Creating worlds and changing them

Tomsk manufacturers of goods for children («Novaya khimiya» LLC and «Universal'nyye terminal sistemy» LLC) took part in one of the largest international trade fairs of toys, educational games and other goods for children - The 18th China International Toy Fair or China Toy Expo 2019, which was held in Shanghai from October 16 to 18.

Text: Victor Svinin

Tomsk manufacturers of goods for children («Novaya khimiya» LLC and «Universal'nyye terminal sistemy» LLC) took part in one of the largest international trade fairs of toys, educational games and other goods for children - The 18th China International Toy Fair or China Toy Expo 2019, which was held in Shanghai from October 16 to 18.

The participation of Tomsk entrepreneurs in the exhibition was organized by the Tomsk CCI together with the Business Development Fund with the support of the regional department for the development of innovative and entrepreneurial activities and the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia as part of the national project for the development of small and medium-sized businesses.

Maria Efremova, international sales manager («Universal'nyye terminal sistemy» LLC), Mark Shulgov, international sales manager (UTS Scientific-Production Enterprise LLC) and Sergey Timofeev, export manager  («Novaya khimiya» LLC) shared their impressions of the exhibition with a PE correspondent.

The overall impression of the participants: the organization of the trip was at the highest level, which, according to them, was primarily due to the Tomsk Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which organized information preparation, transfer of participants to Novosibirsk, a flight to Beijing, and from there to Shanghai, as well as providing Tomsk citizens with a comfortable stay both in the domestic plan and at the exhibition itself. Our participants were informed in advance about what kind of furniture would be placed at their disposal, and they knew exactly what and how it would be possible to place it on the stand.

 The invaluable assistance provided by the representatives of the host country was particularly noted. These are two employees of Russian origin who have been working in China for about ten years. And, most importantly, they were fluent in both Chinese and English, since the exhibition was attended mainly by Chinese manufacturers (about 2500 exhibitors in total), and it was intended for the Chinese, who under these conditions were not required to know a foreign language. These employees quickly resolved issues of both organizational and everyday order.

UTS representatives noted that for the first time in the entire practice of participation of Tomsk manufacturers in such inserts abroad, not only printing products or models were presented at the stand, but also an actual three-dimensional working example of the iSandBOX interactive sandbox. The sandbox for the exhibition was provided by a Chinese distributor of Tomsk products. The experience was extremely successful. A bright acting sample involuntarily attracted attention.

The sandbox is based on augmented reality technology. Realistic structures of natural objects are projected onto the sand: seas, oceans, mountains and waterfalls. You can see the change of seasons, as well as the evolution of natural landscapes. The volcanic eruption looks quite realistic: lava flows into the water, water boils, steam rises. A child can practically create worlds and change them. To do this, there is a rich software that provides 25 modes.

The device serves not only for entertainment but also for development, to ensure the educational process. And not only for this. iSandBOX also provides “sand therapy”, since classes with it develop fine motor skills, relieve tension and negative emotions in children. It is worth noting that in the development of programs teaching specialists were involved.

In a word, the UTS experts consider the participation in the exhibition an absolute success. According to its results, three productions of this sandbox will be opened in China.

«Novaya khimiya» LLC presented at the exhibition kinetic plasticine "Zephyr" and various types of slimes. Kinetic plasticine holds its shape and stretches, it is light and delicate, you can play with it in water and bake like clay (brilliant samples of such creativity were presented at the exhibition). When playing, this plasticine doubles in volume and, in addition, it is hypoallergenic and eco-friendly.

If slimes are just for popular entertainment (there are websites on the Internet dedicated to this hobby), then there is a whole educational program approved by UNESCO for kinetic plasticine. In the textbook on developing games, there is a section devoted to it.

The promotion of said products on the world market is ongoing, although not at the pace one would like. In terms of increasing recognition, the company works with both domestic and foreign marketers. The success of the promotion is greatly facilitated by the safety certificate available for the products of «Novaya khimiya» LLC, which is very important for products made for children.

In general, the participation of Tomsk citizens in the Shanghai exhibition can be considered quite successful. However, representatives of both companies drew attention to the problem of marketing. For all the seemingly attractiveness of children's products, some features must be taken into account when promoting these products on a particular market. For example - kinetic plasticine. It has a wonderful quality - it can be baked in the oven. But, as it turned on site, this quality is not so significant for the Chinese. The Chinese have few ovens, since they do not quite fit into the traditions of Chinese cuisine.

In the interactive sandbox under the regime, that we can call the "jungle", in some countries it is considered quite acceptable for a lion to hunt an antelope with a fatal outcome for an antelope, but other consumers require a humane mode - with a favorable outcome for the antelope.

All this requires particularly careful, intense creative work by marketers, so as not to impose their products on the consumer, but to tie them to their specific needs, taking into account the customer's cultural and national characteristics. This is the specificity of marketing. The participation of Tomsk small and medium-sized enterprises in the exhibition in the People's Republic of China was organized by the Tomsk Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the assistance of the Business Development Fund, the regional department for the development of innovative and entrepreneurial activities and the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia as part of a national project for the development of small and medium-sized businesses.