Following an enforced gap of three years, Spielwarenmesse organisers say the show reasserted its position as the biggest event of the sector.
Markus Grossweischede, Hasbro general manager, Northern Europe, commented: “We’re just delighted. It’s wonderful to see visitors’ eyes light up again after three long years.”
Spielwarenmesse welcomed over 2,100 exhibitors from 69 countries. Christian Ulrich, spokesperson of the executive board at Spielwarenmesse, said: “We are very happy with this positive result, which at close to pre-pandemic levels, has exceeded our expectations.”
95% of exhibitors rated participation in the event as important or very important, while 92% expressed they were satisfied or very satisfied with the way it went.
Across the five days, a total of 58,000 retailers and buyers from 128 countries attended the event. The number represents a drop of 8%, due largely to the absence of guests from China and Russia. Attendance from the US toy market, was higher than ever and grew by almost 10%.
Victoria Kay, head of buying & merchandising at Hamleys, said: “The Spielwarenmesse is innovative, exciting and creative. That makes it very unique because you get to see a huge variety of products under one roof.”
Amongst the compilation of product ranges, was Toys go Green – an exhibition space which was popular 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 Spielwarenmesse with the international TrendCommittee – MetaToys.
For 2023, the show also integrated the International Spieleerfindermesse – the Game Inventors Convention – which celebrated a successful premiere on the Friday of the fair. Christian commented: “By integrating this established event into the Spielwarenmesse, we were able to exploit the synergies. We are expecting strong growth in future years.”
New networking event, RedNight was also well received by exhibitors and visitors alike, with over 140 companies taking part. Further highlights included the Model Railways & Model Construction Open Day, which fulfilled the wishes of exhibitors as it opened up Hall 7A to the public, with over 3,000 consumers in attendance.
Christian 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.”
