LBE APPEALS TO EVERYONE

Ella Haynes , Event Director, Global Licensing Group at the Informa Markets , discusses all of the prospects and novelties of the Brand Licensing Europe 2023, which has the theme of LBE.?

How has the BLE come together this year in terms of ticket registrations, new exhibitors and so on – are you pleased?

We couldn’t be happier for the exhibitor numbers, first time exhibitors, visitor registrations, retail attendee registrations and meeting requests!

For BLE 2023, we will bring even more brands, content and people to the show to inspire attendees and help them create the next generation of branded products for consumers, to connect and fall in love with. Brands have the potential to shape our identities, and consumer products allow us to buy into those brands and belong to those tribes. That’s possible because of brand licensing. And the brand licensing journey for European brands starts at BLE.?

What was the reasoning behind this year’s theme, LBE?

What’s brilliant about Location Based Experiences (LBE) - and one of the reasons we are spotlighting it at BLE – is the fact it appeals to everyone: consumers, brand owners, designers, service providers, licensees, manufacturers and retailers. We all crave experiences and have brands that we hold close to our hearts, and this passion for brands is why we love to experience them and connect with them in different ways.

As a licensing category, LBE’s growth is phenomenal, up 67% on 2022 according to Licensing International. Its growth has been powered partly by the pandemic and our desire to enjoy shared experiences again, and partly by a preference for younger generations to spend money on experiences over ‘things’.

If you’re a brand owner looking to break into the LBE space or you’re still figuring out how to start those conversations, then BLE is a must-visit. And if you’re a retailer desperately focused on creating that in-store point of difference, which must include experiential or retailtainment these days, then, again, BLE’s LBE theme is the perfect way to discover the innovation and excitement surrounding this category. And if you design LBE experiences then it’s a no-brainer – brands allow you to create a richer and more immersive experience and build on an existing and loyal fanbase to drive customers.

And how will this be activated throughout the show?

Our Location Based Experiences (LBE) theme will be brought to life through our LBE trail, which will incorporate several interactive features across the showfloor, many of which are toy focused. Don’t miss the Peppa’s Party Cafe, our retro gaming activation The Arcade, Mattel’s Tiger Shark Hot Wheels Monster Truck and that’s just for starters...

In addition, we have our brilliant day one keynote Passing GO: Bringing the World’s Biggest Board Game to Life with Matt Proulx ( Matt P. ), Vice President, LBE, Hasbro and David Hutchinson , CEO, The Path Entertainment Group , exploring the creative pursuit, potential, and problem-solving required to turn MONOPOLY into one of the most talked-about activations on the experience market today.

And, we have Ella Baskerville from blooloop hosting a panel session looking at trends within the LBE space.

In addition to meetings and networking, what else is happening?

Depending on which sectors you’re interested in, there will be content that’s unmissable to you – we have sector-specific trend sessions across sport, gaming, fashion, anime and animation, and food and beverage. Don’t forget to leave a little free time to do some showfloor shopping.

?Also, don’t miss the Green Zone, where there’ll be loads of inspirational content – and businesses – that can help power your sustainability strategy, which is so important to the toy industry, and the new Licensee Pavilion and Advice Centre. The winner of License This! will be unveiled on stage immediately ahead of our opening day keynote on Wednesday 5th. The character parades will be back on Wednesday and Thursday at 11:30am.

Finally, if you’re new to licensing or haven’t been to BLE for a few years, you might want to join our free Orientation Sessions and Show Tours – we meet at the License Global Theatre on Wednesday and Thursday at 9:15am.

What kind of retail presence can we expect this year?

This year our retailers include Primark , 亚马逊 , El Corte Inglés , Burger King , the grocers – ALDI, Lidl, Sainsbury’s, Mercadona , 特易购公司 , Asda , Morrisons , plus great fashion retailers including Selfridges , Benetton Group , celio , H&M , ASOS.com , Stradivarius , Undiz , Deichmann and many more. We have also seen an increase in buyers attending from value retailers – Matalan and Pepkor Speciality and Ackermans are sending buyers for the first time – and niche retailers like Nails.INC.

And will there be many European retailers?

18 countries are represented from all over Europe including Malta, Greece and Finland, and even more from as far away as the US, South Africa and Brazil.?

Register for a free pass to BLE and discover thousands of new brands at www.brandlicensing.eu – the event takes place 4-6 October 2023 a ExCeL, London.?

LICENSING MAGAZINE - Media Partner of the event - will be attending the BLE, stand E141. Stop by and pick up a copy of the magazine. There will also be our special Social Tv Corner!