Middle East Toy Fair, the only dedicated exhibition in the region for toys, baby and infant products, stationery and back to school products, games, hobbies, gifts, apparel and licensing, will be held in Dubai from March 23 to 25.

Elisabeth Brehl, managing director of Epoc Messe Frankfurt, the event organisers, said, the fair was a unique platform for exhibitors to meet and network with major buyers, industry influencers, and educators involved in the shaping of the Middle East toy market.

She said a research  for the International Council of Toy Industries stated that in 2008 the world toy market was worth Dh278 billion, posting a growth of over 5.3 per cent when compared to the previous year.

"The opening of dedicated kids/toy sections at the malls prove how lucrative the market still stands here in the Middle East," she noted.

Brehl, citing the research said that kids in the 0-4 year age group were the key sector that was expected to grow in the coming years worldwide. “Worldwide, Asia has 60 per cent of the kids population and Africa region 21 per cent of kids 0-4 age group,“ she explained.

"In 2008, the region with the highest proportion of the population aged 0-14 was the Middle East and Africa at 39.4 per cent of the total population. By contrast, North America's proportion was 19.8 per cent  of the population in 2008 while in Western Europe it constituted 17.7 per cent.,“ said Brehl.

The toy industry is marked by seasonal and trend-driven oscillations and there are several factors impacting on the business climate in the marketplace such as variable economic conditions, levels of disposable incomes, and consumer demographics,” Brehl added.

Citing the findings, Brehl said the toy market growth in Asia and Africa will reach European levels by 2013.

“Emerging markets in Africa (Libya, Kenya, and Nigeria) are sourcing their products from the region, mainly from Dubai,” she noted.

The ongoing economic slowdown is expected to temporarily take the wind out of the market's sails, with consumers curtailing expenditure on leisure goods, toys, video games, and consoles, however, increasing consumer responsiveness and exposure to media and marketing has impacted positively on the growth of the toys and games market.

She pointed out that the market for traditional toys and games in developed countries was experiencing sluggish growth patterns largely due to the declining birth rates, and growing disenchantment of children towards conventional toys.

"As a result young are no longer the prime or in some cases the sole attractive targets of the manufacturers and retailers," she observed.

Youngsters, teenagers and adults are presently the prime targets. Increase in disposable incomes of the younger population is leading manufacturers to focus on this demographic cluster as a lucrative target.

“The toys and games market is further affected by the seasonality of sales, impact of changing styles and technological trends, influence of movies and cartoons on toys, advent of corporate advertising in the gaming world, growing popularity of mobile gaming,” Brehl added.-TradeArabia News Service