\u201cWe\u2019re just delighted. It\u2019s wonderful to see visitors\u2019 eyes light up again after three long years<\/em>,\u201d said Markus Grossweischede<\/strong>, summing up the fair. The Hasbro General Manager North Europe spoke for many of the 2100+ exhibitors from 69 countries who were presenting their new product ideas in Nuremberg. After such a long period of abstinence, the fair organiser could take nothing for granted. Said Christian Ulrich, Spokesperson of the Executive Board at Spielwarenmesse eG<\/strong>: \u201cWe are very happy with this positive result, which at close to pre-pandemic levels has exceeded our expectations<\/em>.\u201d As many as 95% of exhibitors rated participation in the industry event as important or very important. And 92% expressed themselves satisfied or very satisfied with the way it went.<\/p>\n \u201cThe live character of the event is fundamental for us \u2013 being held and experienced through touch is vital to our products<\/em>,\u201d says Managing Director \u00d6zg\u00fcr Bicakci<\/strong>. He and his young business, Melia Games, found the ideal entry point into the toy market in the StartupArea. Ukraine\u2019s national pavilion enjoyed not only interest in the newcomers but also 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\u2019s products.<\/p>\n Victoria Kay of Hamleys UK<\/strong> is always out on the hunt for trends with her team. \u201cThe Spielwarenmesse is innovative, exciting and creative. That makes it very unique because you get to see a huge variety of products under one roof<\/em>,\u201d she comments in her role as Head of Buying & Merchandising. Targeted compilation of a product range was assisted by the Spielwarenmesse Specials. Amongst these, the Toys go Green exhibition space enjoyed much popularity with its presentation of the sustainability theme on four topic islands. There was also a strong focus on one of the three trends selected by the Spielwarenmesse with the international TrendCommittee, namely MetaToys. Kate Scott, Founder of Holo Toyz, benefited from the level of interest in new technologies with her ToyAward triumph in the Startup category. \u201cThe prize gave a significant boost to our presence here<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n For Christian M\u00fcnkel of Ever Earth Europe<\/strong>, too, the Spielwarenmesse was a success: \u201cParticipation is a must for us. The 2023 fair builds seamlessly on previous years. We have learnt to value highly the quality of the trade audience<\/em>.\u201d Across the five days, a total of 58,000 retailers and buyers from 128 countries came to the Spielwarenmesse. This represents a drop of 8%, due largely to the absence of guests from China and Russia. \u201cThe large number and diversity of international visitors was what most impressed us<\/em>,\u201d commented new exhibitor Daniel G\u00f6rres of Unidice<\/strong>. Attendance from the American toy market \u2013 which claims to be the largest in the world \u2013 was higher than ever and grew by almost 10%.<\/p>\n The new elements, too, had an international character. With over 140 games authors from some 20 countries, the Internationale Spieleerfindermesse \u2013 Game Inventors Convention celebrated a successful premiere on the Friday of the fair. \u201cBy integrating this established event into the Spielwarenmesse, we were able to exploit the synergies<\/em>,\u201d said Christian Ulrich<\/strong> in his summing up. \u201cWe are expecting strong growth in future years<\/em>.\u201d The daytime event was rounded off with GamingHour, involving about 300 games authors and editors, and with the award of the DuAli Games Prize from the Ali Baba Games Club.<\/p>\n Another new event was similarly well received by exhibitors and visitors alike: the RedNight, which took place on the Thursday at the stands throughout the entire exhibition area. \u201cA new format such as RedNight also underpins business and personal contact<\/em>,\u201d declares Thorsten Koss, Managing Director of Gollnest & Kiesel<\/strong>. Over 140 exhibitors joined in the celebration. Among further highlights was the Model Railways & Model Construction OPEN DAY. With this, the Spielwarenmesse was fulfilling the long-held wishes of exhibitors as it opened up Hall 7A at the weekend \u2013 over 3,000 consumers took up the offer. \u201cThe large crowds right from the start reflect the high level of interest among consumers in being able to actually visit the halls of the world famous fair for once<\/em>,\u201d said M\u00e4rklin boss Florian Sieber<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Christian Ulrich<\/strong> expressed himself satisfied with the restart: \u201cThe high level of enthusiasm that was apparent in all aspects of this year\u2019s 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<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n The next edition of the fair takes place at the end of January 2024. Precise dates will be announced at the end of February.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The reunion brought great joy: after an enforced gap of three years, the Spielwarenmesse reasserted its position as the biggest event of the sector. Between 1 and 5 February at the exhibition centre in Nuremberg, personal networking, product innovations and establishing new contacts came top of the agenda \u201cWe\u2019re just delighted. It\u2019s wonderful to see […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":30854,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[408],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n