Specials by Spielwarenmesse – Inspiration und Information

• Topic areas to help trade visitors find their way around
• Familiar special areas re-envisioned

At the start of the year, the Spielwarenmesse is the place to be for the international industry. Between 1 and 5 February at the exhibition centre, retailers can discover a multitude of trends and innovations for the new financial year. The Specials by Spielwarenmesse, topic- and target group-specific special areas, help visitors find their way around, provide information and offer sources of new inspiration and ideas. The ‘Trends and Innovations’ topic areas set the scene for product ideas and provide opportunities to try them out. And under the heading ‘Knowledge and Expertise’, interesting presentations on topical retail and licensing issues are on the agenda.

A paradise for trends and new ideas

Innovative products, cool new ideas and future trends are always of great interest to retailers. Trade visitors will find plenty of interest in Hall 3A. The New Product Gallery offers creative ideas for range selection. In the StartupArea will be young German and international businesses with innovative product ideas. And on top of this, the nominees and winners of the ToyAward – the well-known innovation prize at the Spielwarenmesse – will be on display. A particular highlight is the redesigned ToyTrends area, where the three trends and products relevant to them are waiting to be experienced. With ‘Discover!’, the name says it all. Here everything revolves around a voyage of discovery into unfamiliar worlds. New and relaunched licences and retro-toys form the basis of ‘Brands for Fans’ and will prompt excitement among young and old alike. In ‘MetaToys’, the focus is on toys in new dimensions, with innovative approaches and technologies.

Topic-specific special areas

Sustainability is brought into sharp focus in Hall 2, under the title ‘Toys go Green’. Relevant products and further information are displayed on four topic islands. ‘Made by Nature’, ‘Inspired by Nature’ and ‘Recycle & Create’ each focus on specific materials, while in ‘Discover Sustainability’, the issues of environment and climate are explained through play – with added educational value. The ‘Tech2Play’ interactive action area in Hall 4A will once again contain innovations from the fields of Robot Toys, RC Toys, Virtual Play and Electronic Learning. The Insights-X Area in Hall 4 is where stationery meets toys. Taking its name from the stationery trade fair, suggestions for the back-to-school sector in particular will be found here.

Concentrated knowledge-sharing

Alongside innovations and new ideas, knowledge-sharing also plays a central role at the Spielwarenmesse. In the Toy Business Forum, the popular presentation area in Hall 3A, carefully chosen experts will devote their time to topical industry and retail subjects such as trends in retail and toys, digitalisation, sustainability and diversity. The presentations will take place between 1 pm and 3 pm on each day of the fair and simultaneous translation will be available. They will also be shown on the Spielwarenmesse Digital business platform. From Wednesday to Saturday in the Toy Business Forum, the final event of the day will be the trends presentations containing further information on the 2023 ToyTrends. The LicenseTalks will also be on the programme in their familiar form each morning from Wednesday to Saturday. These cover the latest trends in licensing, valuable examples of best practice and tips for newcomers.