Let’s be honest, the week back in the office after a trade show is always a bit of a comedown. The buzz of meeting up with a constant stream of friends and colleagues from the industry, seeing hundreds of new products and immersing yourself in the toy community from breakfast to the wee small hours is always enormous fun. Of course, that has to give way to reality: there is all the follow-up to attend to and ‘real’ work that has to be done – none of us could run a successful business if we were constantly out of the office at shows. Which presumably is why some people have been ‘lobbying’ for fewer shows and a more streamlined toy event calendar. But is that likely to happen any time soon, or are we in fact facing the short-term prospect of having to make even more trips if we want to see everyone we’d like to, at least until a clearer picture emerges as to which events will survive and thrive, and which might fall by the wayside…?
This week, normal service has resumed at Toy World HQ after last week’s hugely enjoyable – and highly successful – Toymaster May Show. We have sent the June issue to print (on time, natch – I can’t imagine how embarrassing it must be to have to explain to advertisers why your issue didn’t appear until after a show finished), and we have started work in earnest on the July edition. Get in touch now if you’d like to be part of that issue.
Next week sees another toy show taking place, as Distoy opens its doors in London on Tuesday. Post-pandemic, the toy calendar has continued to evolve, and in truth, is still in the process of settling. There appear to be some fixed points: Q1 – the traditional ‘Toy Fair Season’- remains a pivotal period, despite what some people might say to the contrary. Personally, I don’t foresee London or Nuremberg moving dates any time soon, and it will be interesting to see what happens in Hong Kong next January, as life there begins to return to normality.
