Which groundbreaking trends should the market know about? What will set the pace in the world of toys in the future? The international Trend Committee of the Spielwarenmesse is currently travelling all around the world to look for answers.

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The ten members of the Trend Committee have been sent on the road by the Spielwarenmesse to sift out the latest industry developments on the global market. These trends will be announced from the middle of October 2017 and brought to life for specialist visitors from 31 January to 4 February 2018 in Nuremberg, with suitable products exhibited on 1000 m² of floorspace.

The Trend Committee comprises market researchers, trend experts, and journalists. It is searching for market trends from the USA to Europe to China. “At trade fairs, in businesses at home and abroad, in specialist magazines and on the Internet, we closely observe the trends that are just beginning to move the market, and we note the different products that reveal an overarching motif. As a team, we are constantly exchanging ideas and observations to identify the trends,” explains Gabriela Kaiser, trend consultant at TRENDagentur, Germany.

Jane Wong is a new Trend Committee member. She is Deputy Editor-in-Chief of TOY INDUSTRY, the largest monthly magazine for the Chinese toy industry, based in Guangdong.

The complete Trend Committee of the Spielwarenmesse at a glance:

John Baulch (editor, Toy World Magazine, UK)

Daniele Caroli (journalist, Giochi & Giocattoli, Italy)

Dr. Maria Costa (market researcher, Toy Research Institute, Spain)

Axel Dammler (market researcher, iconkids & youth international research GmbH, Germany)

Richa Dikshit (blogger, Toy Tasting, India)

Philippe Guinaudeau (market researcher, Kidz Global, France)

Marek Jankowski (journalist, Branza Dziecieca, Poland)

Gabriela Kaiser (trend consultant, TRENDagentur, Germany)

Reyne Rice (journalist and trend expert, USA)

Jane Wong (journalist, TOY INDUSTRY, China)

Cross-product and international

Internationality is a significant trend factor for the committee. Toy trends are transnational and not just restricted to a particular country. “The right time is also crucial. We take up the trend when it has not yet conquered the market, but after it has already been accepted by the first innovative manufacturers. However, the potential for mass appeal must still be there from the outset. A trend is only suitable if it is powerful enough to spread,” says Christian Ulrich, Marketing Director of Spielwarenmesse eG.

Images: Spielwarenmesse

//AO