A safe Spielwarenmesse 2022: The best of precautions for the industry’s biggest event

The toy world awaits: From 2 to 6 February, exhibitors, visitors and media representatives will finally get their wish to meet in person again at the world’s most important event in the industry. The response to the Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg has been encouraging to date, even if the current trend in the pandemic in Germany has also thrown up questions among trade fair participants. To ensure that everyone who attends can enjoy a safe trade fair experience, organiser Spielwarenmesse eG is providing regular updates on its robust hygiene concept and other protective measures.

“The hygiene concept we have developed with the health authorities and venue operator NürnbergMesse will ensure that the Spielwarenmesse is held under safe conditions”, emphasised Christian Ulrich, Spokesperson for the Executive Board of Spielwarenmesse eG. Thanks to the generous hall layouts and continuous supply of fresh air, the circumstances are comparable to those in retail. Overall, the number of attendees in the exhibition centre covering 170,000 m² as per today is 80% of that of the last event held in 2020. More than 1,800 exhibitors from 64 countries have confirmed that they will participate in the Spielwarenmesse. The fall in exhibitor numbers is partly attributable to travel restrictions in Asian countries.

The trade fair organiser is constantly monitoring the latest regulations in Germany. “With two months to go, we are gearing up for a 2G concept (which means access only for those who are fully vaccinated or recently recovered). Even if these restrictions are not lifted, we can still ensure that the Spielwarenmesse is a smooth event under those conditions”, explained Christian Ulrich. This would only have a minor impact on the international participation announced: According to the Spielwarenmesse’s international representative network, the vaccination rate among exhibitors and visitors wishing to come to Nuremberg is exceptionally high.

Given the special situation, trade visitors can only purchase one-day tickets online. There will not be any ticket counters at the exhibition centre. Admission screening and sanitiser stations will further increase on-site safety. Testing will be offered at the exhibition centre. Furthermore, frequently used surfaces will be regularly disinfected. The catering concept also meets the applicable legal requirements.

The safety and hygiene measures are being frequently updated in keeping with the current situation and can be viewed on the Spielwarenmesse website: www.spielwarenmesse.de/en/hygiene.

“Given the precautions and measures we are taking, we firmly believe that we can host a successful Spielwarenmesse that will serve to further boost the industry”, summarised Christian Ulrich.