September 25, 2018
Kind + Jugend 2018: Strong trade fair achieves significant increase in attendance of ten percent
• More than 24,700 visitors from 123 countries
• Visitor growth from Germany and abroad
• Top buyers from all commercial channels
• Safety, digitalisation and sustainability remain in trend
• Manufacturers promote themselves through innovations
The growth trend of Kind + Jugend, the world’s most important trade fair for baby and children’s outfitting, continues impressively. With more than 24,700 trade visitors from 123 countries, the trade fair registered ten percent more visitors than in 2017. Foreign exhibitors accounted for 75 percent of the total. The number of visits from abroad grew strongly, but more visitors from Germany also attended.
“Particularly the jump in the number of visitors demonstrates the extraordinary dynamic of Kind + Jugend”, is how Katharina C. Hamma, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH sees the balance after four trade fair days. “Visitors appreciate not only the goal-oriented business atmosphere with direct contacts, but also allow themselves to be inspired by the innovations and trends presented by the exhibitors each year in Cologne. This special quality, both as a business platform and as the central innovation hub and trend barometer, is only offered by Kind + Jugend.”
The presentation of new products and trends is decisively supported and promoted by the event programme of Kind + Jugend. Competitions and awards offer the innovative industry, young designers and newcomers a stage and draw attention to themselves. The lecture programme, of excellent quality in terms of expertise, also focuses on trend and market analyses.
This year too, the providers were impressed by the quality of the visitors. All commercial channels were on location: from the wholesale and retail trade through the specialised trade and department stores to drugstores and online commerce. The exhibitors unanimously praised the high degree of decision making competence of purchasers and the strong interest in new products and new sales concepts.
An increase in the number of visitors from European countries was achieved, for one. More visitors came, for example, from the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain. More visitors were also counted from Bulgaria, Latvia and the Czech Republic. Although the figures from Russia declined somewhat, visits from Eastern Europe as a whole increased slightly. Once again strong was the number of visits from Asia; especially the figures for China. Visitor participation from North America also showed a slight upward trend. With regard to Latin America, fewer came from Argentina, but from Peru more.
Many manufacturers and visitors decide already at the end of Kind + Jugend 2018 to attend again in the coming year. Many companies have thus already booked their trade fair stand for the coming year. And nearly 80 percent of visitors are planning to come to Cologne again in 2019. This is shown by the results of the independent visitor survey carried out at Kind + Jugend. According to the survey, nearly 90 percent of the visitors would recommend a visit to the leading trade fair for children’s and baby outfitting to close business acquaintances.
Innovations and trend-compatible products inspired the industry and showed that manufacturers and designers are always adjusting to new target groups. The focus this year was also on the theme of safety, which is being advanced by numerous technical developments and digital applications. Digitalisation is also becoming increasingly important in baby care areas. Not only with regard to material, the significance of the theme of sustainability is also growing; design, durability and environmentally-friendly disposal are also becoming subjects of increasing interest for manufacturers, the trade and end consumers. Here too, exhibitors were able to present many products and solutions.
Innovations and trends also attracted particular visibility and attention through the Kind + Jugend event programme. Especially the Kind + Jugend Innovation Award, conferred since 2005, enjoys a very good reputation in the industry. The nomination and the award themselves are viewed as important marketing instruments.
The winners of the Kind + Jugend Innovation Award 2018
– World of Moving KidsBumprider Connect – Bumprider AB (Sweden)
– World of Travelling KidsMaxi-Cosi Jade – Dorel Juvenile (Maxi Miliaan B.V., Netherlands)
– World of Moving Kids & Travelling Kids AccessoriesMini Sling – Minimonkey (Netherlands)
– World of Baby Safety at Home”BUZZER®” – Felibaby GmbH (Germany)
– World of Kids ToysBERG GO² – BERG Toys B.V. (Netherlands)
– World of Kids TextilesKids Jacket – Miapka Design (Poland)
– World of Kids CareCanDoCup – Miyali BV (Netherlands)
– World of Kids FurnitureBaby Hug 4 in 1 – Artsana S.p.A (Italy)
The KIDS Design AWARD was also presented once again, this time to the Lithuanian designer Gintare Cerniauskaite for her product “Upe”. The “Inside the box” product from Lisanne Koning also received an honourable mention.
The CONSUMER AWARD, on the other hand, presented the best products in eight different countries, chosen through surveys of parents carried out by international partner magazines and portals.
All awards were showcased at Kind + Jugend in attractive special events. Other special events were “The Kids Connected Room”, with smart and digital solutions for trend-oriented children’s rooms, and the “Design Parc”, which presented exceptional design products and newcomers from various countries. Flanking the special events, lectures and presentations on the central Kind + Jugend Trend stage focused on the trends and matters of interest to the industry. Especially trend analyses met with great interest from exhibitors and visitors.
