Spielwarenmesse organisers “very happy with this positive result, which at close to pre-pandemic levels has exceeded our expectations.”
After an enforced gap of three years, between 1st-5th February, personal networking, product innovations and establishing new contacts came top of the agenda at the exhibition centre in Nuremberg.
“It’s wonderful to see visitors’ eyes light up again after three long years,” said Markus Grossweischede, Hasbro general manager North Europe, who spoke for many of the 2100+ exhibitors from 69 countries who were presenting their new products in Nuremberg.
Victoria Kay of Hamleys UK said: “The Spielwarenmesse is innovative, exciting and creative, and it’s fantastic to see a huge variety of products under one roof.”
Christian Ulrich, spokesperson of the executive board at Spielwarenmesse eG, added: “We are very happy with this positive result, which at close to pre-pandemic levels has exceeded our expectations.” As many as 95% of exhibitors rated participation in the industry event as ‘important’ or ‘very important’. 92% expressed themselves ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the way the show had gone.
Ukraine’s national pavilion introduced new companies to the industry and enjoyed a powerful media echo. It was the first time this pavilion had appeared at the Spielwarenmesse and it was visited by the Ukrainian Ambassador, Oleksii Makeiev, who called for the purchase of his country’s products.
The Toys go Green exhibition space was popular and there was considerable interest in one of the trends selected by the Spielwarenmesse with the international TrendCommittee; MetaToys. Kate Scott, founder of Holo Toyz, benefited from the level of interest in new technologies alongside ToyAward triumph in the Startup category. “The prize gave a significant boost to our presence here,” she commented.
Across the five days, a total of 58,000 retailers and buyers from 128 countries visited the Spielwarenmesse. This represents a drop of 8%, due largely to the absence of guests from China and Russia. “The large number and diversity of international visitors was what most impressed us,” commented new exhibitor Daniel Görres of Unidice. Attendance from the American toy market – which claims to be the largest in the world – was higher than ever and grew by almost 10%.
With over 140 games authors from some 20 countries, the Internationale Spieleerfindermesse – Game Inventors Convention celebrated a successful premiere on the Friday of the fair. “By integrating this established event into the Spielwarenmesse, we were able to exploit the synergies,” explained Christian Ulrich. “We are expecting strong growth in future years.”
Another new event was similarly well received by exhibitors and visitors alike; RedNight, which took place on the Thursday at the stands throughout the entire exhibition area. Over 140 exhibitors joined in the celebration.
Among further highlights was the Model Railways & Model Construction Open Day, when the Spielwarenmesse opened up Hall 7A at the weekend and over 3,000 consumers took up the offer.
Christian Ulrich concluded: “The high level of enthusiasm that was apparent in all aspects of this year’s Spielwarenmesse is even now shining a light on the next event: 83% of exhibitors are already making firm plans to take part again. Against the background of current changes in the trade fair landscape around the world, the Spielwarenmesse provides a stable anchor for the sector. The next edition of the fair takes place at the end of January 2024. Precise dates will be announced at the end of February.”
Keep an eye on the website for more details.
