Koelnmesse GmbH is bringing its signature “Kind + Jugend” exhibition to Southeast Asia in April
Kind + Jugend is a leading international trade fair for children, toddler and baby equipment and has been held in or around September for the past 63 years in Cologne, Germany.
The first Kind + Jugend ASEAN expo will be held in Bangkok from April 5 to 8, 2023. The exhibition, scheduled to be held in BITEC Bang Na, will cover 5,400 square meters, and will be divided into different zones, ranging from carriage and furniture to products for both children and mothers, toys and childhood education, hygiene and care, and nutrition.
Mr Mathias Kuepper, Managing Director & Vice President for Asia-Pacific, Koelnmesse Pte Ltd in Singapore, said this is the right time to hold the Kind + Jugend exhibition in Bangkok, as the metropolis is a great base in the region. The fair will be promoted as an annual event in Bangkok from this year.
“We have chosen Bangkok to host the ASEAN edition of Kind + Jugend event based on two reasons. First, Thailand has a very big domestic market. Second, the country is a good regional connection for Southeast Asia, a potential region with 600 million population,” he said. He added that the Southeast Asian population is huge and far younger than in Europe, which is seen as a mature market for baby products with stable growth in market value.
Also, in Southeast Asia and Thailand in particular, parents are investing more and more in their children. They buy quality products, and do not go for the cheapest.
“Thailand is getting relief from COVID-19. Therefore, business is driving fast with the Thai government opening the country for business entrepreneurs to invest more in the market,” he said.
Mr Kuepper added that more than 200 brands from 12 countries will attend Kind + Jugend ASEAN in Bangkok. The first three days of the event will focus on businesses, with targeted visitors being importers, distributors, retailers and manufacturers of baby products and equipment. The last day of the event will be open to the general public. The total value of trade transactions during at the event is expected to exceed 1 billion baht.
“Kind + Jugend aims to be the meeting place for leading global brands on baby and toddler outfitting industry to gather, inspire and do business in ASEAN with good support from official partners, including the Thai Chamber of Commerce, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, Thai Toy and Baby Products Association, Asia Toy & Play Association [an association from Singapore that promotes a safe and valuable toy industry for children in the region], National Science Museum Organization [NSM], Maternal & Infant Trade Association of Singapore, National Food Institute and the Food Institute Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University.
“We expect about 3,000 visitors at the event this year, of whom 300 to 500 will be international visitors from many markets around the world. We also expect the size of the Kind + Jugend ASEAN exhibition in Bangkok to double in the next three years,” he added.
For this year, the highlights at Kind + Jugend ASEAN will include business matching and Innovation Awards presented to winners in 7 product categories, namely, World of Moving Kids (babies, infants and kid’s carriages and travel systems); World of Travelling Kids (car safety seats for babies, infants and toddlers); World of Kids Furniture (furniture and accessories); World of Kids Textiles (home textiles and fashion); World of Kids Care (nursery products and electrical appliances); World of Kids Toys (toys for babies, infants and kids); and World of Nutrition and Infant Formula (food, drink and baby food). In addition, 10 forums will also be held for discussions on trends and opportunities in the industry.
Mr Kuepper said in addition to mother and baby products, Koelnmesse is also looking to organize more international trade fairs in Bangkok for other potential industries, such as furniture and interior design, health and medical, entertainment and media, and hardware and tools.
The first trade fair Koelnmesse took outside Germany was “Pueri Expo”, which it held in Brazil. This expo has been held in Brazil six times since then. Now, Koelnmesse holds about 80 events per year, 20 of which are in 12 markets outside Germany.
