The corporate stucture of Spielwarenmesse eG

The concept of a cooperative is to unite people who can achieve their goals more effectively together than on their own. Led by the principles of self-help, self-management and self-responsibility, 46 toy manufacturers joined forces on 11 July 1950. Together they established a cooperative charged with organising a German trade fair for toys. As a community of shared values such as solidarity, partnership, trust, fairness and responsibility, the company is run today by around 150 members.

We’re the only trade fair company to be organised in this way. Interestingly, in November 2016, the concept of the cooperative was included in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The executive board at Spielwarenmesse eG

Supervisory Board at Spielwarenmesse eG

The members of Spielwarenmesse eG elect the supervisory board at the Annual General Meeting. The executive board reports to the nine members of the supervisory board who also authorise important company-related decisions.

Subsidiaries

We bring everyone into play – all around the world

Globalisation is turning the rules of play on their head. Every country works differently, fostering its own traditions and cultural identity. To communicate successfully with business partners around the world, Spielwarenmesse eG relies on professional expertise and support in its respective markets.

Spielwarenmesse Shanghai Co., Ltd.

Dependance Spielwarenmesse Shanghai Co., Ltd. in China has been looking after the Asian market since 2010. The staff employed by the wholly owned subsidiary coordinate the marketing of the fair, the marketing services of Spielwarenmesse eG in China and the Chinese exhibitors at the Spielwarenmesse. The subsidiary also organises the Chinese pavilion “Best of China” at the Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg. Issac Meng heads the team in his role as General Manager.

Find out more at www.spielwarenmesse.cn

Merz Verlag GmbH & Co. KG

On 1 January 2022, Spielwarenmesse eG took over Friedhelm Merz Verlag in Bonn, which organises the SPIEL International Game Days in Essen. SPIEL started in 1983 as a readers' meeting of a Bonn-based games trade magazine with twelve exclusively addressed exhibitors under the title "Deutsche Spielertage" (German Games Days) at the Essen Volkshochschule. In 1984, the event already attracted 15,000 visitors and moved to the Essen fairgrounds the following year. SPIEL quickly developed into the world's largest public fair for parlour, card and role-playing games, with a record 209,000 visitors in 2019. Game publishers from all over the world present the latest trends and developments to a broad public for the first time here and give visitors the opportunity to try out and also buy their new products on site. As part of SPIEL, the annual "Deutscher SpielePreis" audience award and the "innoSPIEL" award for a particularly innovative game idea are presented. In 2024, the company changed its name to "Merz Verlag GmbH & Co. KG".

Find out more at www.spiel-essen.de

Representatives

Our contacts worldwide

A strong network of representatives in over 100 countries makes it easy for our partners to stay in contact with us all over the world.

Get to know our representatives.