Ms Wilmet Shea, Deputy General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd expressed: “We are pleased to have seen all the participants highly engaged during the three-day period, with the fairground full of quality buyers showing enthusiasm towards the products presented by onsite exhibitors. Affected by the Covid-19 control measures in the country during the first half of the year, we have faced numerous challenges in organising the three concurrent fairs. However, as the largest exhibitions for the toy, baby product and licensing industries in South China, we understand the platforms are irreplaceable for local and global businesses. With a combined event scale this year of 130,000 sqm, it is clear that exhibitors continue to hold a high level of trust in each of the three fairs. Although there was a drop in visitor numbers this year, many participants expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to meet face-to-face again. There was a noticeable shift towards a back-to-business mentality, with industry professionals eager to get hands-on with physical products at the fairground.”
Ms Shea also commented on the fast growth of Licensing China: “Since its debut in 2020, Licensing China has already grown into a highly respected industry event, and we have seen a number of well-known IP owners and big brands return to the show due to the positive results achieved at the previous edition. NBA, Iconix and many more renowned international IPs also appeared for the first time this year, which further increased the scale of the fair. Participants once again noted the strong synergies with the concurrent fairs, with both exhibitors and buyers exploiting the crossover opportunities to explore IP licensing for their toy and baby products.”
A business hub at the heart of the Greater Bay Area
Located in Shenzhen, one of the most important cities in the Greater Bay Area and a national business hub, the three fairs enjoy great geographical advantages in attracting cross-border e-commerce buyers. This includes brand names such as Amazon, YUGUO, ByteDance and SF express, who came to search for suppliers of toy, baby and licenced merchandise to cooperate with. With so much e-commerce expertise based in the Greater Bay Area, the fairs were supported by the Cross-border E-commerce Logistics Forum and the Toy Cross-border E-commerce Summit, which provided valuable information on digital transformation and how to adapt to the high-potential e-commerce industry.
‘E-connect 360’ digital platform connects the world
Introduced at the previous edition, the online platform ‘E-connect 360’ has become widely recognised as a game changer for Toy & Edu China, Baby & Stroller China and Licensing China, allowing trade professionals and businesses around the world to network and exchange information with the fairs’ exhibitors and buyers even if they cannot make it to the physical fairs in person due to travel restrictions. The platform launched its first phase in March and played an important role in assisting businesses in the interim periods following several postponements, allowing users to gain early access to the shows’ resources and remain connected to the industry. Users were also able to stay ahead of the curve by watching concurrent conferences and seminars livestreamed on the platform.
One of the features most appreciated by users is the business matching service and live chat facility, which has so far registered over 2,800 users from 55 countries and regions. The service remains available until 28 August.
Exhibitor statements
“Toy & Edu China has a huge industry influence and attracts a large number of well-known local and overseas brands each year. It also serves as a benchmark for learning about the industry’s latest developments. The show has attracted a lot of visitors from across the country, particularly from Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian. We have achieved vast media exposure, and ultimately opened up new opportunities in Shenzhen and the markets nearby via the help of the show. It’s a valuable opportunity for us to build up our brand, communicate directly with customers and let them touch and feel our products, and ultimately give customers the confidence to cooperate with us.”
Toy & Edu China exhibitor: Ms Jessie Zhou, Director of Sales & Marketing, Hape, China (German brand Hape)
“We are joining the Hong Kong 3C pavilion to promote our brands to the Mainland market. We are glad that the fairs could be held amidst the pandemic, it sent a positive message to companies like us, as well as to the business community in the Greater Bay Area and the whole of China. This year, our booth was in a great location next to the main entrance which helped to drive a lot of traffic. It has been the busiest morning ever, I have connected with a large amount of visitors from the e-commerce sector, retail stores, wholesalers, supermarkets, and pre-school educational product sellers.”
Toy & Edu China exhibitor: Mr Eddie Wai, Branding Manager, Ovation Holdings Limited, Hong Kong, China
“This is our first time exhibiting at Licensing China, and we can clearly feel the enthusiasm of the visitors at the fairground. The three concurrent fairs allow us to connect with many toy clients efficiently in one place. Many of our clients present their new products here, so it’s a good occasion to further discuss new cooperation and product development. Our staff gained plenty of new contacts and information from potential clients at the fairs, so the whole experience has been valuable for us."
Licensing China exhibitor: Mr Martin Deng, Business Partner, Menggu Culture, China
“Licensing China helps to raise our brand exposure to potential new clients, as well as to reach out to regional customers from a wide range of provinces and cities, and thus, to grasp what matters to them in their local markets. The co-located shows bring great synergies to companies like us by converging resources from related industry sectors and markets.”
