Richard Gottlieb

The Essen Game Fair: What the US toy industry can learn from the Essen Game Fair

Every year, close to 160,000 average German citizens go to the Essen Game Fair to . . . play games. There is a charge to get in, but never-the-less, they stand in line for hours at a time so that they can actually test drive literally thousands of games. If they like them they can buy them on the spot. More importantly, if they really like them they can tell their friends and neighbors and create a buzz that has nothing to do with television, has nothing to do with licenses and has nothing to do with multi-million dollar ad campaigns. They decide for themselves. It’s a radical idea that liberates the process and puts the decision in the hands of the consumer. The idea is extraordinary in its very ordinariness. 

What does this mean, you may ask, for the US toy industry?  Maybe everything. We are at a moment in our history when it is important to rethink some of the basics of how our industry works; in this case, how much it costs for a toy to become a success. It may be time to democratize the system.

Currently, the more money a manufacturer can put into advertising a product or acquiring a hot license, the more likely they are to get a mass market buyer to place that toy in their product mix. If the buyer selects the product, the more likely it is to become a success (at least in terms of sales).  It’s as if today, in order for great books like Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina to sell they would have to be “G I Joe: War and Peace” or “Barbie Karenina” and have millions of dollars in TV money behind them. 

You may already know that we actually have our own Essen Game Fair here in the US except it’s, at least for now, smaller (less than 20,000 people) takes place in Chicago and features toys as well as games. It’s called the Chicago Toy and Game Fair (aka Chi-Tag), takes place November 17-18 and is the brainchild of Mary Couzin. 

I have never been to Chi-Tag before but I will be there this year. In fact, I am speaking and have been asked to be on the Fair’s advisory board. This has allowed me to get to know Mary, so when I found out she was going to Essen last week for the Game Fair I asked her to provide me and you with some information on what it is like to actually be there. 

Mary reports attendance was so great that on Saturday, the third day, they opened the doors 10 minutes early because they were concerned about people trampling each other. In fact, by noon, 2 hours after the Fair opened, there was still a very long line to get in the convention center. Earlier, on Thursday and Friday, there were actually school field trips to the fair.

Mary went on to write that that some exhibitors set up dozens of tables in their booths so that attendees could play their games. Despite the number, people waited in lines for the tables to become clear so that they could get a chance to play.

If you are a manufacturer or a toy designer and you want an opportunity to bypass the system, then America’s Essen, the Chicago Toy and Game Fair, may be your best bet. You can create consumer buzz around your product from the bottom up. A friend tells two friends who tell four more and on it goes.

And by the way, it’s not just for the little guys. Major toy manufacturers will benefit as well. Hasbro had one of the largest booths at Essen. They were right near the entrance and had life size versions of “Operation,” “Connect Four,” “Jenga” and more.   Good for Hasbro for supporting the industry and the love of game play. 

It’s very exciting and a little scary; when you think about it, because a manufacturer or designer will really find out if the public thinks their product is any good. If the people like it, however, they may create a winner and beat the system while they’re at it.

Posted by Richard Gottlieb on October 22, 2007 | Comments (2)