Event Review: Brand Licensing Europe

Today marks the final day of Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), which kicked off Tuesday with a new expanded three-day format. The extension of the event was a direct response to what exhibitors and visitors had been asking for, says Jessica Blue, the event’s director. "Moving to three days means that exhibitors gain 30-percent more exhibit time and visitors have more time to see the 2,000 brands on display," she explains. "The show has doubled in size over the past four years and we have added screenings and free seminars in recent years too. Visitors and exhibitors simply felt that two days was no longer enough. We have structured the three days differently, spacing the nine Licensing Academy sessions over the three days so that they finish each day at 2 p.m. The screenings run on just days one and two to maximize show floor visit time for visitors. We have also changed the opening hours to better suit exhibitors and visitors." 

Over the three days, BLE 2010 has been host to more than 230 exhibitors—with 90 brand-new companies, including Saban Brands and Skechers—and more than 5,000 visitors have passed through the Grand Hall at Olympia. The event featured 12 screenings and nine seminar sessions in the Licensing Academy.

New to BLE this year is License This!, a licensing challenge between four selected properties. This event took place earlier today, with finalists persuading the judging panel—chaired by Helen McAleer, the managing director of Walker Books—of their property’s creative strength and its potential for successful licensing into other product categories. "We wanted to recognize and foster new ideas and innovation in the industry and this is a great way of achieving this," says Blue of the License This! session.

Attendance is at record levels for BLE, despite the challenges that have faced the licensing-and-merchandising market over the past few years. Blue is optimistic about the segment’s rebound: "It has been tough for the industry, but in tough times consumers gravitate to brands that they know and love. Consumers connect with brands and take comfort in them, which has helped the industry get through these difficult times."