Into the spotlight 01: visibility through Specials

By Sibylle Dorndorf

More attractive than ever – that's how exhibitors experience Spielwarenmesse when they get caught up in its vibrant energy. The trade fair offers numerous specials and secondary placements, both in curated and purchasable versions.

The event has gained in presence and diversity, inspired by an industry that constantly reinvents itself and by innovative trade fair formats such as BRANDmania. The B2B networking festival broke new ground from the outset with its innovative concept of showrooms, trend insights, lectures, matchmaking tools and much more – transcending the physical boundaries of booths and multiplying the reach of exhibiting companies.

Displaying products on tables was yesterday

The pure focus on product presentations is no longer sufficient to attract and inspire visitors. Trade fairs are increasingly transforming into experience spaces, networking platforms and infotainment events, offering exhibitors attractive opportunities for secondary placements.

To stand out from the crowd of fellow exhibitors and competitors, to generate leads and to remain memorable, targeted actions during the trade fair are essential.

With secondary placement in first place

Visitor dwell times at trade fairs are declining, attention spans are correspondingly short – and the competition never sleeps. Especially at very large, international trade fairs like Spielwarenmesse, secondary placements are no longer optional. Specials with a focus that matches the product create visibility beyond the main booth and attract additional visitor flows.

However, one thing should be kept in mind: pure logo walls or carelessly presented products, possibly still in packaging, not fully assembled or ready for operation, are completely ineffective.

Specials and secondary placements live from experience

A special is a curated product selection on a special zone presented by the Spielwarenmesse team that showcases a specific theme. Participation in curated specials is free of charge, except for providing a fully functional product. For curated specials, an application is always required.

Bookable secondary placements are expanded presentations under a specific, compelling theme for a manageable budget.

Curated Specials

• ToyAward (Hall 3A)

• ToyTrends (Hall 3A)

• Toys for Kidults (Entrance Mitte)

• Special Sports, Leisure, Outdoor (Hall 4A)

• Sustainable Collection (Online and labeling on exhibitor booths)

Curated secondary placements

• What's New Guide – Editorial (Online and print edition in the Press Center)

• Exhibitors on Stage (15-minute presentation in the Toy Business Forum)

• ToyPitch (3-minute presentation on Press Day)

Bookable Specials

• New Product Gallery (Hall 3A)

• StartupArea (Hall 3A)

Bookable secondary placements

• Walking Acts (Exhibition grounds)

• Press Day (Tuesday, 2 February 2027)

• What's New Guide – Advertising (Online and print edition in the Press Center)

Stage for media attention

Journalists and content creators search trade fairs for stories. Curated specials and bookable secondary placements put topics in the focus of the media present. The chances of being seen here and securing free coverage are very high. Oliver Mauckner, founder and CEO of HillcrownAI GmbH, knows this well. With his start-up KinderGPT, he created a safe, age-appropriate AI access for children from four years old in 2024 and presented his innovative product at the ToyTrends of Spielwarenmesse as well as at Exhibitors on Stage in the Toy Business Forum and at BRANDmania. At SPIEL in Essen, Oliver Mauckner will participate in the SPIEL.talks.

In conversation

Oliver, what criteria did you use to select your trade fair presence, and what considerations went into it beforehand?

Oliver Mauckner: KinderGPT is a curated, ad-free AI world for children. Characters from toys, books and media talk to children there, play and learn with them. Our partners are therefore the companies that own these characters and brands. These are precisely the partners we connect with at Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg. At BRANDmania, licensors and licensees come together to decide on new ways for their brands. Nuremberg 2026 was our second appearance after 2025.

Your product requires quite a bit of explanation...

Oliver Mauckner: That's right. That's why we asked ourselves one key question beforehand: How do we show a product that you have to experience to understand? A booth alone isn't enough for that. That's why we used everything the fair has to offer: our own booth and the ToyTrends zone for the 2026 trend AI Loves (to) Play. We even implemented Furrington, the Spielwarenmesse mascot, as a speaking AI companion. We expanded this approach further at BRANDmania and on the stage for Exhibitors on Stage in the Toy Business Forum.

How did you prepare the presentation on the ToyTrends zone?

Oliver Mauckner: We started early, already in November 2025, together with the ToyTrends team at Spielwarenmesse. The idea: Furrington, the Spielwarenmesse mascot, becomes an AI companion in KinderGPT. He talks to visitors and knows everything about the ToyTrends, the trend AI Loves (to) Play and the TrendCommittee. The content came directly from the fair, and we selected the voice together. Furrington was accessible via a QR code: scan, download the app, and you were right with him.

And what did your appearance look like on the zone?

Oliver Mauckner: On the zone stood our counter display with screens, pre-assembled and tested. For training the hostesses and hosts, we wrote a short guide so they could explain KinderGPT themselves, even internationally: The app is available in German, English, French, Spanish, Polish and Finnish. There was also a real card game with Furrington, exclusive to the fair, which combines AI functions with analog game material. That shows what we're about: the physical product gets digital depth, without any new hardware.

What learnings did you take from both actions?

Oliver Mauckner: At Exhibitors on Stage, I spoke in the Toy Business Forum about the 2026 toy trend AI Loves (to) Play and specifically about creativity and AI for children – about how children can remain creative with AI and how manufacturers can safely integrate their characters. We're taking three things with us:

1. Products – in our case AI – must be experienced. On stage, we couldn't show this live with the internet, so we worked with two videos. That worked well, but anyone who wants to try it themselves needs the booth. Stage, trend zone and booth interlock: the stage explains, the zone sparks curiosity, at the booth it becomes concrete.
2. A character opens the door. With the animated mascot, visitors immediately had an entry point without us having to first explain what AI actually is.
3. Good conversations happen before the fair. For BRANDmania, we contacted exhibitors and visitors weeks in advance, prepared mockups of their own characters in KinderGPT and scheduled fixed appointments. This turned booth visits into concrete conversations.

How are you preparing your trade fair appearances for 2027?

Oliver Mauckner: Exactly the same way. Right now we're working out our presence for Spielwarenmesse 2027, where we'll of course be back. We'll talk early with the fair team about specials, build the content for a companion like Furrington together and schedule conversation appointments before the fair.

Announcement for 29 October 2026

Into the spotlight – Part 2: Specials – how it works

Part 2 of "Into the Spotlight" provides information on how exhibitors can apply for and register for specials and secondary placements at Spielwarenmesse 2027. Experience reports from exhibitors inspire product presentations.

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