Spielwarenmesse eG Plans Changes to Executive Board

Spielwarenmesse eG is looking ahead with planned changes to its executive board.

CEO Ernst Kick and Dr. Hans-Juergen Richter will depart the board when their terms end on June 30, 2021. In their place, three new members will join the board, which helps oversee the organization behind the famed international toy fair in Nuremberg, Germany. Christian Ulrich, Florian Hess, and Jens Pflüger — all members of the exhibition industry — will lead the board beginning July 1, 2021. The early decision was made during Spielwarenmesse’s supervisory board meeting this week.

From left to right: Jens Pflüger, Ernst Kick, Dr. Hans-Juergen Richter, Florian Hess, Christian Ulrich.

“I’ll be delighted next year to place the responsibilities of the executive board in such trustworthy and capable hands,” Kick says. “The exhibition industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Given that the team had already started working on alternative formats even before [the] coronavirus — and we are happy to offer guidance during the transition period — I’m optimistic that the new team will be very successful in steering the fortunes of Spielwarenmesse eG long into the future.”

Ulrich will assume the role of executive board spokesman and will be responsible for marketing, press relations and communications, and new business. Hess will leade event organization, sales, and legal. Pflüger will oversee finance, IT, HR, digitalization, and member services.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.