Twelve years after her first CBA workshop on kids trends, industry veteran Mary Manz Simon is still a show favorite. Trends in the Children's Marketplace: 2006 was presented on Tuesday to a near-capacity crowd at the International Christian Retail Show.

In her trademark style, Simon interviewed some of the industry's high-profile personalities in the kids area, gave away product from more than 30 companies and introduced trends that should affect the way retailers effectively market to kids.

A record-setting number of celebrities greeted the group during the 1.5-hour presentation, including Jerry Jenkins, Chris Fabry, Nancy LaRue, Mike Nawrocki, Karen Kingsbury and Phil Vischer.

Among the trends Simon addressed was the need for customization and individualization.

“What a tween chooses to reflect who he or she is at the moment changes frequently, but it's more than customers wanting product that can be personalized,” Simon said. “We're beginning to see a bigger movement of a customer-power type of revolution.”

She said that with so many things out of everyone's control-the price of gas and the war in Iraq-customers, even tweens, are looking for what they can control.

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