Games and lots of toys flooded Hong Kong on Monday as the 46th Hong Kong Toys and Games Fair opened, showcasing various kinds of toy brands exhibited by over 2,100 companies from around the globe.
The toy fair, spearheaded by the Hong Kong Council for Trade Development, was the biggest of its kind in terms of the number of exhibitors that come from around 40 countries and regions.
Held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the fair was organized into theme areas including the Brand Name Gallery that showcased over 240 popular products, the Smart-Tech Toys sector featuring games and the latest in toy designs integrating innovative technologies, and the Kidult World showcasing grown-up toys like enchanted and shooting game brands.
The so-called "Intelligent Toys" was among the main attractions of the toys and games fair this year. Making its debut appearance, Hanvon - a Beijing-based technology company - rolled out their first ever toy lineup: a Bionic Flying Bird operated through radio control.
Hanvon, during an interview with the media, said that the company is focused on creating new innovations like facial recognition and handwriting technology while targeting new areas for expansion.
The company is optimistic that through the show they would be able to connect with new clients from different cities and regions to promote their latest toy products.
Playable Design Limited introduced their new toy brand, a remote-controlled Hong Kong Tram designed out of building blocks that fused culture with modern creativity as a reference to the city's oldest mode of public transport - the tram. A mobile app is used to navigate the toy on routes it takes to ply the city's busy thoroughfares.
Playable Creation co-founder Kenes Cheung said they placed smart elements in conventional block-building toys to enrich the play experience and inspire the imagination of children.
According to Cheung, the company is open to markets around the world and look forward to working with buyers from outside of Hong Kong and "developing similar toys that feature other places' public transport."
The toy fair this year will run until January 9. A baby product and a stationery show were also featured by the HKTDC during the event. During these shows, the HKTDC organized over 200 buying missions to visit and source.
The HKTDC said Hong Kong's exports posted a year-on-year decline of 4.7 percent in the first 11 months of 2019, a significant fall, but less serious compared to other economies, indicating that global clients still have confidence in the market fundamentals of the city.
