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Fair Previews Breathtaking Playground Builds On Success Turning bad news into good |
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Breathtaking Playground Builds On Success
HONG KONG TOYS & GAMES FAIRJANUARY 6-9, 2004
Show Times
| Fair Dates | Opening Hours | Buyer Registration Counter: |
| January 5 (Mon) | 2:00pm - 7:00pm | |
| January 6-8 (Tue-Thur) | 9:30am - 6:30pm | 9:00am - 6:00pm |
| January 9 (Fri) | 9:30am - 5:00pm | 9:00am - 4:30pm |
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Visitor Enquiries: (852) 1830 668 |
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TOTAL EXHIBITORS
2003: 1,702
TOTAL VISITORS
2003: 28,433
MAJOR EXHIBITS
Educational toys & games
Battery-operated & electronic toys
Baby toys & products
Die cast toys/mechanical toys and action figures
Hobby goods
Party items, toy parts & accessories
Multiple products/general merchandise
Outdoor & sporting items
Soft toys & dolls
GROUP PAVILLIONS
Chinese mainland, Germany, India, Italy, Korea, Pakistan, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand
SCALE
49,102 square metres
VENUE
Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre
1 Expo Drive, Wanchai, Hong Kong
ORGANISER
Hong Kong Trade Development Council
ADMISSION
HK$100 per person. For trade only. Persons under 18 will not be admitted.
CONCURRENT EVENT
Hong Kong International Stationery Fair
Organised by Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd
SPONSORS
Federation of Hong Kong Industries
Hong Kong Productivity Council
Hong Kong Toys Council
The Chinese General Chamber of Commerce
The Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Exporters' Association
The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
The Indian Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong
Trade and Industry Department, HKSAR Government
ENQUIRIES
Hong Kong Trade Development Council
Unit 13, Expo Galleria, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre
1 Expo Drive, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 1830 668
Fax: (852) 2824-0026
Email: exhibitions@tdc.org.hk
Web: http://hktoyfair.com
Toys at the cutting edge
Designers have sharpened their wits, innovators have sharpened their ideas and manufacturers have sharpened their tools in a combined effort to create the sharpest international extravaganza of its kind ever staged.
The event is the cutting-edge 2004 Hong Kong Toys and Games Fair at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from January 6-9, 2004.
More than 1,750 exhibitors from 33 countries and regions are showing off the ultimate in their totally irresistible and unbelievably awesome new products - a breathtaking new generation of toys that are the results of bold dreams, spectacular initiatives and soaring imaginations.
For this 30th edition of the fair, each floor of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre becomes a global playground. On show is an almost bottomless shopping basket of toys - educational, computer, battery-operated, electronic, hobby goods, outdoor and sporting items, die-cast mechanical items including military toys, party items and accessories and evergreens such as baby toys and products, soft toys and dolls. Whatever you want, it is almost certainly available.
"This fair is an absolute must for everybody connected with toys and games - miss it at your peril," says Anne Chick, senior exhibitions manager for the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC).
"Have no doubt, we have set the bar still higher for quality and content, and this will be the toy and games fest that raises the benchmark even higher for the future," she adds.
"The fair will also consolidate Hong Kong's quite remarkable recovery from recent economic and health problems. Those problems are well behind us now and Hong Kong is doing very well; not only progressing forward but, more significantly, upward," Chick believes.
"Things are starting to boom again," she says, "and the proof of that will be seen at the biggest toy fair ever staged in Hong Kong that also ranks the third-largest of its kind in the world."
Equally upbeat about the fair, with his fingers firmly on the pulse of the industry, is Edmund Young, chairman of the TDC's Toys Advisory Committee.
"Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland form the world's biggest base for toys, and the toy fair is easily the most important fair staged here," he says. "Hong Kong is fortunate to have superb design skills coupled with strong electronics and engineering industries - advantages that are complemented by a highly skilled mainland workforce that is adept at producing high quality toys at a reasonable cost."
Young says this is a combination unmatched by any other country or region. "I am sure that buyers from all over the world will be delighted at the wide range of products on display. Our Toys and Games Fair is getting close to becoming the world's second largest and most important trade fair, which is proof of how highly regarded Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland are in the world toys market."
Three special highlight zones make the fair just that bit more attractive. One area is the fascinating Hobby Goods Section that debuted in 2003. The concept has caught on like wildfire with manufacturers and this year there will be a far wider and more tempting selection of models, action figures, puzzles, miniatures, collectibles, toy sets and other playthings.
Meanwhile, something new and novel but quite topical has also been added - a Bicycle Section to keep ahead of developing trends in the marketplace. Adventure cycling has become a highly popular outdoor activity today with mountain bikers found along exciting trails in the wildest parts of many countries. The bikes - and specially the wheels and tyres - must be rugged enough to take very heavy knocks, bumps and thumps, and you'll find a wide choice of these heavy duty machines in this special section.
Finally, making a comeback is the Private Showroom, where buyers and sellers may cut deals in an atmosphere of calm amid the hustle and bustle of fairground activities.
Added opportunities for far-sighted buyers
There could be no more appropriate stable-mate for January's Toys and Games Fair than the tried-and-tested Hong Kong International Stationery Fair.
These two important events go together like a horse and carriage, providing double value for exhibitor and buyer alike.
The pairing is a perfect match: what could be more logical than to view kids' toys and games and then see the latest children's stationery and school supplies, for example?
But that may be over-simplifying the content of the Stationery Fair (co-organised with Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd), where there's so much more on display such as the latest in:
- educational systems (for young and older students),
- writing equipment,
- paper and paper products,
- office supplies,
- artists' equipment,
- children's stationery and school supplies
- and many other related items.
