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1. Renewed Visitorship Licensing remains quite unknown to certain categories. The Forum attracts more and more companies looking for suitable growth engines to boost their activity. This year close to 30% of visitors attended for the 1st time. Licensing is ever-present in numerous categories and licensed products are part of our daily lives. Therefore, the Forum offers numerous new business opportunities. 2. A new event for Distribution Pros: the Licensing & Retail workshop As far as distribution reps - central buyers and marketing teams - they have definitely understood how important it is to discover new upcoming brands or licenses early in the year as well as exhibitors’ commitments that go with the deals. Following their demands we organized The Licensing & Retail Workshop at lunchtime on the 2nd day of the Forum. Over lunch they watched 10’ presentations by exhibitors who showcased promotion possibilities and licensing news. This will give you an idea of some of the distributors who participated: Aldi, Amazon, Carrefour, Casino, FNAC, E Leclerc, Gemo, Gifi, La Halle aux Chaussures, La Redoute, Ludendo, Micromania, Stokomani, Vente Privée, JouéClub Village and many more. 3. New Exhibitors for an extended range of brand Licensing and Marketing Products As far as exhibitors this Forum welcomed slightly over 25% of newcomers such as Hasbro, Camps, Dorna Sports, Osibo Productions, Aquakid, etc. who provide brands that can be complementary coming from the world of fashion, textile, sports, etc. Those exhibitors were very happy with their first experience as this feedback underlines: "Kazachok Licensing Forum 2014 made it possible for us to discover the world of licensing in less than 2 days. We met the main decision-makers on the market. This fair was a key moment in the launch of our company and products and we’re really happy we exhibited. We recommend it to all start-ups wanting to explore the realm of licensing". Patricio Malone, Founder of Aquakid. “It was the 1st time that Dorna Sports S.L was exhibiting at Kazachok Licensing Forum to promote the brand MotoGP World Championship on the French market and this first experience was very enriching. We had numerous contacts for licensing deals that we hope to close. We also wish to thank the entire Kazachok team for their help and efficiency in organizing this fair. It’s always a plus when you’re exhibiting". Jorge Canela, Licensing Executive at Dorna Sports S.L. 4. Opening of a new networking area: the Licensing Market Place The opening of a new section - the Licensing Market Place - also enticed new exhibitors such as Poupluche, Zifel, Expert Innovation, Character World, Dependable solutions and Opium Garden Clothing. This new section devoted to service providers in link with the licensing field enables visitors as well as exhibitors to strengthen their professional network and discover new partners. 5. Exhibitors were keen on efficiency Everything is organized so that exhibitors and visitors can make the most of the event. Each Kazachok Licensing Forum participant can prepare the fair beforehand: 84% of visitors use the Forum website to organize their time. Via their personal account on the Forum’s official website, participants can contact exhibitors, set appointments and register for the Pitching sessions. Exhibitors can handle demands for their Pitching sessions and they also have access to the contact details of visitors to schedule meetings. The two days were jam-packed with one to ones, Pitching sessions and a conference cycle on the current issues of the licensing market. 6. Three IT subjects detailed during the conferences As usual there were three comprehensive conferences: Tuesday April 1st Églantine Deneux, for Boost Your Brand agency and Didier Poulmaire, financial lawyer, dug into Brands and Celebreties : Licensing, cobranding or endorsement - the keys to a successful partnership. The gist of that was that a partnership between a brand and a famous figure tells a story in itself. That story must be moving. The choice of a suitable celebrity is crucial. Joël Rubino from Apicube provided his expert POV on Big Data and customer listening for licensing: Superman vs. Spiderman. Starting from data collected online it’s possible to analyze how clients perceive a brand and learn from their reactions. Apicube thus is able to provide perfect knowledge of who clients are. Wednesday April 2nd, Nadia Roletti from Disneymedia+ talked about how she sees Promotion & Films and unrolled Disney’s 2015 Line Up that will be full of exciting surprises! 7. The Forum retains its friendly atmosphere! The fair is recognized and much appreciated for remaining on a human scale as well as being a mix of business and friendliness. Each year exhibitors work hard to prepare the trade fair and the events they organize during it. This year for instance M6 Licences had organized a sewing workshop with Bobines et Combines to showcase the arrival of its new TV program Cousu Main (Hand-Sewn). TF1 Licences invited guests to meet Hello Kitty during a snack. Along the aisles visitors also took time to have their picture taken with Pac-Man, Raving Rabbids, The Minions, The Simpsons and Strawberry Shortcake between meetings. The 1st day of the Forum finished with a cocktail party after the Licensing Awards were announced. 8. Smart event staging that brings properties to life The entrance to the fair immediately set the tone: this year the guest of honor was Ever After High that accompanied visitors during their tour. Bar no 1 was hosted by Calimero with an exhibit of works by different artists. The other food & drink area was animated by LoliRock. In front of the conference hall you were greeted by Batman and the Looney Tunes! The fair is very different from other fairs because the environments, whether on booths or around the fair, are colorful and joyful. It’s a fair that people find enjoyable! 9. News and Trends that emerged during this 11th edition The Forum offered the opportunity to discover what’s in store: nobody could miss Ever After High, Mattel’s new girls property. The branded toys arrived on the market this year and the series is running on Gulli. FranceTV Distribution also showcased its latest girl brand LoliRock that Zodiak Kids appointed them to manage. Hasbro announced the return of Littlest PetShop in 2015 and the toys will be relaunched by the end of this year. Nickelodeon CP introduced its new Dora & Friends program. Numerous films will be released: a Dofus film is in production, Yakari announced a full-length film for 2016, a second Billy & Buddy live film will arrive in 2016 as well as a live Cédric film, etc. For TV M6 Licences introduced its new musical show Rising Star that will air in September 2014. IPL announced the launch of a new CGI series Monchhichi (52 X 11’) co-produced by OuiDo! Productions and Sekiguchi. Finally the nostalgia/vintage trend continues with such iconic properties as Calimero or Casimir. 10. Brands celebrated during the 3rd licensing Awards
11. The Forum is moving: The 11th edition was the last to take place at Halle Freyssinet, in 2015 we’ll be in a new location! In 2015 the Kazachok Licensing Forum will change locations! The fair will continue to be held in Paris and we’ll announce the new location very soon. In 2015, the Forum will be held on April 15th and 16th! |
