Abu Dhabi: From cars that transform to robots and the world’s fastest bikes to jewellery made out of meteors and other artwork, Big Boys Toys in Abu Dhabi is a hobbyist’s dream under one roof.
The retail and technology exhibition, which kicked off on Wednesday, also offered an opportunity for international exhibitors looking for funding to meet with potential investors and showcase their products.
“Big Boys Toys is a direct sales event, so different exhibitors have different objectives with being here. Some are participating just for the brand exposure and to test the water to see how the market works for their future plans. We also have other exhibitors who are here with the objective of finding a partner or investor or distributor in the region because they see the UAE as the ideal platform to expand their presence,” said Shafeeh Mohammed, international sales and sponsorship manager at Big Boys Toys.
Among these exhibitors is 2 Wheel Board, a manufacturer from Australia that makes snow boards and surf boards. The company’s founder was invited to Big Boys Toys by local investors and is aiming to get funding to increase production capacity.
Demetrias Rejtano, the inventor of the boards, said he has around 30,000 orders from 30 countries but has only sold 700 boards as the company does not have enough funds to produce more. The boards are priced from $300 to $3,000.
“So far at Big Boys Toys, we’ve had talks ... but we’re still looking for someone to invest. ... The orders are there, it’s just a matter of someone helping us making them,” he said.
Big Boys Toys runs at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) till November 26. It was inaugurated on Wednesday by Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development.
