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Nuremberg Preview

International invitation

In just a matter of weeks, the global toy industry will once again be bound for the ‘ToyCity’ of Nuremberg for Spielwarenmesse 2024, which takes place from 30th January to 3rd February at NürnbergMesse GmbH. Toy World takes a look at this year’s international event and ponders what affect recent changes to the trade show calendar and the show’s format may have.

Offering five packed days of networking, entertainment, product inspiration, trade deals and much, much more, Spielwarenmesse 2024 is widely considered an unmissable event within the toy industry trade fair calendar. The second iteration of the hugely popular European show since lockdown, and the 73rd since the show began, this year’s show will welcome almost 400 new exhibitors across its 12 halls and a very strong turnout from across the globe. No less than 13 different countries will be represented on international pavilions that will host over 250 businesses from Australia, China, France, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, Ukraine and the USA.

Indeed, the scrapping of the 2024 New York Toy Fair (the result of much to-ing and fro-ing over dates and locations, hopefully now settled) is predicted to result in many more American visitors to Spielwarenmesse and the unveiling of far more new toy ranges that may ordinarily have been held back for launch in New York. Christian Ulrich, spokesperson for organiser Spielwarenmesse eG, also expects to welcome many more Chinese and Japanese visitors at the upcoming show, after lingering post-Covid travel restrictions impacted attendance last year. A rise in numbers from these countries will be a nice boost for Spielwarenmesse 2024, which is shaping up to be a much busier event than the already excellent 2023 iteration.

Spotlighted trends this year include toys for kidults, a major focus for Mattel this year (as you can read in our exclusive article on page 14). In Hall 3A, the Life’s a Playground theme will be brought vividly to life through relevant product examples from its four core categories - Collectibles, Premium Collectibles, Creative Fantasy and Tabletop Games – while experts will be on hand to shine a light on new perspectives and ideas that could help retailers who already offer kidult products, or those looking to get into the space, maximise on their selections. Anyone with a little time on their hands is also strongly encouraged to pay a visit to Ultra Comix on Vordere Sterngasse 2, which offers four floors of comic-books, games, fantasy- and science fiction-literature, and kidult toys.

Speaking exclusively to Toy World, Christian explains that older children and adults are turning to toys and games for a kind of escapism and a positive outlet for their expressionism. He says: “Often we see that those outlets are social too: games bring people together round a table so we can spend time with friends and family. More and more adults are playing with toys, and they’re also becoming more confident in showing that they collect some quirky things – a bit like me with my Batmobile model.”

A new, revamped Toys Go Green exhibition, meanwhile, titled A Celebration of Sustainable Play and Industry Innovation, will build on the success of the theme to date. Spielwarenmesse 2024 and Sustainable Toys Action Consulting (STAC), which says it is the first and only sustainability consultancy specialising in toys, have joined forces to elevate Toys Go Green at this year’s show, providing attendees with an exhibition exploring the landscape of sustainable play. Visitors will be able to explore a diverse range of toys designed to minimise their environmental footprint through eco-design, recyclability, the use of natural and certified materials and recycled and bio-based polymers. Additionally, the exhibition will showcase toys that educate kids about the environment and instil in them a sense of responsibility for the planet’s future.

One of the big changes to the format of Spielwarenmesse 2024 sees the new TuesdaySaturday schedule replace that of Wednesday-Sunday, which Christian says reflects attendee feedback that the extra weekday would be better for both travel and footfall. While Christian also tells us that the move has been ‘very positively received’, it’ll be interesting to see how it alters peoples’ approaches to meetings and end-of-show travel. The final day of any trade show always tends to be a bit quieter, regardless of the overall running time, so Saturday will surely become the new Sunday (especially for international visitors). But will the occasionally awkward timing of international flights have an impact on whether visitors depart on Thursday or Friday in order to be home in time for the weekend? Anecdotally, we’ve heard from some exhibitors that the last two days are both looking a little slower in terms of meetings. Hopefully, all this means is that these will be the days when remaining attendees take the chance to explore the halls at their leisure, in search of the new and unexpected, once their booked meetings are out of the way. After all, this would be in line with Christian’s own advice on making the most of things: “I would highly recommend visitors leave at least a few hours free to explore the show and really take in everything it has to offer, from the parties and talks to the trend areas and halls in which you might find something new and exciting.”

Another change to proceedings is the ToyAwards being presented during Spielwarenmesse 2024, in Hall 3A on 31st January. Having previously taken place before the show opened its doors, this change to the scheduling means far more people can now participate more fully in the event. ToyNight has also moved, now taking place on the evening of the opening day of the show, and RedNight returns for 2024 on Thursday 1st February, having successfully debuted in February 2023. If you haven’t participated in RedNight before, the event lets visitors stroll around the show at their own pace in a relaxed atmosphere, and network with industry peers over food and drink. The following day, Friday 2nd February, visitors can blow the cobwebs away at the International Game Inventors Convention from 9am-6pm, which brings games inventors together with developers from both national and international publishing houses. They can also take part in the GamingHour once the show is over for the day.

There’s certainly no shortage of things to see and do for those who do stay to the end of the show.

To tempt those who haven’t yet secured their ticket, two new offers are available for those travelling by air. Visitors coming to Nuremberg for the Spielwarenmesse via Turkish Airlines can receive a 15% discount on their air ticket, for economy and business class. For convenient onward travel from Munich airport, the organiser is also offering a bus shuttle service for the first time from the Tuesday to the Saturday. Bus tickets can be purchased in advance via the Spielwarenmesse Ticketshop.

Tickets to Spielwarenmesse itself, meanwhile, include travel on local public transport in the Nuremberg, Fürth and Stein city area, meaning that for the entire duration of the fair, retailers and buyers can travel quickly and easily to and from the exhibition centre. Readers are reminded that day tickets and event tickets for Spielwarenmesse are only available online - no tickets will be sold on site. Tips on staying in the ToyCity of Nuremberg and information on travel and accommodation, meanwhile, can be found both on the website and the official Spielwarenmesse app.

Of course, Toy World is also on hand to help with planning any trip to Spielwarenmesse: within the pages of Toy World’s first-ever standalone supplement focused on the show, readers can find a raft of information from leading toys and games companies heading to Nuremberg from 30th January to 3rd February. John Baulch, Mark Austin and Rachael Simpson-Jones will also be there. If you want to book an appointment with one of them, get in touch now as their diaries are filling up fast.

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