TWO inaugural festivals - the just-concluded Anime Festival Asia, and June's Singapore Toy and Comic Convention - may be merged into one big event next year because of the overlap in target audience.

This is the talk circulating among industry insiders yesterday.

After all, the two events at Suntec Convention Centre draw a similar crowd: Young adults who are manga or comic fans and toy collectors.

An industry insider who declined to be named said a merger would "combine the best of both worlds".

The anime fest drew Japanese pop-culture aficionados while the toy fest attracted a more Western-inclined crowd.

At press time, anime fest organisers I-Promo and Dentsu Singapore were tallying final attendance figures. Festival director Shawn Chin, 35, said: "We are very happy with the turnout, which is within our expectations of 80,000 people."

The two-day toy convention attracted 140,000 people. But unlike at the toy fest, retailers of high-end toy merchandise at the two-day anime fest suffered a dip in their takings. Sales of figurines by exhibitor Movie Replicas Collection, for example, were down by 20 per cent.

Owner Vincent Chee, 35, said: "The highest transaction this time was $500, compared to the $2,000 a customer handed over at the toy fest. Maybe customers are watching their wallets because of the economic downturn."

Still, those selling computer video games did a brisk trade.

Mr Gary Lim, 32, manager of Funzsquare, said: "People are forking out anything from $5 to $700 for our products. Response has been really good."

When asked to comment on the possiblemerger, a representative from toy-fest organiser, Play Imaginative, said that they are "open to discussions".

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