Spielwarenmesse Highlights Special Interest Areas for 2022 Event

Source: Spielwarenmesse eG

The 72nd Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair is set to take place Feb. 2-6, and the organizers at Spielwarenmesse eG are gearing up to welcome retailers from around the world.

Thanks to the evolving state of COVID-19 and its variants, the annual event in Nuremberg, Germany has been the subject of much debate this season, but, as of this writing, it’s still a go. This week, Spielwarenmesse is shining its spotlight on some themed areas that attendees may want to check out.

“With our special areas, we provide active support for retailers in putting together their product ranges and offer them fresh stimuli and ideas that will continue to have an effect even after the Spielwarenmesse is over,” says Spokesperson of the Executive Board of Spielwarenmesse eG, Christian Ulrich.

Sustainability in Focus: Hall 3A

The “Toys Go Green” megatrend is explored across four themed islands. Made by Nature, Inspired by Nature, and ‘Recycle & Create will focus on specific materials while in Discover Sustainability highlights the ways that environment and climate are introduced to kids through toys.

Service Provider Area: Hall 3A

This area places host to a variety of companies that offer services to support the toy industry, including marketing and creative agencies. Die roten Reiter — a subsidiary of Spielwarenmesse eG — and its partners will showcase its services at the “Future of Exhibition” stand. This presentation explores the trade shows and toy fairs of the future while DigitalMobil Handel will highlight new retail innovations.

StartupArea, TrendGallery, and ToyAward: Hall 8

Attendees can check out a range of new toys and games from emerging companies in the StartupArea before exploring hot trends for 2022 in the adjacent TrendGallery and ToyAward display.

Insights-X Area: Hall 4

Toy-adjacent products such as stationery and back-to-school are gaining traction for independent retailers and Spielwarenmesse is offering a showcase of new offerings in the category alongside artists’ events.

Additional special interest highlights at the 72nd Spielwarenmesse include the Internationale Spieleerfindermesse — Game Inventors Convention (Hall 11.1); the GamesCafé board game showcase (Hall 11.0); and the popular Tech2Play activity area (Hall 4A) that showcases electronic toys.

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.