The reason I went to Hong Kong in January of 2002 was to attend the Hong Kong TOYS & GAMES FAIR.
Lesson 6 in my Game Design Zone (the yellow pages) is all about trade shows, especially the ones that aspiring game designers ought to attend. The HK Toys & Games Fair is not for game industry wannabes. It's not even for the videogame industry especially. The reason I went is because I've designed some original dice games and I have new ideas for mah-jongg-related products. And I wanted to meet some manufacturers of table game sets and videogame accessories, to explore business opportunities.
But this page is about the Toys & Games Fair itself.
The Fair was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, in the Wan Chai district, on a new piece of land jutting into the bustling Hong Kong Harbour. See that big thing in the water there? That's the CEC. To its right is the Star Ferry pier.
The last time I was in Hong Kong was eight years ago (when it was still a British territory). Since that time, two changes have taken place:
1. There are website URLs posted all over the place. (But then again, that change has taken place over here since eight years ago too...)
2. This time, the airplane landed at a NORMAL airport -- one with a straight-on approach path for the plane to follow. If you never flew into the old Kai Tak airport, you probably don't know what I'm talking about. The approach path to the Kai Tak airport required incoming passenger aircraft to fly a terrifying, low-level, zigzag path onto the runway. I sat by the window that first time into Kai Tak, and it was terrifying. Buildings went by at our very wingtips, it seemed. But the new airport is much more viewer-friendly than that. A lot less scary, I mean.
3. (I lied about there being two changes) Last time I was there, the Convention and Exhibition Centre was just an ongoing landfill.
It's very easy to get to the Convention and Exhibition Centre from anywhere in Hong Kong. From my hotel in Wan Chai I could just walk there.
The Convention and Exhibition Centre is a huge structure. From inside, its glass skin makes for some spectacular views from the elaborate escalator system...
... and through the glass, looking out into the harbour.
But enough about the CEC. Let's talk Toys & Games Fair. There were five halls full of exhibitors of all kinds of toy and game products:
Hall 1 - Battery Operated & Electronic Toys and Educational Toys & Games.
Hall 2 - Die Cast / Mechanical Toys & Action Figures and Baby Toys & Products
Hall 3 - Party Items, Toy Parts & Accessories - Multiple Products - Trade Services
Atrium 2 - Companies from Germany, Italy, Spain
Hall 5 - Soft Toys & Dolls, Outdoor & Sporting Items
Hall 7 - Companies from Chinese Mainland, Korea, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand. Bet you didn't know that one of the main products of Pakistan is soccer balls! Neither did I.
Below - This is one of the companies I'd come to meet...
And I met with folks from numerous manufacturers of videogame accessories, too.
Not quite the same kind of networking one can do at Toy Fair, CES, GDC, E3, Milia, or ECTS. But it will do for me!
One perk of trade shows is this (below) - the directory of exhibitors.
God, I love these things! (See Lesson 6 in my Game Design Zone (the yellow pages) for future game industry types, for more about why I say that these directories are so important.)
Enjoying this adventure in Hong Kong? Click below to see more about Tom's Excellent Hong Kong Adventure 2002.
TOM'S EXCELLENT HK MAH-JONGG ADVENTURE
SIGHTSEEING IN HONG KONG, 2002
Want to see more about trade shows & conferences? Click below.
GAME TRADE SHOWS, CONFERENCES, & EXPOS
Just want to go back and see OTHER parts of the website already? Beat a hasty retreat by clicking below.
This website and its contents © 2002 Tom Sloper. May not be republished without written permission of the author.
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