Dubai June 19th 2006: The 2006 Middle East Toy Fair offered a host of innovative products and services to the region. There were a total of 7776 visits to the show, which is a substantial increase on last year. The show bought together the major players within the industry from throughout the region and from across the globe. The Toy Fair was strongly supported by the presence of various international toy associations, including those from Spain, France, Germany and Thailand.
Entrepreneur Reem Askalan fulfilled her life long dream by creating the Rahala Board Game, which was launched at the Middle East Toy Fair. Reem commented:
“The Toy Fair Middle East’s steady growth, which includes a diverse and large number of game producers, is an exceptional platform for new comers with novel ideas to show their work to international distributors and buyers.”
This innovate game is an Explorers’ trivia board game, which offers an opportunity to delve into the historic Middle East. Through its History Questions, the game reveals the widely spread geographic boundaries of this civilization and its people, religions, minorities, scientific discoveries, cultural milieus, and interactions with other civilizations. The History Questions cover the time period from 20th Century B.C. until the end of the 20th Century A.D. through six historic eras.
“Through this journey the players add to their knowledge, instigate their imagination, and refresh unused information. Overall, the game offers something new for the players to keep coming back to” Professor Ridwan al-Sayyed of Islamic Studies at the Lebanese University commented.
On show at the ME Toy fair were incredible replicas of Kimi Raikonnen’s McLaren Mercedes F1 2005 and Fernando Alonso’s Renault F1 Team R24; Scalextric have the exclusive worldwide license for this model. These museum-quality replicas are impeccable and ultimately will prove to be collector’s items. Emirates Airlines are main sponsors of the original McLaren Mercedes MP 4/21 driven by Finnish Kimi Raikonnen and Juan-Pablo Montoya from Columbia. Russell Sheldon, Vice President Emirates Airlines, said when visiting the Scalextric stand:
“This phenomenal sports racing game is suitable for anyone between the age of 6 to 60. It develops hand-to-eye coordination and brings out the competitive edge in kids. Living in the UAE during the summer months can be quite restrictive as outdoor entertainment is not always a suitable option; Scalextric which can be set up at home and enjoyed by adults and kids alike, is an excellent past time, in fact there are few past times that are as much fun.”
The dates for the 2007 have already been set for 20 – 22nd May, and Messe Frankfurt forecast the show will be an even greater success, especially taking into consideration that the toy market within the Middle East is growing at a rate of 11.8% per annum. It is estimated that the average expenditure per child on toys and computer games in the Middle East is close to $327 per year, the second largest spend per head after North America.” This increase is realised due to the fact that over 50% of the national populations of the Arabian Gulf States are younger than 16.
The Messe Frankfurt Dubai team has over 20 years experience of organising international trade fairs throughout the world. The successful portfolio of events they organise in Dubai include Intersec, Materials Handling, Hardware & Tools, Garden, Landscaping & Outdoor Living, ISH – Kitchen + Bathroom, Light Middle East, Beautyworld Middle East, Wellness & Spas Middle East, Housewares & Homestyle Middle East, Hometech Middle East, Gulf News Ideal Home Show and the Middle East Toy Fair. Messe Frankfurt Dubai is a subsidiary of Messe Frankfurt, the world’s second largest trade fair organiser conducting over 100 events worldwide with 15 subsidiaries across Europe, Asia, America, Africa and the
