More than 106,000 buyers attend 4 major trade shows to start the new year.

A New Record. Nearly 2,900 exhibitors took part in four shows, which opened on January 6: the HKTDC Hong Kong Toys and Games Fair, HKTDC Hong Kong Baby Products Fair, Hong Kong International Stationery Fair and HKTDC Hong Kong International Licensing Show. Over 106,000 buyers attended the show, an increase of 5% over the previous year.

Happy Birthday! The Toy Fair, the largest of its kind in Asia and second-largest in the world, celebrated 40 years with two new areas of business,  this year. Smart-Tech Toys and Therapy Toys. Here’s a video:

Emerging Markets. “Most Toy Fair buyers came from the Chinese mainland, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and the United States,” says Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) deputy executive director Benjamin Chau. “Participation from emerging markets such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Middle East grew significantly; mature markets like the United Kingdom, Canada and Korea also recorded good increases.”

The HKTDC organized more than 160 buying missions counting nearly 10,000 buyers to the four fairs. Among them were major importers and distributors, including the US’s Toys “R” Us, Japan’s Tokyu Hands, Korea’s CJO Shopping, Russia’s Brainy Brats, the mainland’s yhd.com and JD.COM, and Thailand’s The Mall Group.

Mr. Chau says that the HKTDC would step up its promotional efforts in emerging markets, inviting more local buyers to Hong Kong to help Hong Kong companies capture new market opportunities.

Small Orders, Big Business. The Small-Order Zone was once again set up at the Toy Fair, as well as the Baby Products and Stationery fairs. Some 110 showcases displayed products, which were available in quantities from 20 to 1,000 pieces. Nearly 7,000 buyers visited the zone during the four-day-fair period, generating over 16,000 business connections.

Response to the Smart-Tech Toys zone was strong. One of the zone’s exhibitors, Roam & Wander Ltd, presented TuTu, a rabbit powered by an iPhone app. Marketing Manager Casper Chen says that TuTu was popular among buyers. The product was awarded this year’s “Best of the Fair: Electronic & Remote Control Toys,” at the Hong Kong Toys and Baby Products Awards.

Quality Buyers. Ken Lo, general manager of educational toy maker Eastcolight, says fair traffic was strong. “The quality of buyers and demand were high,” he says. Mr. Lo expects his company’s sales to go up some 5% this year.

Suitable Suppliers. Sebastian Wetzel, CFO of Babyloop, a German online shopping site specializing in baby products, says he had found suitable suppliers at the Baby Products Fair. “We plan to buy a variety of products at the fair, including baby bibs, diapers and sleeping bags. We target to place US$80,000-US$100,000 in on-site orders.”

Russia’s Begemott, with 88 outlets in the country, sells baby toys and games and owns nine brands. The company’s project manager, Evstratova Xenia, says she found the scale of the fair impressive, adding that she had found two quality suppliers through the fair’s business-matching service, and was pleased with the outcome.

The Toy Fair, the Baby Products Fair and the International Licensing Show are organized by the HKTDC, while the Stationery Fair ia organized by the HKTDC and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd.

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