Former CEO of Spielwarenmesse eG is honoured

The former longstanding CEO of Spielwarenmesse eG, Ernst Kick, has been awarded the State Medal for special services to the Bavarian economy. The award ceremony took place in Munich on 27 November under the auspices of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy. Since 1974, no more than 25 people a year have been honoured with the State Medal. The award was presented by Bavaria’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Hubert Aiwanger. In his laudatory speech he acknowledged in particular the unique position and outstanding strength of the Spielwarenmesse, which he said had also played a critical part in the development of NürnbergMesse.

Ernst Kick was CEO of Spielwarenmesse eG from 2002 to June 2021. During his term in office, he drove the Nuremberg-based cooperative forward and significantly extended the leadership position of the Spielwarenmesse. Kick’s considerable achievements included the reorganisation of the fair’s structure to offer a compressed overview of the market. He also worked intensively on internationalisation in key growth markets. At the Nuremberg office alone, staffing levels grew from 16 to their present 60 employees under his management.

The current Board members of Spielwarenmesse eG – Florian Hess, Jens Pflüger and Christian Ulrich (Spokesperson) – warmly congratulate Ernst Kick on behalf of the entire team for his receipt of the State Medal.