2014 Nürnberg Toy Fair A report on some new items of interest for model railroaders/John Glaab
PHOTOS BY JOHN AND CHRISTINE GLAAB
Upon entering the train hall from the service area, visitors were welcomed into a clean, well-lit environment (above). Every walk- way was carpeted and the booths were bright and attractive.
E
very year in late January, Nürn- berg, Germany hosts the world’s largest toy show. Known as
Spielwarrenmesse, this show covers 36 acres of displays in 18 buildings where manufacturers from all over the world come to sell their wares. Everything that can be considered a toy is repre- sented. Plush toys, wooden toys, dolls, board games, outdoor toys, model air- planes and cars, educational toys, mod- el trains and much more.
This is not a show for the general
public, but for the manufacturers, cor- porate buyers and the press. The dis- plays are quite professional; many are large, with some of the larger being up to 2,400 square feet, often including a second story for private meetings and refreshments.
The atmosphere is elegant. All the
walkways are carpeted and spotlessly clean. Between the display halls are service and restaurant facilities. The arrangement of these service hubs is clever. The basement floor contains rest- room and coat check areas. The first floor is fast food, typically sandwiches and drinks, no greasy fried food, and the second floor is a sit down restaurant. A typical booth for a large manufac-
62 APRIL 2014
The Märklin HO scale display layout (below) was large, beauti- fully detailed and operated very well. European layouts often fo- cus heavily on passenger train operation, as was the case here.
turer is divided into three sections: an outer display area where you can view the new releases and pick up a catalog, a middle section where you can sit down with a representative and place
your order, and an inner sanctum con- taining one or more small conference rooms, a kitchen and a communica- tions room where representatives can connect directly to the factory located
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