Licensing China exhibitor: Mr Xiyin Chen, Regional Director of Zhejiang Kayou Animation Co Ltd and Zhejiang Kayou Technology Co Ltd, China
"As a company who carries children's wear, the fair helps us to integrate with our suppliers in Shantou and Guangdong. It’s a great opportunity for us to reach out to some of the best suppliers in Shantou. In the first half of this year and under the pandemic, our share of the market, including sales, still saw moderate growth, so we actually have great confidence in the children's clothing and baby product industry."
Baby & Stroller China exhibitor：Ms Wenxia Zhang, Co-founder of Seven.Life, Huzhou Seven Seconds Industrial Co Ltd, China
"Our company usually participates in big and important exhibitions every year, including Baby & Stroller China. It has been valuable for us to exhibit at the Huzhou Zhili pavilion, because first of all, the brands that participate in this pavilion are of high quality, with a good reputation and are popular within the children's clothing market. The pavilion also helps us promote our brand more effectively and to a broader audience. Because we want our brand to continue growing, it’s important for us to use all the relevant promotional channels, so although the fair was previously postponed, it was essential for us to join this year."
Baby & Stroller China exhibitor：Ms Hongyan Deng, General Manager, Huatian.C Guangdong Branch Office, China
Buyer reviews
"We came to Toy & Edu China mainly to find new customers in the toy industry, as well as to maintain contacts with existing ones. We entered into negotiations with quite a few exhibitors and will continue to follow-up with them later. The toy market is changing quite a lot, with new products and models launched every year. There are also seminars related to cross-border trade and the logistics industry which are definitely worth learning from."
Mr Merlin Qin, Sales Representative, Patent International Logistics (Shenzhen), China
"We are mainly a cross-border e-commerce retailer and we want to expand our product range, particularly for educational toys for the 3 – 10 year age group. Toy & Edu China helps us to do this; many leading toy companies in the Greater Bay Area as well as international toy brands are gathered here at the fair. We can also see pre-launched products and are able to place orders ahead of the market. It’s easier for us to select toy products at the physical fair with the price points and quality that meet our requirements."
Mr Binbin Zhang，General Manager，Shenzhen Xiaofan E-commercial Co Ltd, China
"We came to Licensing China to look for new cooperation with IP licensing exhibitors. The fair is highly integrated with Toy & Edu China and Baby & Stroller China, and the exhibitors here are eager to cooperate with toy and baby product suppliers. From the fair, we found that licensing companies are now customising business development solutions for their partners and even sharing application examples of their IP, which has made this trip very rewarding for us. Due to the pandemic, we haven't had face-to-face communication with so many companies for a long time, so we couldn’t miss such a good opportunity."
Ms Juan Zhao，General Manager，Wuxi Miao Er Qin E-commercial Co Ltd, China
Concurrent event participant
"We feel honoured to have collaborated with Licensing China. According to statistics, China's nursery market was worth $3.7 trillion in 2021 and is expected to reach $4.5 trillion by 2025, so there’s huge potential for development. For children's clothing brands, integrating their identity with culture is an inevitable part of the transformation process, and IP licensing is a great way to achieve this. Today we organised a roundtable and tour of Licensing China for children's wear companies, in the hope of facilitating more cooperation between the two sides and push the industry forward. The fair is a good platform for cooperation that is bringing companies together; I think Licensing China should be highly regarded."
Ms Ying Xiao, Deputy Director, ‘China Textile’ Magazine, China (co-organiser of the IP Business Matching and Roundtable Event)
The next editions of Toy & Edu China, Baby & Stroller China and Licensing China fairs will take place at the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center from 7 to 9 April 2023.
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. For more information, please visit:
Further press information and picture material:
https://shenzhen-international-toy-and-education-fair.hk.messefrankfurt.com/shenzhen/en/press.html
Follow the fairs on social media:
https://www.facebook.com/SZToyFair/
https://twitter.com/SZToyFair
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sztoyfair/
Background information on Messe Frankfurt
The Messe Frankfurt Group is one of the world’s leading trade fair, congress and event organisers with their own exhibition grounds. With a workforce of some 2,200 people at its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in 28 subsidiaries, it organises events around the world. As in the previous year, annual sales for 2021 were significantly lower owing to the COVID-19 pandemic: approximately €154 million compared with Group sales as high as €736 million in pre-pandemic 2019. We serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. Sustainable business practices are a central pillar of our corporate strategy and strike a healthy balance between ecological and economic interests, social responsibility and diversity. Another of Messe Frankfurt’s strengths is its powerful and closely knit global sales network, which covers around 180 countries in all regions of 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 using our digital expertise to develop new business models. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services. With its headquarters 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
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- SZTF22-FR-EN (pdf, 626 KB)