DISCOP West Asia to Emphasize Brand Licensing Business

LOS ANGELES: DISCOP West Asia, formerly called DISCOP Istanbul, is expanding its focus into the TV brand and character merchandising industry, with a slew of major regional licensing agents invited to attend as part of the new initiative.

The event organizer Basic Lead has struck up a partnership with Lisans Medya, publishers of the Turkish branding and merchandising outlet License Time. With this partnership, a special pavilion will be set up at DISCOP West Asia to bring together companies that are interested in developing merchandising programs in the region. A one-day conference agenda will be dedicated specifically to business expansion opportunities in this arena for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey.

DISCOP West Asia 2013 is expecting 750 international participants representing 450 producers, buyers and sellers of TV content. The event will take place from March 5 to 7 in Istanbul.

“Merchandising is key for international content suppliers looking to expand their reach across the Middle East and North Africa,” commented Patrick Jucaud-Zuchowicki, founder of DISCOP. “The combination of improved intellectual property legislations, an upwardly mobile consumer market keen on leisure and consumer spending, and one of the world’s most digitally enabled youth demographics fuels the attention that DISCOP West Asia will put on the TV brand and character merchandising business in this vibrant part of the world.”

“Turkey’s economy is booming, its 75 million strong population is young and its economy grew by 8.5 percent last year,” added Hamdullah Yalvak, the brand and licensing director at Lisans Medya and publisher of License Time magazine. “During the program, we will highlight Turkey’s potential as a consumer goods manufacturing powerhouse, as a regional distribution center, and as a marketplace that differs widely from other parts of the world.”