Kind + Jugend show continues to expand
Tanya K. Merritte -- Kids Today, 10/1/2005
Cologne, Germany— Last month's Kind + Jugend show here continued to be a showcase of the hottest juvenile trends and looks set to hit the European market.
Attendance numbers for the 2005 show rose over last year, with about 12,000 people from 78 countries registered. About 565 vendors offered an extended range of infant and toddler products such as apparel, furniture, strollers, car seats, bedding, bath products, feeding products, toys and games.
The show had a large international presence, with about 70% of the attendees coming from outside Germany.
Oliver P. Kurht, executive vice president of Koelnmesse, the show's organizer, said the change made last year to include furniture and gear continued to bring in more exhibitors and visitors.
"We posted a major increase compared to the event in 2004," Kuhrt said. "Its clear focus ... is paying off."
To help more American companies exhibit at the show, the U.S.-based subsidiary of Koelnmesse provided an area designated as the USA Pavilion. The idea behind the Pavilion is to assist small to midsized companies who are breaking into the international market.
My First Shades, a maker of sunglasses for infants and children, was among the half-dozen or so exhibitors in the USA Pavilion.
Kevin Tilton, a spokesman for the Great Neck, N.Y., manufacturer, said the Pavilion staff helped make the company's debut at Kind + Jugend a success. "From a value standpoint, it was unbelievable," he said. "We had an interpreter.... They provided us with everything that we needed."
Tilton said that, overall, Kind + Jugend was one of the best shows he had ever attended. He added that European buyers seemed receptive to product offerings. "All the buyers are very interested in what you do."
During the show, organizers presented the Kind + Jugend Innovation Awards for the first time. The categories and winners were:
- World of the Mobile Baby (prams, buggies, child safety seats and accessories) — Stokke Xplory stroller and Cybex Europe Cybex Solution carseat.
- World of Baby Furniture and Textiles — Roba Baumann's expandable children's bed.
- World of Baby Care (hygiene products, electrical appliances and accessories) — Reer Bevetel, a babyphone.
- World of Baby Toys — Tiny Love's Symphony Lights and Motion mobile.
Stokke's Xplory stroller picked up an Innovation Award at last month's show.
