The first big opportunity for the toy trade to get together in 2022 is here, with Toy Fair opening its doors today (25 January) at London’s Olympia.
Majen Immink, director of fairs and special events at the BTHA, has told PreschoolNews.net that the team is “so excited” to be returning with an in-person show and that preschool toys will be a key part of the show floor.
“We’re set to be as big as ever, with more than 260 exhibitors including some of the biggest brands in the business including preschool favourites,” she commented. “It will be the first big opportunity of the year for visitors to get hands-on with the hottest toys and games for 2022 and see all the exciting new trends.”
There will be a few changes, of course, making sure that all the necessary measures are taken to protect the health and safety of exhibitors and visitors. These will include enhanced cleaning operations, an improved ventilation system, multiple hand sanitisation points, use of a second point of entry/exit via the National Hall foyer and mandatory Covid status checks.
“Preschool is always an important sector for Toy Fair,” continued Majen. “From the very beginning, preschool toys have had a prominent place at Toy Fair, with everyone’s favourite bear Sooty featuring at the very first show. Learning through play is vital in a child’s development, so it’s no surprise that the sector is always innovating, creating new ways to teach and delight young children. Every year at Toy Fair, we see something new and exciting from our preschool exhibitors, and I’m sure 2022 will be no different. Without giving anything away, there are some great preschool products in this year’s list of winners of Toy Fair’s Hero Toys.”
A raft of companies with preschool product will be exhibiting at the show. These include 8th Wonder, Bandai, Bigjigs, Casdon, Character Options, EDUK8 Worldwide, Fiesta Crafts, Golden Bear, James Galt, Halilit, Just Play, Juratoys, Learning Resources, Melissa & Doug, Orange Tree Toys, Posh Paws, Rainbow Designs, tonies, ToyTopic, Trends UK and VTech/LeapFrog among others.
You can check out Progressive Preschool’s Toy Fair preview in the latest issue by clicking here.
For full details on the show – and to register – head to www.toyfair.co.uk. You can also keep up to date on Twitter @ToyFairUK.
