KIDS INDIA MAGAZINE ISSUE II OCTOBER 2013 | Page 7

Page 7 Interview: Mr. Vivek Jhangiani TAITMA President Kids India Mag: What potential do you see for Kids India? The first Kids India will be held at the Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre in India from 24-26 October 2013. Spielwarenmesse eG is being helped by a number of groups to organise Kids India, including The All India Toy Manufacturers’ Association (TAITMA). Mr. Vivek Jhangiani TAITMA President was interviewed on why he believes there is great potential for the new B2B fair in India. Kids India Mag: Mr. Jhangiani how is TAITMA helping Spielwarenmesse eG to organise Kids India? Mr. Vivek Jhangiani: The All India Toy Manufacturers’ Association was set up in 1976 with the goal of promoting the toy industry in India and supporting its development, which it still pursues to this date. Thanks to our association’s history, stretching back almost forty years, we know the Indian toy market and therefore the needs of the Indian toy industry. We are pleased that Spielwarenmesse eG, with its many years of expertise, will hold a trade fair in India. As the main representatives of toy manufacturers in India, we are looking at this fair as exposing Indian made toys to the world. Mr. Vivek Jhangiani: The Indian toy market is continuously growing. Annual sales in the Indian toy market are currently estimated at 850 million US dollars. This is the result of continuous increases in Indian per capita income over recent years. And the trend is set to continue. Another fact is that more and more money is being spent on toys. We believe this is a sustainable trend which will persist even during times of economic difficulty. That is why there is enormous potential for Kids India. The fair offers the Indian toy industry a professional platform for consolidating and expanding its business success. Indian consumers are beginning to understand the value of play! Kids India Mag: Spielwarenmesse eG, a German company which puts on the world’s largest toy fair in Nuremberg, is organising Kids India. How important is it to be well informed about the toy market in order to establish a new fair in India? Mr. Vivek Jhangiani: To be successful in any area one has to have domain knowledge. Spielwarenmesse eG is a company with a long tradition that has been putting on the biggest and most famous toy fair in the world for decades. As a global player, Spielwarenmesse eG is not only active in Germany. I’m sure that with their experience, the operational expertise of Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, and local industry knowledge of TAITMA we should have a fair that will reach the highest standards. Kids India Mag: Parallel to Kids India, Spielwarenmesse eG is launching a campaign entitled the “Value of Play”. How do you feel about this approach? Mr. Vivek Jhangiani: I think this is a very necessary campaign, especially because you can tell from the “Value of Play” that it is not focused on the art of business but on the topic of play. It aims to get a lot more time and space set aside in daily life for play itself. It is also important to share the idea of “Value of Play” with the Indian consumer. Along with the same, social projects will also benefit from the campaign, as there is very little play out there for the economically backward. A small gesture to start with, the exhibitors at Kids India will be encouraged to donate some of their exhibits at the end of the fair. These toys will then go to social institutions in India. We would also like to work with NGOs to build a sustainable social platform based on the value of play in the lives of children in India. Kids India Mag: There has been broad interest from the Indian toy industry in the announcement of Kids India. How do you explain the enormous interest in Kids India? Mr. Vivek Jhangiani: Of course, this is due to strong growth in the Indian market and the lack of an appropriate platform that meets the needs of the Indian toy industry. Kids India is precisely tailored to these concerns. That is why TAITMA is also involved in Kids India. By working together, we believe we can find a sustainable and fundamental solution for the expansion of the Indian toy market and international exposure to Indian toy manufacturers. The world´s biggest Toy Fair ever. Brandnew in 2014: the TrendGallery – presenting the most important toy trends from over 1 million products. The world-leading fair is the pacesetter and information-plattform of the industry, presenting much more than toys. Only here at Spielwarenmesse® you link your business successfully. Nuremberg, 29 Jan - 3 Feb 2014 www.toyfair.de/worldwide/india · Lay02_PrintAd_Maler_quer.indd 1 KID_Tabloid2013_MAG2_02.indd 7 [phone] · [email protected] 05.07.13 11:40 01.10.13 17:00