Held at the brand-new Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center, Toy & Edu China, Baby & Stroller China and Licensing China hosted 1,321 exhibitors from eight countries and regions across seven halls (140,000 sqm), while 61,553 visitors attended. Together, the fairs including the debut edition of Licensing China, presented a one-stop sourcing platform for industry players looking to reconnect and get back on track, following the months-long disruption to industry events and trade fairs.
The three concurrent shows were some of the first physical fairs to be held by Messe Frankfurt since February this year, and mark a positive step for the resumption of business-to-business events and in-person interactions in China. They were warmly welcomed by the industry who depend on the platform for business exchange, market information and for the chance to capitalize on new retail opportunities in China’s market.
As the trade fair co-organizers, Messe Frankfurt’s top priority remained the health and safety of fair attendees, hence added measures were in practice at the fair. These included: real-name authentication at registration, onsite temperature checks, frequent sanitization of fairground facilities and guidelines for the spacing of tables inside booths, among others.
The next editions of Toy & Edu China, Baby & Stroller China and Licensing China will be held concurrently from 30 March – 1 April 2021 and will once again, take place at the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center.
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.
Commenting on the success of the fairs, Ms. Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd said, “After a challenging first half of the year, the three fairs – Toy & Edu China, Baby & Stroller China and Licensing China – were more important than ever for businesses aiming to reconnect and re-establish themselves within the market. And as a trusted platform, exhibitors and buyers across the toy and baby product industry continue to recognize the importance of the fairs as a means to access the promising South China market, which has become even more important in recent years with the emergence of the Greater Bay Area concept.”
Ms. Wen explained the benefits of the fairs’ relocation to Shenzhen: “What makes Shenzhen the ideal location for the fairs is its reputation for technological development, coupled with its close proximity to the region’s major toy manufacturing hub. At the shows, exhibitors had the chance to meet with high-quality buyers, including many from e-commerce companies based in the area, whilst new and innovative products proved to be popular. It is for these reasons that we decided to relocate the fairs. And from the positive response reported, it was clearly the correct decision and a beneficial move for all participants, who were able to capture the full-potential in the Greater Bay Area.”
“This year, with the addition of Licensing China, we were able to offer new opportunities and a broader sourcing selection for buyers,” Ms. Wen continued. “The launch of the show which was formerly a product zone of Toy & Edu China, mirrors the growth of the licensing industry in China and caters to an increasing consumer demand for licensed products. The three fairs combined and the new, larger venue will allow the platform to expand and promote cross-industry collaborations alongside the developing licensing, as well as toy and baby product markets in the region,” Ms. Wen concluded.
Exhibitors’ insights
“We believe this fair is an important gateway to bring our products into the Greater Bay Area, Mainland China as well as export internationally. Shenzhen is the lead city of the Greater Bay Area initiative, so relocating here will definitely help exhibitors to capture even more opportunities. The demand for children and baby products is going to increase every year in China. Although the pandemic is severe, there is still stable demand for baby products. Therefore, our members are very excited to participate in this fair,” said Mr. Wilfred Li, President, Hong Kong Children, Babies, Maternity Industries Association, Hong Kong (organizer of the HK Pavilion)
“We see a lot of changes in the market due to the pandemic. In order to recover and move forward, we need to establish new business relationships. Toy & Edu China is a very professional fair which attracts high-quality buyers from all over China, and even around the world. Therefore, we highly value this fair because we can find so many new high-quality distributors, retailers and toy companies here. Costco Wholesale is one of the big buyers we met this time. We believe exhibiting here is the quickest and most effective way for business to recover from the pandemic,” said Ms. Jane Chow, CEO, Theme Party Culture (HK) Co Ltd, Hong Kong
“Toy & Edu China is well-known in the industry, so if we want to find new customers and enhance our brand exposure it is the place to be. The relocation is beneficial for us to explore the Greater Bay Area with our brands from Korea, Brazil and elsewhere. We’ve met customers from both online and offline channels, including major e-commerce platforms such as Tmall and JD.com, while some chain stores are also interested in our products. The fair can help us to recover from the economic impact caused by COVID-19 since buyers from all over China are here to source. Exhibiting in the International Zone also helps to attract quite a number of visitors, even from overseas. We also participated in the onsite business matching service and the result is pretty good,” said Mr. Shane Au Yeung, Domestic Sales Manager, Eastern Progress Company Ltd, Hong Kong
“The pandemic restricted us from meeting many of our clients in the first half of the year, so the Baby & Stroller China fair offers us a very valuable platform to reconnect with our clients as well as meet new potential buyers. Many international companies have their China sourcing offices in Shenzhen, so we were able to meet them in this fair. There are also a lot of well-known cross-border e-commerce companies who we met here, so we can expand our products’ sales channel. Having the fair in Shenzhen can help traditional trading companies like us to capture more opportunities and expand our sales channels,” said Ms. Miao Ma Zhao, General Manager, Fujian Senda Foreign Trade Co Ltd, China.
“The result of exhibiting at Licensing China is beyond our expectations. We not only met buyers with licensing needs, but also different IP business platforms, and agents that connect the licensor and licensees who also gave us some very good advice about consumer demand. We have gained some very useful and important information here. The best thing about the fair is it helps to strengthen and connect the industry chain as it is held concurrently with the Toy & Edu China and Baby & Stroller China fairs, and being in Shenzhen helps the industry to capture the potential of the Greater Bay Area,” said Ms. Nie Xin, Managing Partner, Zebra Valley Culture Development (Beijing) Co Ltd, China
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