Spielwarenmesse
Welcoming toy professionals to Nuremberg
ToyNews sits down with Christian Ulrich, Spokesperson of the Executive Board at Spielwarenmesse eG to give us a taste of what we can expect from Toy Fair Nuremberg
new Sustainability category and various presentations in the Toy Business Forum.
What can professionals in the toy industry expect to take away from the Spielwarenmesse? The toy industry is so eager to gather in person again in Nuremberg. Our business thrives on personal encounters – nothing beats face-to-face communication. You have to be there in person to fully experience the products and build new business relationships. From the familiar market leaders to innovative start-ups – the Spielwarenmesse is the global marketplace for innovations, trends and exciting product worlds.
How have your preparations for the show been – are exhibitors as keen to be involved as in previous years? Over the past few months, we’ve held countless discussions with industry representatives in over 20 countries. Time and time again, they have expressed to us how eager they are for the industry to gather in person at the Spielwarenmesse. A recent survey of registered exhibitors and our trade public has shown that the majority still want to participate in the trade fair.
Why is the event organised into product groups?
The twelve product groups at the Spielwarenmesse reflect the diversity in the industry. They give retailers and buyers a quick, compact overview and allow them to easily navigate the exhibition centre. The exhibitors are grouped by theme. You can quickly cover the short distances to the areas of relevance for your particular range.
What’s new for 2022 – can you tell us more about Spielwarenmesse Digital?
72 | toy news | Jan/Feb 2022
With our new business platform, we’re extending our online presence to include a comprehensive service that will give exhibitors innovative ways to showcase themselves and help retailers to plan their visit to the trade fair. They will be able to get an overview of all the companies and their ranges and carry out focused searches by brand or licence. There will also be various communication tools for networking and arranging meetings. Presentations in the Toy Business Forum will be live streamed. Access to the platform is included in the trade fair ticket. From 19th January, trade visitors will be able to create a personal profile on Spielwarenmesse Digital and use the platform.
How has sustainability impacted the toy industry and how is this being addressed at the Spielwarenmesse? Sustainability and climate protection are becoming increasingly important in the toy industry as well. There is a growing demand for playthings that are made from eco-friendly materials or promote environmentally conscious behaviour. We are reflecting this important topic in several ways at the Spielwarenmesse: with our Toys go Green mega-trend, the ToyAward’s
Will there be seminars, zones and/or awards at the event? Can you tell us more about these? From special and activity areas through to presentations from experts on a wide range of topics – trade visitors can expect lots of highlights at the Spielwarenmesse. The Toy Business Forum is the place for them to get practical knowledge that will provide fresh motivation for their business in areas such as range planning, licensing, sales and innovation management. Electronic toys can be thoroughly put through their paces in the Tech2Play activity area in Hall 4A. In Hall 8, innovations, trends and exceptional ToyAward products will be the focus in the StartupArea and TrendGallery. New for 2022 is the International Game Inventors Convention that will bring game designers together with editors and games publishers and will be held for the first time as a full-day event in Hall 11.1 on 4th February.
How do you intend to keep visitors and exhibitors safe in light of the pandemic? We have worked closely with the health authorities to develop a comprehensive hygiene concept. This is being updated on an ongoing basis as the pandemic evolves. We have widened the aisles and increased stand spaces to facilitate social distancing, for example. The sheer scale of the halls, too, with several complete air changes each hour, will contribute significantly to a safe trade fair. Countless trade fairs have already been able to go ahead in Bavaria in recent months under such measures.
What are you most looking forward to about the show? I’m most excited about finally welcoming to Nuremberg again in person the many toy professionals from all over the world, with whom there has already been very pleasant communication in many cases. Also to experience the inspiration and direction that the trade fair provides as well as the ideas and suggestions that participants will gain through the networking.
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