From 25 to 27 March, Bologna will play host to the world of licensing including more than 600 properties represented, up to date news in the marketplace and a number of new exhibitors.

The rich program of events, along with the variety of exhibitors will cover a broad range of topics and events.

The Fair will focus on design trends with the keynote speaker Katie Hatch. It will also concentrate on the Russian licensing market and hear a number of Russian agencies talking about this growing marketplace.

Other, equally important issues to be covered include the development of Italian animation properties, mainly through the support of Rai Fiction who are responsible for 90% of this industry. Other topics to be covered include counterfeiting which will feature specialist law firms, brand owners and Italian Government representatives who will tackle this issue in support of Italian licensees.

Other topics that will be covered in this wide ranging event over three days include food licensing and the mix of fashion, design and art, with an exhibition space specifically dedicated to this sector where visitors can discover new trends which are not yet visible in the licensing market and the ways in which these worlds can communicate effectively amongst each other. In addition, there are events organised by exhibitors themselves including previews form Adidas, Moviemax, Team Entertainment and Lynx, featuring some special guests.

A new move for 2013 is the Licensing Retail Day. A highlight of this is the presentation of the first study into the penetration of licensed products into retail, particularly mass market, department stores and specialized stores. This is promoted and support by BolognaFiere and put together by Value Lab. The Day will also include one-to-one meetings between exhibitors and category managers and buyers. Retailers that have confirmed their participation include Autogrill, Carrefour, Coop, Lekkerland, Cisalfa, Rocco Giocattoli and Buffetti as well as licensing companies including TCC and Brand Loyalty. Visitors interested in knowing more about the research will have the opportunity to buy the research document during the trade show.

On the exhibit side, many new companies will showcase their properties at the show and present their licensing news to the market.

These include: Adidas featuring Federazione Italiana Rugby, Alphanim, Atlantyca, Backstage, Bavaria Film, Brands Box, Caldarelli Licensing Agency, Cplg, Dependable Solutions, Dic 2 Licensing, Eurolizenzen, Fremantle Media, Gi.Elle, Grani&Partners, IMG World, The Zolan Company, Jlec, Jolty, Kandor, Lamborghini Artimarca, Licensing Italia, Licensing Factory, Lynx, Maga Animation, Movantia, Moviemax, Mondo Tv Consumer Products, Mykonos Design, RTI Gruppo Mediaset, Planeta Junior, Premium, Promoplast, Raimondi & Campbell Associates, Rai – Radio Televisione Italiana, Rai Fiction, Rainbow, Rio Licensing, Sega Videogames Publishing, Selecta Vision, Torrini 1369, Shortology, Starbright, Switchover Media, Team Entertainment, Warm Up Agency, Zodiak Kids… and many others!

For more information on how to visit or exhibit at the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair, visit www.bolognalicensing.com or email licensing@bolognafiere.it