Preparations for the RESTART EDITION of Kind + Jugend 2021 (9-11 September 2021) are well underway with nearly 180 companies from around 20 countries. Markus Oster, Vice President of Cologne trade and exhibition centre, Koelnmesse GmbH, talked to Nursery Online this week:

What are the key drivers for brands and businesses to attend K&J at the physical event?

“From our numerous conversations with companies, we know that there is a great desire to meet face-to-face with customers again, to exchange information, to present innovations. The baby and toddler outfitting sector is a very familiar industry with many small and medium-sized companies. For them, Kind + Jugend is the most important B-to-B marketing platform. Participation in the Re-Start edition of Kind + Jugend this year ensures broad attention beyond the physical event and is the first important step towards reviving all business relationships.”

What can attendees expect at both the physical and online trade events?

“The fair will be very focused, and this will also be reflected online. Around 180 companies from about 20 countries will be exhibiting. The exhibitor field includes more home textiles, decoration and clothing, but also, for example, some pram and pushchair manufacturers. The current list of exhibitors can be seen on our homepage. The companies come from Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Denmark and other European countries. Companies such as Lässig, Thule, Engel, Sterntaler and Thermobaby stand for sustainable and convincing products and concepts. In addition to the range of exhibitors, the Trend Forum at Kind + Jugend offers insights into trends and inspirations, which are presented in an exciting way by experts such as the Trendbible. All exhibitor information and the lectures are also available on the digital platform Kind+Jugend @home, here until the end of October. This temporal extension significantly increases the reach of Kind + Jugend and its exhibitors in terms of both time and space.”

Will the smaller face-to-face show still offer brands the same opportunities as previous events?

“This year, together with the industry, we are starting to rebuild Kind + Jugend, the meeting place for the baby and toddler outfitting industry. Hence the name Re-Start Edition Kind + Jugend. If you are there this year, you can be sure that you will be noticed! Unfortunately, no trade fair in the near future will look the same and achieve similar effects as before the Corona crisis. But trade fairs remain indispensable as a marketing tool. Recent surveys of companies and industry associations have shown this quite clearly. Only trade fairs offer an all-round view and access to a wide range of products as well as to customers and trade partners.”

Do you anticipate the fair to have a permanent online element in the future?

“For the future, we see the hybrid model, i.e. the combination of physical and digital trade fair, as an important and necessary further development of our presence fairs. In short: the future is hybrid. All the possibilities that the last few months have shown us are an opportunity to make the trade fair market even broader and more effective. Will companies continue to exhibit in Cologne? Yes, we are sure of that, just as we are sure that trade visitors will continue to come to Cologne in the future. But the approach will be multiplied via the digital platform and thus also reach people at distant desks for whom the way to Cologne has been too far so far. This is an excellent perspective for the internationally positioned Kind + Jugend, which we will certainly see again in its full line-up from 2022.”

Covid safety at the RESTART EDITION of Kind + Jugend 2021

The restart edition of Kind + Jugend 2021 will be implemented in hall 10.2 in a way that facilitates easy compliance with distancing and other hygiene rules. With the help of an app, visitors will also be able to avoid crowds and have a comfortable visit all the way from the car park to the fair grounds. Admission tickets for visitors and the media will be available exclusively online. This also applies to exhibitors and all service providers. Beginning with the trade fair season in autumn, admission to the trade fair grounds will only be granted to those who have been fully vaccinated, have recovered from COVID-19 in the last six months, or have a current, negative test result. Koelnmesse will provide information of how this proof must be provided and the applicable requirements in a timely manner.

“It is important that we lead the way for the industry,” says Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse. “The restart marks the beginning we are all waiting for. Thanks to our #B-SAFE4business hygiene and safety concept, in accordance with the current coronavirus protection ordinance, the focused event of 2021 is an example of how trade fairs can look and function.”

The exhibitors at the restart edition of Kind + Jugend 2021 show with their compact presentation that the industry for baby and toddler products is in line with the latest trends. Companies such as Lässig, Thule, Engel, Sterntaler and Thermobaby stand for sustainable and convincing products and concepts. In addition to the product ranges of the exhibitors, the Trend Forum of Kind + Jugend provides insight into trends and ideas, which are prepared by experts like Trendbible in a stimulating way. The Kind+Jugend @home digital platform will also show exhibitor information and presentations.

To book a stand

Companies that are not be able to attend the trade fair this year will still have the opportunity to participate with their own stand through the “Remote Booth Plus” programme. Booking this stand model includes many services such as stand personnel, who handle the company’s products and ensure direct contact with the industry.

Find out more at www.kindundjugend.com

K&J online: Kind+Jugend @home