increasingly occupying both the manufacturers and the trade, because parents are enquiring about and demanding these more and more. Many companies thus offer products from regrowing raw materials or which originate from a circular economy or organic cultivation or are compensating for their carbon footprint.

Kind + Jugend was rounded off by a focused lecture programme precisely aligned to suit the demands of the industry. The Innovation Award was presented again this year, for the first time in nine categories.

The winners of the Innovation Awards according to categories:

World of Kids Care – Mininor Potty, Mininor Global ApS, Denmark

World of Kids Furniture – Nino – modular furniture, Krespa Sp. z.o.o., Poland

World of Kids Safety at Home – Motorola PIP1610 HD Connect, the Netherlands

World of Kids Textiles – On the go, Delta Diffusion S.A., Belgium

World of Kids Toys – BAVVIC – Creative Building Blocks, Bavviv Sp. z.o.o., Poland

World of Moving Kids & Travelling Kids Accessories – Stroll & Connect Bladeless Stroller Fan – Skip Hop Inc. USA

World of Moving Kids – The Jiffle wagon, The Jiffle bv, the Netherlands

World of Travelling Kids – Turai360 SL Klimax, Osann GmbH, Germany

World of Sustainability – KIDFIX i-SIZE, Britax Römer Kindersicherheit GmbH, Germany

Dates of Kind + Jugend 2023
Next year, Kind + Jugend will take place from 7 to 9 September 2023.

Kind + Jugend 2022 in figures
484 companies from 38 countries took part in Kind + Jugend 2022, 89 percent of which were from abroad. These included 55 exhibitors from Germany and 429 exhibitors from abroad. Including estimates for the last day of the fair, around 10,000 visitors from 103 countries attended Kind + Jugend 2022. The share of foreign visitors was 75 percent.

*All figures are calculated in accordance with the guidelines of the Association for the Voluntary Control of Trade Fair and Exhibition Statistics (FKM). (https://www.fkm.de/en/).