Brand Licensing 2014 set to be the biggest to date

Brand Licensing Europe - September 2014

This year’s Brand Licensing Europe is set to be the biggest to date in its 16 year history when it returns to London’s Olympia on the 7-9th October.

Exhibitors

Featuring around 240 exhibitors; over 60 of these are new for 2014. Leading names attending the show for the first time include: Chelsea Football Club, UEFA Euro 2016, The Jim Henson Company, Von Dutch, International New York Times, Team GB and National Museum of Royal Navy.

BLE

Art, Design & Image
Brands & Lifestyle
Character & Entertainment

Education

Running alongside the show as ever will be the renowned Licensing Academy, featuring a packed-programme of sessions offering industry insights. Sessions already confirmed include an introduction to the show and licensing industry by LIMA, alongside licensing facts, figures and trends from Knowledge Partners GfK, NPD Group and Planet Retail. On the first two days the Academy also plays host to keynote sessions from industry trailblaizers, who in the past have included Mind Candy, Lucas Licensing, Rovio, Volkswagen and FIFA.

New features

New for 2014, the Brands & Lifestyle Theatre will offer free sessions tailored specifically to the business of licensing brands. Visitors will hear expert guidance on licensing within the worlds of sport, lifestyle, fashion and heritage brands. Run in partnership with Brand Jam, the sessions will present powerful case studies and alongside Brand Jam’s interpretation of how and why they are so successful. Beanstalk, IMG and Extreme are already confirmed to speak.

License This!

Now in its fifth year, the License This! competition offers those with brand new creative concepts the opportunity to break into the global licensing industry. The final will take place on Thursday 9 October in front of a packed audience, with finalists vying for the chance to win a stand at Brand Licensing Europe 2015 and an opportunity to bring the product to market. Last year’s winner Mr Trafalgar, a whimsical rodent drawn in distinctive black and white silhouette, has been busy developing the characters in the portfolio to bring back to this year’s show.

2011 winner 'How to... for the inept' has since signed a publishing agent contract and a deal to provide gifting sets.
Finalist from the same year, Turizmo, has signed licenses for apparel, wall-coverings, game apps and stationery, some of which feature augmented reality, in the UK and Russia.
2012 finalist Lillipippins has inked licenses in the UK, USA, Russia/CIS, Germany and Australia.
Last year’s finalist 'Railway of Life’ secured a deal with The Coaster Company within weeks of the show.

Charity focus

This year BLE is supporting a number of charitable causes, including hosting a themed ‘Table Dennis’ charity table tennis tournament raising awareness of the sport as an effective therapy for those suffering from Dementia in partnership with DC Thomson Consumer Products, Bounce Alzheimer’s Therapy (BAT) Foundation and Table Tennis England. Championship players from Table Tennis England, together with sports personalities and celebrities, will be invited to take part in demonstration matches throughout the show. This year’s event also boasts its very own mascot in the shape of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home rescue dog, Squirt, who will be available for photo calls on the Battersea stand.

For more information please visit www.brandlicensing.eu or follow the show on Twitter using @bleurope for the latest news and updates.