International Toy Industry
Guangzhou International Toy & Hobby Fair
Get to Know the Spring Carnival of the Toy Trade Industry by Lanny Lin, editor, Toy Industry Magazine
L
ocated on China’s southern coast, Guangdong has been an economic power engine for more than 30 years, and it was the country’s first mainland region open to foreign investment. The province is home to the world’s largest toy production and export base, encompassing more than 70 percent of the toy products in China. Thousands of outstanding toy manufacturers, imaginative design concepts, and fine products at competitive prices are present in two fairs: the Guangzhou International Toy & Hobby Fair and the Guangzhou International Stroller & Baby Product Fair, both held every April in Guangzhou, China. With 26 years of experience in the toy trade industry, the Guangzhou International Toy & Hobby Fair has a reputation as the greatest and most influential annual toy event in domestic China. The latest session, which will run concurrently with the fifth Guangzhou International Stroller & Baby Product Fair, will take place at the Poly World Trade Expo Center in Guangzhou from April 8 to 10. With abundant resources and advantages, these fairs are set to wow the world.
76 • THE TOY BOOK
What makes this trade show worth attending?
The location of the fair offers quick access to production bases. As a leading production and export region for both China and the world, Guangdong enjoys an extremely favorable position as an industrial cluster with a great number of manufacturers. It is the origin point for more than half of China’s famed brands of toys, strollers, and baby products. Thanks to this unique edge, the Guangzhou International Toy & Hobby Fair, set in Guangdong’s capital city, attracts renowned companies from production bases of toy, stroller, and baby products in Zhejiang, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, and more. The fair grows each year, and there is always a wide range of exhibitors covering nearly all toy categories, including electronic toys, plastic toys, plush, dolls, hobby goods, wooden and paper products, learning systems, inflatable items, rideon toys, baby strollers, cribs, and preschool outdoor play sets. Given the proximity of the production base, it is also very
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014