After a very successful trading year marked by several highlights, Whitehouse Leisure plans a strong presence at EAG 2015 with, not one, but three separate stands. Business Development Manager Ian Whittingham explains: “Whitehouse Leisure is now Europe’s largest manufacturer of plush and redemption products for the amusement and leisure industries. At EAG International we’ll be showing a huge range of exciting new products that cover every market sector. It makes sense to present our products in a market-facing way so that each stand will reflect a separate division of our business. We believe that this will also be more convenient for customers visiting us at the show,” explained Ian.
Whitehouse Leisure’s business centres on the supply of licensed and generic plush and redemption prizes to the amusement and leisure sector worldwide. The company has enjoyed strong growth, based, in no small part, on its extraordinary ability to predict trends and to secure licensing deals with the very biggest names in entertainment.
EAG International, and indeed VAE visitors can expect a stunning presentation featuring not only today’s hottest products but, more importantly, what will be hot in 2015.
Stand 430 will be the home of Whitehouse Leisure, featuring the very latest in generic and licensed plush. Topping the bill will be Minions, developed under an extension to the Despicable Me pan-European license from Universal. Anticipating an enthusiastic reception to the latest additions, Ian Whittingham said: “Despicable Me was a fantastic success in 2014, and that’s without a movie! With the Minions movie trailer already running ahead of the movie’s 2015 release, we’re really excited by the potential for these engaging characters. We will be releasing both amusement and gift-quality plush of a variety of different characters from the forthcoming movie. There is also a stunning range of redemption prizes, to include ceramics, stationery and key chains,” revealed Ian.
Ian has also confirmed that a couple of Minions characters will be appearing at the show, so autograph books and camera phones at the ready!
In June 2015 Universal will release its blockbuster Jurassic World. Having secured an agreement with Copyright Promotions Licensing Group on behalf of Universal, Whitehouse Leisure will be displaying amusement and gift quality plush, all developed under this iconic franchise.
The stand will also showcase an extensive range of plush, developed under Whitehouse Leisure’s extensive portfolio of franchises, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Peppa Pig, Family Guy, How to Train Your Dragon, Fireman Sam, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and an amusements industry first, Julius the Monkey and other modern designs from the very fashionable Paul Frank.
Presentation of prizes is everything, particularly when it comes to cranes and a new range of point of sale decals and strips, along with wrapping and crane beads will be available to promote these latest brands.
Also expect to see the very latest additions to the popular Sparkle Eyes collection and the extensive Bananas range along with seasonal ranges such as Winter Bears and characters for St Valentine’s Day and Easter.
Stand 445 will be showcasing the very latest products from Whitehouse Redemption. With 42 licenses, and counting, there will be appealing prizes for every conceivable style of operation. The Minions franchise will bring an extensive range of redemption products, whilst Jurassic World adds stationery, puzzles and fossil discovery sets.
The prize for the largest range of licensed redemption products must be awarded to Disney Pixar. Exiting new must-haves will include merchandise from Frozen, Avengers, Disney Princess, Peppa Pig, Winnie the Pooh and Doc McStuffins.
Whitehouse Leisure’s vast range of generic redemption includes personal electronics, keychain toys, remote controlled cars, stationery sets, jewellery, ceramics and toys, to mention but a fraction of the products available. All conform to the rigorous manufacturing and safety standards demanded by Whitehouse.
Stand 530 will be exclusively devoted to Whitehouse Disney, featuring popular characters from Disney Television and Disney Movies. The current hot property is Frozen, with Snow Queen Elsa joining a cast of hundreds of Disney characters, including, Mickey and Minnie, Nemo, the cast of Winnie the Pooh, Doc McStuffins, Marvel Superheroes, The Muppets, Planes, Henry Hugglemonster and Monsters Inc.
Not only did Whitehouse Leisure achieve the enviable position of European License Holder for Disney in 2012, but the territory has recently been extended with the addition of The Middle East and Africa, opening up 27 new countries.
It’s difficult not to be impressed by the drive and determination that Whitehouse Leisure exhibits to secure the very best available products for its customers. Products that, in turn, will help to drive the customers’ profitability.
The licenses won by Whitehouse leisure bear testament to the company’s passion for quality and safety; the company has its own fully staffed office in Beijing to drive the manufacturing process and product development.
Whitehouse Leisure has supported EAG since the very first show and Ian Whittingham is also looking forward to meeting visitors to the neighbouring Visitor Attraction Expo: “We always do a lot of business at EAG and will be bringing around 20 staff, all of whom have detailed knowledge of all our ranges. Amongst the staff there’s a great sense of pride; we all work hard and it’s great to show off the fruits of our endeavours. For us, EAG is rather like a large family gathering and we’re delighted that the Visitor Attraction Expo will be taking place at the same time as we have many customers in the attractions sector,” explained Ian.
With such an impressive range of new products on show, every amusements and leisure operator at EAG should allow extra time for visiting Whitehouse Leisure – with so much on offer, they may well be there longer than expected!
To register for EAG International visit www.eagexpo.com