Country for PR: United Kingdom
Contributor: PR Newswire Europe
Sunday, February 02 2020 - 23:44
AsiaNet
Spielwarenmesse Achieves New Highs for Internationality and Quality
NUREMBERG, Germany, Feb. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

- Industry's global decision-makers all in attendance
 
- Excellent mood among exhibiting companies
 
- Presentation of themes and trends with great potential

Opening its doors for the 71st time, the Spielwarenmesse has clearly asserted 
its position as the world's leading industry event. The international share of 
both visitors and exhibitors reached its highest level ever. From 29 January to 
2 February, 63,500 independent retailers and buyers wended their way to 
Nuremberg's Exhibition Center from 136 countries (2019: 66,876/132). The 
decline in the number of visitors is linked to fears surrounding the 
Coronavirus. Even so, the mood among exhibitors was extremely upbeat: 2,843 
companies from 70 countries (2019: 2,886/68) provided a comprehensive overview 
of the market.

Taking a closer look at the visitor numbers, 66 percent (2019: 62%) travelled 
to the fair from abroad. In the country ranking, the UK and the USA posted the 
biggest increases. In addition, the level of demand at the Spielwarenmesse 
remained stable. Shay Mugrabi, CEO of Israeli wholesaler Hot Stuff Toys, is 
among the many returnees to the fair: "This is the best toy fair in the world. 
Every year, we find new things, exhibitors and services." Paola Zuzunaga of 
chainstore Caramba made the journey all the way from Peru: "The Spielwarenmesse 
is unique in my eyes because we can find international brands and a lot of 
variety." 

The exhibitors repaid the compliment. 92 percent of them were very happy or 
happy with the outcome of the fair, praising, above all, the quality of the 
trade visitors. "This year's Spielwarenmesse was by far our most successful 
because of the first-rate visitors," emphasises Craze's Vice President Florian 
N. Lipp. "We've met the most important international decision-makers across all 
distribution channels in the space of just a few days." CEO Alexandre Pariente 
of Safari adds: "We keep coming back because there's simply no other show that 
connects so many prospective partners." This exhibitor has been loyal to the 
Spielwarenmesse for more than 25 years. 

Another US company used the industry event to mark its 75th anniversary: Toy 
giant Mattel celebrated this milestone birthday directly at its exhibition 
stand. As a marketing tool for exhibitors, the Spielwarenmesse generally scores 
top ratings: 97 percent state that the industry expo is very important or 
important for their company. Ögeday Uçurum, Co-Founder of Toyi Oyun ve Tasarim 
from Turkey appreciates the significance, particularly for start-ups, of 
forging plenty of new business contacts: "The Spielwarenmesse is the place to 
be as we make all our deals here. This year, we appeared in the TrendGallery as 
well, which was a great opportunity for us." 

Providing a good reflection of the current market, the three trends "Toys for 
Future," "Digital goes Physical," and "Be You!" were well received by trade 
visitors and exhibitors. Besides tolerance and inclusion, the focus is on 
connecting digital and traditional toys and on environmental awareness. "The 
Spielwarenmesse perfectly reflects our philosophy of sustainability which will 
play an even stronger role in the industry in the future," says Alain De Rauw, 
International Sales Director of Thai toy maker PlanToys. The organiser has 
plans to expand this theme at the next Spielwarenmesse.

The coordinators behind the event are already equipping trade visitors with the 
tools they need to rise to the challenges of the retail environment. With 
120,000 innovations on show in Nuremberg, the winners of the ToyAwards gave 
visitors valuable guidance. Gollnest & Kiesel is one of the five award-winning 
companies. Senior Vice President Thorsten Koss explains: "The ToyAward is more 
than just recognition of an innovative product, as it also generates a lot of 
interest, as has been confirmed by the extremely positive response we've 
received at the fair." 

The presentation arena and the special shows for specific target groups 
likewise attract plenty of footfall. Melbot from Spain was represented at the 
Tech2Play activity area. CEO Iván Expósito Sánchez: "The innovative concept 
offered us a great opportunity to let visitors from all over the world test our 
product directly. The atmosphere was fantastic." Sieper's Managing Director 
Britta Sieper highlights its unique flair: "In our digital age, the trade fair 
is a really important platform for forging and nurturing personal contacts." 
The majority of exhibitors clearly share this view with 92 percent already 
pledging to return to next year's event from 27 to 31 January 2021.

Ernst Kick, CEO Spielwarenmesse eG, concludes: "The high proportion of 
international visitors and the positive mood among exhibitors corroborates our 
forward-looking approach to the event. Venturing down the right track early on, 
we set our sights on leading the industry into a new and successful business 
year."

Note for editors: Reprint free of charge. Images are available at 
www.spielwarenmesse.de/media 
[https://spielwarenmesse.imageplant.de/media/detail/5120/category/65/?page=2]. 
Please provide us with a voucher copy on publication.

Spielwarenmesse(R)

Spielwarenmesse(R), the leading international fair for toys, hobbies and 
leisure, is organised by the fair and marketing services provider 
Spielwarenmesse eG. The trade fair creates a comprehensive communication and 
ordering platform for 2,800 national and international manufacturers. The 
presentation of new products and the extensive industry overview provide a 
valuable pool 
of information for annual market orientation for around 65,000 buyers and toy 
traders from more than 130 nations. Spielwarenmesse(R) has also been a 
protected word mark in Germany since 2013.

Fair dates: Spielwarenmesse(R), Wednesday to Sunday, 27 Jan. – 31 Jan. 2021

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1085065/Spielwarenmesse_2020_1.jpg 
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1085066/Spielwarenmesse_2020_2.jpg 
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1010024/Spielwarenmesse_Logo.jpg 

Source: Spielwarenmesse eG
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