As always, it’s been a busy time at Clearsilver HQ, but since September it’s been particularly hectic (in a good way!)
Just a few weeks ago, we flew to Germany for the annual Baby & Toddler exhibition, Kind + Jungend, in Cologne.
For any baby and toddler specialist, the exhibition - which takes place in the city’s Kolnmesse Centre - provides a huge showcase of ideas, information and the all-important contacts and influencers. If you think the NEC is big, Kind + Jungend takes place across 11 exhibition halls and plays host to 1,290 exhibitors from 55 different countries! Not only that, 24,000 visitors from more than 130 countries travel to attend.
If you’re working in the baby and toddler sector, it’s certainly the place to be seen. It’s also ideal for finding out what’s about to launch in the global baby & toddler market. Not only the favourites from established well known brands - like the UK’s Silver Cross, which was established in 1877 and was showcasing some stunning new equipment - but also new product launches and innovative ideas and services from smaller start-ups and co-operatives.
It’s not just exhibitors you need to watch out for; there’s a tightly scheduled presentation platform introducing a host of new businesses, specialists and experts. With Clearsilver often asked about assisting brands to launch in the US, we took the opportunity to listen to Xza Higgins, CEO of Parent & Co, whose success story is well worth a read.
Creating cohesive communities for the baby and toddler brands we work with is always our starting point, from which we can harness all platforms. From communicating via digital for all the Gen Z’s, to bricks and mortar consumer shows and specialist events, it’ important to know which works best for your audience.
We also met Jamie Grayson who - as well as being a hugely entertaining character - used to be an actor. He was a fascinating source of insight and ideas – both on and off stage, making time (despite his confession of dreadful jetlag) to talk to brand and social media teams long after he’d left the stage.
There’s much more to share about our time at the exhibition, and news about some of the incredibly engaging NPD innovation in the sector, which we’ll share next time…
If you want to learn more about what team Clearsilver got up to in September, why not read our previous blog post – ‘Clearsilver attends…’