The name is certainly a mouthful, but this annual event is also one of the biggest and longest-running toy fairs in the world.

If the San Diego Comic-Con is the ultimate destination for geeks, then the Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg, Germany, is the mecca for people who buy—and sell!—toys. It’s where companies like Mattel and Hasbro put up big booths full of all the action figures, vehicles and accessories you can possibly imagine.

Alongside those big names are manufacturers of educational toys, wooden dolls, stuffed animals, gaming consoles and even board and card games. Buyers from toy stores all over the world—even the Philippines—wander the exhibit halls and decide which toys for various age groups end up on the store shelves.

Just take a look at the last Spielwarenmesse, which took place earlier this year:

Spielwarenmesse, 2014 edition

Ernst Kick, Chief Executive Officer of the Spielwarenmesse eG, spoke in Makati recently to promote the upcoming toy fair, happening in Nuremberg from January 29 to February 3, 2014. The event was hosted by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP). Many at the press event had never even heard of the grand toy fair, so Kick regaled the crowd with stories of the 2013 event.

The 2013 fair had over 1 million products on display. “You would need 1/10th of a second to see every single toy,” said Kick. Over 71% of the exhibitors were international, coming from China, Great Britain, France and the USA among others. Over 56% of the visitors came from all over the world too—Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Russia.

In the great exhibit hall, toys are grouped according to buying interests. Traditional toys include plush toys, wooden toys, baby toys and dolls. The technology section features railways—very popular in Germany—construction models and sports and leisure toys. There’s a games section which includes board games. Apparently over 1,000 board games are invented in Germany every year, so such toy fairs are a great way to promote new games. And there’s the multi-product group, featuring major companies like LEGO, Playmobil and Vtec, which make products in various categories.

Can you imagine spending an entire week just looking at toys upon toys, from all over the world, for every age and preference, in every color? Surely even the most serious adults would find their inner child awakened.

Trending toys

Spielwarenmesse isn’t all about buying and selling. “It’s also about knowledge transfer, about educating the different sectors in the toy industry,” says Kick. The 2014 event will feature, for the first time, the TrendGallery, which will exhibit forecasts for the toy world.  There’s also the Global Toy Conference, titled bluntly, “How to get your customers into the shop”.

At Spielwarenmesse the organizers give out the annual ToyAward, with four age categories: Baby & Infant (0-2 years), PreSchool (3 to 5 years), School Kids (6 to 10 years), Teenager & Family (11 and older), and Special Award Toys 3.0. Any of the exhibitors can send in 3 of their products, to be evaluated by a committee. The winners are announced the night before the fair opens.

At the Toy Business Forum, participants can discuss trends in the toy industry, such as the future of retail, the fusion of traditional toys with digital games, and other important insights from industry leaders. And Country Pavilions feature toys typical of their nation.

Regional tastes

Kick was able to share some observations on the buying habits of people from around the world. In North America, flashy toys with all the bells and whistles are very popular.  “Even if the toy breaks down after two weeks, it’s okay. They will buy another one,” he said. In Europe, buyers are very particular about the quality of a toy: the materials used, the construction details, the durability. Perhaps this explains why Europe produces such toys LEGO, which are virtually unbreakable, while North America has toys that can be accentuated with a whole slew of accessories, like weapons, vehicles, clothes, pets, and entire play sets.

In Asia, Kick observed that buyers are most interested in educational toys. Unfortunately, Asians also lean more towards buying gender-specific toys, such as cars and trucks for boys, kitchen sets and dolls for girls. “In Europe and North America, this is not so much the case,” Kick said.

Philippine toys

The Philippines has had diminishing exhibitor participation in Spielwarenmesse over the past three years, but more and more Filipinos are attending the event as visitors.

Foreign manufacturers like Hansa, Bandai and Tamiya have invested in factories in our economic zones. But there are fewer than 500 toy manufacturers that are Filipino-owned. Is this something Filipino creativity and innovation can bolster? Is this something the DTI can support?  Why can’t we make and sell our own dolls and toy jeeps that are not just souvenir items, but are actual toys you can play with?  Why should Filipino children play with Bratz and Barney when we can have dolls patterned after Pinoy—and Pinay!—heroes and mythical creatures?

ECCP Vice President Gerry Constantino said at the press lunch, it’s more fun in the Philippines!  Perhaps entrepreneurs and venture capitalists can invest money in translating that fun into fun toys. Then hopefully it won’t be long before Spielwarenmesse sees more and more exhibitors from the Philippines. — TJD, GMA News

Source: GMA News (www.gmanetwork.com); News; 14 October 2013