Exhibitors and buyers from across the world can now tune in digitally on the ‘E-connect 360’ platform to connect with chosen business partners via instant messaging and video calls before, during and after the fairs. For those who cannot attend the live events due to travel restrictions, they can also partake in the livestreamed concurrent conferences and fair tours. This online platform will be available for access after the fairs till 30 April 2021, and buyer registration for the virtual marketplace can be accessed here.
Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd said: “We have transformed the events into a hybrid format with the ‘E-connect 360’ platform to address evolving business needs, and it is encouraging to receive so much support of the platform from our exhibitors. With the fairs’ opening next week, we are expecting to see an all-encompassing selection of toys, educational products, strollers, baby products, licensing and licensed products both online and onsite, fulfilling visitors’ every sourcing need.”
Toy & Edu China and Baby & Stroller China fair highlights
A number of exhibitors including some of the biggest brands in the industry such as Hape (Germany), Guide Craft (USA) and Maisto (Hong Kong) will be featured in the International Zone. In addition, a Hong Kong Zone is specially curated to highlight the trendy and innovative products from the region, together with a special display area for the winning products of the Hong Kong Toy Award, which is co-organised by Hong Kong Toys Council, Federation of Hong Kong Industries and The Toys Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong.
Baby & Stroller China will welcome the returning Hong Kong Children, Babies, Maternity Industries Association (HKCBMIA) Pavilion after their successful debut at the 2020 edition. Seven exhibitors participating in the pavilion will demonstrate a well-selected range of quality baby products.
In addition, a domestic pavilion from the town of Zhili will make its first appearance at the event. The Chinese town is dubbed the capital of children’s fashion, and contributes to 60% of the country’s production value. Visitors can also learn more about their products at a promotion event on 30 March.
Licensing China to welcome group pavilions
Shifting the focus to the Licensing China fair, a total of 60 exhibitors will be present to push their licensing properties to licensees, manufacturers, retailers and more. As home-grown anime are taking the China market by storm, the demand for character merchandising is promising. As a result, companies managing animation characters including Super Wings, Boonie Bears, GG Bond and more can be found, along with licensed products for the toy, gift and homeware sectors.
What’s more, the Chinese Animation & Comic Publishers Association from Taiwan will join the fair for the first time, leading a pavilion of nine exhibitors to introduce Taiwanese anime and comics to global audiences. Meanwhile, the Korea Culture Contents Licensing Association (KOCLA) is presenting six companies from the country after appearing in the Animation and Character Licensing Zone in 2019.
Concurrent events cover various future-looking topics
Besides a wide-ranging trade platform, the fairs also host a number of concurrent events, providing useful insights for fairgoers to navigate emerging market trends. The programme includes:
- Zhili Children's Clothing Procurement Pilot Scheme Promotion Event: enhances the exposure for Zhili-made children’s clothing.
- Toy Sales Development Seminar: Exploring Baby and Maternity Stores: brings together industry experts to explore distribution channels in toys and games, in particular baby and maternity stores as they are major outlets for toy sales in China.
- Greater Bay Area Brand Licensing Industry Development Forum 2021: focuses on the licensing opportunities presented by the rise in brands incorporating Chinese traditional elements to entice a new breed of millennial shoppers in recent years.
- eBay and Toy Business Summit: representatives from the international e-commerce giant eBay will shed light on the business potential brought by e-commerce, especially related to the toy industry.
Extra precautions to maintain hygiene onsite
The trade fair co-organisers’ top priority remains the health and safety of fair attendees, hence added measures will be in practice at the fairs. These include: real-name authentication during registration, onsite temperature checks, frequent sanitisation of fairground facilities and distancing measures for forum / seminar audiences, amongst others.
Toy & Edu China, Baby & Stroller China and Licensing China are organised by Guangdong Toy Association, Guangzhou Li Tong Messe Frankfurt Co Ltd and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd.
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Background information on Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is the world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds. The Messe Frankfurt Group employs around 2,500* people in a total of 30 subsidiaries. The company generated annual sales of approximately €250* million in 2020 after having recorded sales of €738 million the previous year. Even in difficult times caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we are globally networked with our industry sectors. We have close ties with our industry sectors and serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. One of the Group’s key USPs is its closely knit global sales network, which extends throughout the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. We are expanding our digital expertise with new business models. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services. Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent). For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com
* preliminary figures 2020
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