Spielwarenmesse Achieves New Highs for Internationality and Quality

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NUREMBERG, Germany, Feb. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

- 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

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Source: Spielwarenmesse eG