Event Preview: Brand Licensing Europe 2009

Brand Licensing Europe celebrated its tenth anniversary last year with 190 exhibitors and 4,279 visitors from 60 countries. For this year’s edition, slated for September 30 to October 1, sales are up by some 8 percent and much of the floor space has already been booked.

"We expect there will be around 200 companies at Brand Licensing Europe this year, showcasing over 2,000 licensing properties," says Jessica Blue, the event director. "Visitor interest is just as healthy with over 4,000 licensees, retailers and promotional marketers expected to attend."

The some 140 exhibitors currently lined up to take part in the Advanstar Communications-organized event include the consumer-products arms of major Hollywood studios such as Warner Bros., Twentieth Century Fox and Sony Pictures; as well as key British companies such as ITV Global Entertainment and BBC Worldwide. The roster also includes Rainbow SpA, Turner Enterprises and TV-Loonland, among many others. In addition to rights-holders on site, Brand Licensing Europe attracts a host of retailers, who accounted for 15 percent of all visitors last year. Buyers will be present from Carrefour, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, Mothercare, Tesco and Toys "R" Us, among others.

Highlights for participants this year include the return of the Screening Suite, which Blue says is "a fully working, invitation-only cinema with tiered seating, popcorn and usherettes, where LucasFilm, Marvel, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox will present their upcoming blockbuster movie and TV properties."

There’s also a new edition of the Licensing Academy seminar program, which attracted more than 600 participants in 2008. The Licensing Academy will deliver a total of 12 sessions, covering topics such as growth areas for licensing and the creation of successful digital environments for kids. The daily European Focus sessions will address cross-border licensing issues, while the six Knowledge Builder sessions will look at issues such as negotiating a licensing contract; royalties, pricing and financial know-how; and taking licensed properties from screen to shelf. Also during the Licensing Academy, the Showcomotion children’s media conference will deliver a report on key trends in the kids’ business.

In light of the downturn, the Licensing Academy has this year introduced a session called Licensing in a Recession: The Essential Ingredients to Weathering the Economic Storm, presented by The Beanstalk Group. "It will look at how to monetize brand equities and emotional connections with consumers in tough economic times and when faced with more discerning consumer spending," Blue says. "Delegates will also discover emerging market and consumer trends, how to maximize opportunities in a recession, and the key ingredients brands need to develop robust lifestyle licensing programs."

Product showcases have been added to the Brand Licensing Europe agenda, allowing participants to highlight new products in The Toy Store, Salon and Licensed Lifestyle categories. Blue says these will "make it easier for licensees, retailers and sales promotion agents to make the connection between property and finished product. The Retail Buyers Centre is another great new initiative where buyers can access impartial, practical advice from a panel of seven experienced licensing experts, led by Keith Pashley."

Beyond expanding Brand Licensing Europe, organizer Advanstar—which also stages Licensing International Expo in Las Vegas—is broadening its event portfolio. On March 8 and 9, 2010, Advanstar will host the first Brand Licensing Central & Eastern Europe at the VAM Design Center in Budapest.

"The licensing industry has been asking us for more than a year to launch a credible and professional business event in Central and Eastern Europe; one that paves the way for property owners throughout the world to break into this lucrative emerging market by introducing them to the right players to start signing partners and business deals," Blue notes. "We are receiving a positive response from the marketplace and are dealing with a number of enquiries at the moment."

Brand Licensing Europe will take place September 30 to October 1 at Olympia’s Grand Hall in London, U.K.