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Make up your own mind …it’s the Friday Blog!

Published on: 2nd June 2023

I’ve just returned from the Distoy show in London, so I wanted to share what I saw. I am very much aware of the pitfalls of writing an article immediately after a show; the adrenaline is still pumping, and you are on a high from all the positive meetings you’ve had and the new opportunities that lie ahead as a result of attending. But this isn’t my first rodeo – I can assess objectively how successful or otherwise a show was. Plus, I probably spoke to 80+ people across the two days I was there, so my thoughts are based on a combination of my own opinion and the observations of all the exhibitors and visitors from across the globe I encountered along the way.

First, let’s put one ridiculous rumour to bed: I don’t think it is any great secret that there were ‘mutterings’ in advance of the show, with some concerned about a gradual drift towards LA. Some people even went so far as to claim this would be the last ever Distoy. I can quite confidently say – without fear of contradiction – that this suggestion turned out to be complete and utter nonsense. In my experience, shows don’t die because of what one or two keyboard warriors say on LinkedIn – they die because they stop fulfilling the objectives of exhibitors and visitors.

The primary focus of Distoy is for toy companies to show new lines to potential new distribution partners from across the globe. So, did distributors find new lines to add to their portfolios? Yes they did (confirmed by some of the largest UK and European distributors I spoke to). Did exhibitors get the opportunity to engage with potential new partners? Yes they did. As the show delivered on these two key metrics, I would deem that a success.

Ok, let’s be honest, there were fewer visitors. While exhibitor numbers were similar to last year (although, admittedly, a few big names were missing), visitor numbers were down. I had estimates ranging anywhere from 10% -50%. The truth is probably somewhere in between. Usually, when that happens, it results in a lot of very unhappy exhibitors. But here’s the funny thing…. just about everyone I spoke to didn’t really mind. Many told me that they had longer, more productive meetings – the ‘speed-dating’ craziness of previous years gave way to less frantic, more meaningful discussions.

People also suggested that the visitors who came were ‘serious’ – and we are back to the ‘quality over quantity’ argument (one person who shall remain nameless said that although 20 visitors came from their region last year, the majority were “not serious”. Name and country redacted to avoid embarrassment, but I trust their judgement implicitly). Indeed, some of the original exhibitors have complained to me in recent years that the show had got too big and had lost its roots – so presumably they are happier with a more selective audience?

There’s no doubt Distoy is evolving. Is it still relevant? Yes, I firmly believe it is. Are there too many shows? That’s not for me to say, but I do believe they all aim to address a need. If they address a need for your business, you should go. If not, then maybe don’t go – that’s your call. But there’s no need to try to persuade everyone else they shouldn’t go – they can make that decision based on their own business needs.

Of course, you can’t talk about Distoy without mentioning LA, which is certainly a trip with a growing reputation. Based on what I am hearing, it is very much part of the toy community’s future. But is it THE future, to the exclusion of all other options, as some would have you believe? My conversations this week suggest otherwise. For my money, Distoy isn’t going anywhere. And the word on the streets of Buckingham Gate suggests that the January trip to Hong Kong is very much back on the agenda. More on that in the weeks to come, but one point to ponder – is there any real reason why everyone has to jump on a plane the minute Big Ben’s bells have stopped ringing in the New Year? The Hong Kong Toy Fair runs from 8th-11th January – would it make sense to focus showroom activity along a similar timeline (especially now fewer Americans are likely to make the trip)?

One final observation on Distoy. There were a few companies piggybacking (the kind way of putting it) on the official show this year. I find that a bit disappointing, and I know that many people I spoke to this week feel the same. But while setting up round the corner could be construed as a bit naughty, booking a ‘hooky’ room at St James Court (one of the official Distoy hotels) is another level of brazen entirely. I hope the few quid they saved was worth the reputational damage the company in question suffered after it became known what they had done…

Away from Distoy, I have now had confirmation from the AIS team that next year’s INDX show will run in early September, the same week as Autumn Fair. More news as we have it. We also announced the locations of the nine Toys R Us shop-in-shops that will soon be opening in WHSmith stores, while the June issue of Toy World arrived on desks and online this week. It was our largest-ever June issue, packed with superb content and a special extended licensing section ahead of next month’s Licensing Expo. If you’re heading to the show, it’s well worth getting some valuable prep done by seeing what some of the biggest names in the kids’ licensing space will be showcasing in Vegas. And for those not going, there is plenty more sizzling content to get your teeth into – so pull up a deckchair, crack open a beer or a bottle of rose and dive in. Here comes the summer!