Page 16 - Toy & Hobby Retailer Magazine May-July 2019

INTERNATIONAL TOY FAIRS
HONG KONG TOYS & GAMES FAIR 2019
Hello Hong Kong!
The Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair kicks off the international toy trade show season. Introducing editor, Imogen Bailey, to her first international show, the fair demonstrated the global reach and scale of the industry.
THE Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair kicked off my international trade show jet-setting and marked not only my first major international toy fair, but my first major toy-focused trade show. I'd dipped my toe into the trade-show water with the ATA's Mid-Year Preview and the gift fairs in Melbourne, but these domestic shows could only give me a small taste of what was to come at the international fairs.
Venturing from the airport to the hotel, passing hundreds, if not thousands, of stacked shipping containers that were reminiscent of giant building blocks, I was reminded of the scale and reach of the toy industry. This was only heightened once I got to the show.
Boasting over 2100 exhibitors from over 41 countries, the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair, held concurrently with the Hong Kong Baby Products Fair, the Hong Kong International Stationery Fair and the Hong Kong International Licensing Show, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) was buzzing with activity from the get-go.
From 07 to 09 January, over 51,000 trade visitors thronged the halls at the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair, with well over half of those visitors flying in from overseas.
After the official opening ceremony of all
four shows, I began my trek of the halls passing thousands of products both familiar and unknown.
16 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER MAY / JULY 2019