The Stationery Fair has other advantages: besides being an acclaimed, one-stop shop it is a great place to mingle and swap valuable information with buyers and other contacts from all parts of the world.
Improving industry standards
There is mounting international awareness in the toy industry concerning the certification programme of the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI) Code of Business Practices (the code).
ICTI has long seen the need to introduce a universal code, and adopted the original proposals in 1999. In 2002, after numerous revisions, ICTI launched the finalised format and is now rolling out a certification programme.
During the Hong Kong Toys and Games Fair, the Hong Kong Toys Council (HKTC) will be taking advantage of the widespread international attendance to further publicise and promote the code.
As regular visitors to the fair will know, HKTC organised special seminars at each of the three previous fairs to draw attention to the merits of the code.
Chairman of the HKTC Samson Chan is a firm believer in the benefits of the code, which he regards as "one of the most significant developments of the global toy industry".
He points out that the finalised code represents "a concrete effort" by 18 national and regional toy associations to establish agreed practices in the industry. These countries and regions include some of the world's biggest toy makers, such as the US, the UK, Germany, France, Japan, the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.
Those in favour of the code believe its acceptance and adoption will improve the overall image of the industry and enhance employer-employee relations.
One code for all
ICTI feels a standardised code of practice is necessary for many reasons, including:
- Ensuring provision of safe and healthy working environments for employees, thereby guarding against accidents and aintaining productivity;
- Reducing employee exposure to workplace hazards; such hazards can be a double-edged sword - on the one hand dangerous to the workforce and on the other potentially loss-making for the employer if they lead to lowered morale or disrupted production;
- Rewarding employees according to their efforts, thereby stimulating morale and productivity;
- Implementing the code not only enhances the image of individual companies but also benefits the industry as a whole by presenting it as caring, responsible and forward-thinking;
- Elimination of the present confusing situation with individual customers imposing varying guidelines, involving time-consuming checks that are costly for both buyers and vendors;
- As the painstakingly revised code is believed acceptable to members of most toy associations in important buyer countries, reputable toy buyers could be inclined to make their purchases from countries adhering to it; and
- Compliance with the code would put small and medium-sized toy makers on a level playing field with their biggest rivals.
WRITTEN BY GEOFFREY SOMERS
Turning bad news into good
Summer Sourcing Show For Gifts, Houseware & Gifts, Houseware & Toys
The old saying has it that every cloud has a silver lining... and a surprising follow-on to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak that hit Hong Kong between February and May in 2003 is the emergence of a new fair concept: the Summer Sourcing Show for Gifts, Houseware & Toys in July that gives SMEs greater selling opportunities and buyers a chance to replenish stocks.
Soon after the SARS problem arose, TDC gave exhibitors at its April 2003 fairs four choices:
- continue with previous arrangements;
- defer to a supplementary fair in July;
- do both;
- withdraw with a refund.
Many exhibitors opted for the substitute fair date in July, and the results were nothing short of remarkable. With Hong Kong already declared free of SARS, more than 62,000 buyers attended and exhibitors reported unexpectedly good business.
The value of this previously untapped July timeslot for mass selling opportunities drew attention. As Jeffrey Lam, chairman of the TDC's Gifts and Premium Fair Organising Committee shrewdly deduced, this pointed to untapped summer selling opportunities.
"Shorter product cycles and smaller inventories seemed to have compelled buyers to source more frequently," he says. "With more efficient production and logistics, buyers are able to place orders in Hong Kong in July confident they can take delivery in time for Christmas."
TDC used an exhaustive questionnaire to canvass the views of SMEs. Of the 1,610 responses received, 1,514 manufacturers and traders opted for the extra fair in July - an unmistakable 94% "Yes" vote.
"Without SARS, we might never have dared to risk organising a show in what everybody believed was an off-season. However, the global trade fair business is very competitive and we must seize the opportunity before others," says Lam.
Meanwhile, Cliff Sun, chairman of the Hong Kong Exporters' Association, says: "With a Summer Sourcing Show, local SMEs may be able to reduce overseas travel and make better use of limited marketing budgets."
Show Times
|
Fair Dates |
Opening Hours |
Buyer Registration Counter |
| July 6-8 (Tue-Thur) | 9:30am - 6:30pm | 9:00am - 6:00pm |
| July 9 (Fri) | 9:30am - 5:00pm | 9:00am - 4:30pm |
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Visitor Enquiries: (852) 1830 668 |
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THEME ZONES & MAJOR PRODUCTS
| Gift Ideas | (Fashion Jewellery & Accessories, Paper & Packaging, Picture & Photo Frames, Promotional & Premium Items, Stationery); |
| Dining & Cooking | (Kitchenware & Gadgets, Tableware); |
| Style & Décor | (Artificial Flowers, Furniture & Lighting, Handicrafts, Home Decoration, Household Textiles); |
| Home Living | (Bathroom Accessories, Cleaning & Supplies, Gardening Accessories, General Houseware Items, Hardware & DIY Products, Health & Personal Care Items, Small Electrical Appliances); |
| Fun & Play | (Toys & Sporting Goods, Festive & Party Items); |
| Trade Publications & Services | |
SPECIAL FEATURE
Treasure Island - A specialised section showcasing top-of-the-range brand names
and products which stand out in design, innovation and craftsmanship.
Venue
Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre
1 Expo Drive, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Organiser
Hong Kong Trade Development Council
Admission
Trade only (Free Admission). Visitors under 18 will not be admitted.
Enquiries
Exhibitions Department
Hong Kong Trade Development Council
Unit 13, Expo Galleria, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre
1 Expo Drive, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 1830 668
Fax: (852) 2824-0026
Email: exhibitions@tdc.org.hk
Web: http://summersourcingshow.com
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