Playtime Paris Cancels July Dates

Fingers crossed we’ll get to visit this beauty in September…

Playtime Paris, originally scheduled for July 4-6, has been canceled. Sébastien de Hutten, CEO of Playtime trade shows, says the team is looking into moving the show to Sept. 5-7, but that will not be confirmed until May.

“We think it’s wise to give ourselves time to reflect and wait a bit longer to see how the situation evolves,” he says, adding the decisions of whether to hold, cancel or postpone Playtime Shanghai (July 13-14) and Playtime New York (Aug. 2-4) will also be announced in May.

As an alternative, Playtime has been directing childrenswear professionals to its online marketplace. Before the end of the year,  the B2B platform will host at least 4,000 verified buyers.

“We are the only trade show in the world, all markets considered, that is ready for this sudden change in habits,” the CEO says. “For the last five years, we have been developing one of the best platforms for receiving and managing orders, and the largest search engine in the world for children’s brands in order to boost your visibility.”

Further supporting the industry during these tough times, Playtime recently announced its decision to temporarily operate as a non-profit company and offer a 25 percent reduction to its booth prices. The company is also offering a 50 percent discount on one-year subscriptions to its digital marketplace.

“We must make decisions now to ensure our continued success in the future,” de Hutten says. “Be assured that together, from this season on, we can rise to the challenge of this digital transformation.”