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NUREMBERG, Germany, May 31, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Having spent the last two decades steering the fortunes of Spielwarenmesse eG,

Ernst Kick (CEO) and Dr. Hans-Juergen Richter are withdrawing from the

Executive Board when their terms come to an end on 30 June. In almost 20 years

of service to Spielwarenmesse eG, whose hobbyhorse is the world's leading trade

fair for the toy industry, both have achieved important milestones in their

successful quest to strengthen the company and its services so that they

reflect market needs and remain fit for the future.

Ernst Kick was appointed CEO in 2002. During his term in office, he has driven

the cooperative forward whilst reinforcing the leading position of the

Spielwarenmesse. His many achievements include the reorganisation of the trade

fair's structure so that it would provide a more focused market overview. This

saw the introduction of new and relevant product groups and the retail-led

presentation of special themes in dedicated activity areas. The ToyAwards and

the annual trends are a direct result of his innovation drive and have since

grown into established features that are recognised throughout the toy

industry. Ernst Kick has also raised the company's international profile in

important growth markets by professionalising its global network of

representatives, establishing subsidiaries, and launching an international

exhibition programme which includes independent events and international

pavilions at trade fairs around the world. In Nuremberg alone, staff numbers

have increased under his leadership from 16 to 60 employees today.

Dr. Hans-Juergen Richter joined the Spielwarenmesse eG's Executive Board in

2005 and has primarily been responsible for legal and membership matters. For

six months in 2002, the lawyer acted as interim CEO of Spielwarenmesse eG until

Ernst Kick took over the role. In 2013, the two board members set another

milestone in the company's history by registering Spielwarenmesse as a word

mark with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office.

Their final year in office turned out very differently for both Ernst Kick and

Dr. Hans-Juergen Richter. Mr Kick commented: "We would have liked to say

goodbye to all our long-standing colleagues in person." Instead, the pandemic

confronted them with a whole host of unprecedented challenges. New concepts had

to be developed, digitalisation accelerated. Their successors, who have been

recruited in-house, have been heavily involved in these processes. Christian

Ulrich, Florian Hess and Jens Pfluger will be taking over the helm of

Spielwarenmesse eG on 1 July. Mr Kick concludes: "Dr. Richter and I are very

confident that the new three-member board will steer Spielwarenmesse eG into a

successful future, building on its role as a driving force within the industry

– we firmly believe in the continued need for and benefits of trade fairs."

Spielwarenmesse eG

Spielwarenmesse eG is the fair organizer and marketing services provider for

the toy sector and other consumer goods markets. The Nuremberg company

organizes the world-leading Spielwarenmesse(R) in Nuremberg, Kids India in

Mumbai and Insights-X in Nuremberg. The range of services provided by the

cooperative also includes industry campaigns and the international fair

programme, World of Toys by Spielwarenmesse eG, which enables manufacturers to

exhibit at pavilions featured at trade fairs in Asia and Russia.

Spielwarenmesse eG operates a worldwide network of representatives in over 90

countries. It also has several subsidiaries, including Spielwarenmesse Shanghai

Co., Ltd., responsible for the People's Republic of China and Spielwarenmesse

India Pvt. Ltd., covering the Indian market. The cooperative holds a majority

stake in the Russian exhibition company Grand Expo, which organizes Kids Russia

in Moscow. Die roten Reiter GmbH subsidiary with headquarters in Nuremberg

works as communication agency for the consumer and capital goods industry. The

complete company profile of Spielwarenmesse eG can be seen on the Internet at

www.spielwarenmesse-eg.com.

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Source: Spielwarenmesse eG