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After staging international trade shows in Paris and Tokyo, Playtime is traveling to the states to present Playtime New York, a trade show focused on children’s clothing, footwear, gear, toys and maternity. Slated for July 31st to August 2, 2010 – dates that overlap with the ENK Children’s Club show at Pier 94 – Playtime New York invites multi-label shops, department stores, buying offices and concept stores to its Soho venue. Entrance is free for registered professionals.
The three-day trade show is seeking collections from all over the globe with a distinct identity and a strong image. “They can be commercial, designer or large collections. What's important is that it must have its own concept-identity. Playtime is an American international trade show, not an export of the French or Japanese Playtime,” explains Playtime’s Elaine Hamnet.
Though the company is not looking to duplicate its Paris & Tokyo exhibitor lists in entirety, it is expecting to achieve the same balance of product it has offered at its previous shows. According to Hamnet, the desired breakdown is 60 percent clothing, 20 percent shoes and accessories, 10 percent maternity and 10 percent deco-design. “We would like to develop things in the same way in New York because that’s also what makes the show really interesting,” she explains.
Expecting 80 exhibitors for the debut edition, Playtime New York emphasizes the great growth potential for its Soho site. According to the show’s press materials, “The stunning venue, 82 Mercer, is a space that reflects both a creative and commercial style… The 25,000-square-foot space will have an additional 25,000 square feet available soon and features a loft design, brick walls, hardwood flooring, cast iron columns and arched passageways. The show will provide an easy-to-navigate layout and an open booth design.”
In a release, event director Sebastien de Hutten, said “ Our goal is to bring the best product mix and the best buyers together and maintain the whimsical, innovative, energetic yet professional ambiance for which we are known.”
Staging the show bi-annually during the NY children’s markets in July/August and March, Playtime New York is aware many of its visitors will divide their time between its show and The Children’s Club show at the other end of town. Hamet says while Playtime may provide a shuttle service, she notes “82 Mercer is just steps away from several subways; Soho and surrounding neighborhoods are very attractive to out of town visitors.”
Though Playtime declined to comment on the apparent departure of the well-regarded Bubble New York trade show, the Playtime New York show may be looking to fill a void since Bubble had been the show of choice for a global mix of eclectic brands, including a lot of buzz-worthy newcomers.
In December Bubble founders Florence Rolando and Vanessa Boz cancelled the March 2010 edition of Bubble New York, fully reimbursing the companies that had planned to exhibit, according to its website. Many of those companies turned up at the March edition of The Children’s Club show at the Jacob Javits Center. The Bubble London show, which is now organized by ITE Moda Ltd., took place January 31-February 1st. Dates for the London show have been set for June and next January. However, the Bubble website lists the Bubble New York dates for this August as pending. Industry insiders say they don’t expect the show to return in the foreseeable future.
The New York office for Playtime is located at 525 Broadway, suite 702. For details and pricing in the U.S., contact
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Playtime is headquartered in Paris, France. It launched the Paris show in 2006. Buyers from Europe attend the twice-a-year event featuring 250 exhibitors. Playtime Tokyo launched in 2009, and the company says it has “become the biggest children’s trade show in Japan.”
www.playtimenewyork.com / 212.925.6349 /
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