Page 18 - Toy & Hobby Retailer Magazine May-July 2019

AWARD WINNER
CHECK-IN
The 2018 retailer winners of the Toy & Hobby Retailer Business Excellence Awards had the opportunity to attend the Hong Kong Toy & Games Fair. Here’s what they thought.
Craig Aitken – Knock on Wood Toys
- First time at Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair “I came in with a completely open mind and [the show for me is] more about ‘hey Craig this a great opportunity, you wouldn’t have done this, it was never on our radar to do it at this point,’ and it’s been through winning the award, such a great bonus, to be able to come and see product outside of a supplier set up in Australia.
“The opportunities [here] are open conversations. Also understanding how the manufacturing works and how quality control works. Understanding the shipping costs to Australia and the protocols. [It’s all about] getting an insight.”
Jono Ladmore – Crayons Toys
- Has been to the fair before
“STEM is getting more mature – they’re calling it STREAM now – so there’s more products coming out for the younger age groups, which I think is really good.
“I’ve talked to [exhibitors] about the traditional manufacturing and distribution model changing. My business is B2C, so if I did a product it would be B2C, and how they can help me with that, not only in Australia and New Zealand, but internationally.”
INTERNATIONAL TOY FAIRS
HONG KONG TOYS & GAMES FAIR 2019
18 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER MAY / JULY 2019
Rounding out the first day was the networking reception and presentation of the Best of the Fair awards.
“The Hong Kong Toy and Baby Products Awards not only encourage manufacturers to promote their creativity and innovation, but also help develop Hong Kong as a creativity hub for toys and baby products,” president of the Toys Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong Limited and one of the judges of the awards, C. M. Leung says.
“It is important for manufacturers to know that consumers give priority to product safety, quality and the use of environmentally friendly materials,” he says.
Day two began with the Joint Media Breakfast Meeting, where myself and the rest of the international journalists were treated to an exclusive preview of some of the innovative products out on the floor.
A stand-out product – for a wacky reason – was the Hexa Labs Hugus bear, which helps to maintain and strengthen long distance relationships. The soft polar bear features a LED stomach which lights up when hugged. Separated lovers, family and friends can send this hug to a companion Hugus which will light up too. There's a smart phone feature which allows for customisation of text and 'clothes' which appear on the stomach. According to the Hexa Labs representatives, Astrid Cheung and Harrison Wong, the
bear came about because one of their team
members was in a long distance relationship with a man from Australia.
No doubt, all of that is absolutely impressive, but the reason the Hugus sticks in my mind is because the bear didn’t have eyes. Cheung and Wong said, 'why doesn't it have eyes?' was a frequent question that they were getting from interested parties, and according to them, the reason the bear didn't have eyes is because the team couldn't find an appropriate place on the Hugus' face to put the eyes.
Too low, too high, too far apart, too close together – there just wasn't a good place to put them, so they went without. Perhaps there'll be a reassessment of that decision later on, eye don't know.
At the Hong Kong Toys Industry Conference, Forging the Bright Future of the Global Toy Industry, founder and CEO of Global Toy Experts and publisher of Global Toy News, Richard Gottlieb, delved into issues impacting the global toy industry.
Gottlieb, in his speech, The Global Toy Industry; One Big Ecosystem, said that the global toy industry is synonymous with nature and is a fragile ecosystem.
“Anything that goes wrong, the ecosystem crumbles,” he says.
“Macro events – such as Donald Trump as president – disrupt the ecosystem. The ecosystem also depends on consumer's access to money, as well as stability – consumers and the industry – don't like confusion and doubt,” he says.