Ready to play! New zone launched, wider participation expected at next week’s Toy & Hobby China, Baby & Stroller China, and Licensing China
The stage is set for one of the most influential industry gatherings in South China, it has been announced. Opening next week, the joint platform will facilitate networking, collaboration, and growth in both domestic and global trade during the peak sourcing season for toys, baby products, and IP exchange. Scheduled from 7 to 9 April 2025 at Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center, the three fairs are poised to welcome industry players from around the world for the comprehensive cross-sector trading event, enhanced by an impactful fringe programme featuring conferences, forums and networking sessions.
‘World of Play’ Summit returns this year with new global industry topics to explore.
Speaking ahead of the fairs, Ms Wilmet Shea, General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, said: “As the Chinese government continues to expand visa-free policies for inbound overseas travellers, and with us adding more to our platform by launching the Trendy Toys & Collectibles zone, the number of pre-registered international buyers for the concurrent fairs has risen this year and we expect this number will continue to grow. As a member of the Messe Frankfurt global network for lifestyle goods Conzoom Circle, we are committed to integrating resources across sectors and leveraging our expertise to create the ideal business platform for global industry players, enabling overseas participants to access and thrive in the Chinese market.”
With pre-registered buyers representing 54 countries and regions, overseas buyer delegations from Indonesia, Korea, Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam will bring additional dynamism to the trade platform. Key delegations include the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), Korea Culture Contents Licensing Association (KOCLA), Korea Toy Industry Cooperative (KTIC), Taiwan Toy & Children’s Article Manufacturers Association (TCMA) and Thai Toy and Children Product Trade Association.
New ‘play’ in action!
In less than a week, the extensive platform in South China will cover 130,000 sqm of exhibition space in Halls 13, 15, 16, 17, and the newly opened Hall 14, where buyers can source trendy toys, collectibles, and stuffed toys. Over three days, the five halls will showcase a wide array of toys, baby and maternity products, licensing and licensed goods from 2,100 brands represented by over 1,400 exhibitors.
As part of the rebranded Toy & Hobby China (formerly Toy & Edu China), the new Trendy Toys & Collectibles zone will be launched in Hall 14, exhibiting designer toys, blind boxes, garage kit figures, ball-jointed dolls, cotton dolls and many other trendy toys suitable for all ages. Featured exhibitors from this new zone include Alpha Group Co Ltd, Funko / Bora Network Technology (Guangdong) Co Ltd, Guangdong Sembo Culture Industry Co Ltd, Guangzhou Moetch Cultural & Creative Co Ltd, JOYTOY (Beijing) Technology Development Co Ltd, Qingdao Aoger Cultural Industry Co Ltd, among others.
The business matching programme will again be offered this year, connecting domestic and international buyers with relevant suppliers through pre-arranged onsite meetings across the fairground.
Where ‘play’ meets expertise: spotlight on fringe events
To assist industry participants in adapting to emerging market trends and developments, an enriched fringe programme will run in parallel with the fairs. Highlighted events include:
Conferences and forums
- ‘World of Play’ Summit 2025: scheduled for the afternoon of 7 April and co-hosted with Global Toy Experts, the summit will welcome six speakers from Asia, Europe and North America to explore in-demand industry topics. These include toy trends; social media marketing; merchandising strategies; challenges related to global toy standards and regulatory changes and respective solutions; useful practices in the collectibles market, and more.
- Greater Bay Area Brand Licensing Industry Development Forum 2025: held on 8 April and co-organised by Licensing International, the forum’s new theme this year is ‘Breaking Boundaries and Empowering Growth’. Through a series of keynote speeches, panel discussions and roundtable dialogues, the event will gather licensing leaders and experts to explore global licensing trends, opportunities in the Southeast Asian market, cross-border IP protection, and IP-driven brand differentiation.
- China Hobby Trends & Brand Globalization Summit 2025: held on the morning of 8 April, this summit will bring together independent media creators and representatives from the trendy toys and creative industries, along with cross-border platform representatives, to share insights empowering Chinese brands to go global.
- Cross-Border E-Commerce Development Conference for the Toy Industry and Global Toy Sourcing Event 2025: held on 8 April, this conference will explore cross-border e-commerce opportunities for manufacturers of toys, baby products and educational products.
- The Business Matching Event of Guangdong Quality Export Products and AliExpress Toy Production：co-organised by AliExpress and supported by the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, the event on 8 April will focus on cross-border export trends.
Networking sessions
- WoP! Get-together: a networking event held on 7 April afternoon after the ‘World of Play’ Summit.
- Licensing Industry Cocktail Reception·Shenzhen: held on 8 April afternoon, a special cocktail gathering will connect industry players and experts from the licensing sector.
Display areas
Toy Awards 2025 and Hobby Awards 2025: located in Hall 17 and 14 respectively, these two designated showcases will feature award-winning creative and innovative toy designs that redefine play.
Toy & Hobby China, Baby & Stroller China and Licensing China are organised by the Guangdong Toys Association, Guangzhou Li Tong Messe Frankfurt Co Ltd and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. For more information, please visit:
