Sports licensing is major theme for BLE 2014 as UEFA EURO 2016 joins speaker line up

Peter Willems, Head of Marketing Activities and Sponsorship at UEFA, will host a session entitled ‘UEFA EURO 2016, Le rendez-vous’ on Tuesday 7 October at 3pm in the new Brands & Lifestyle Theatre. Peter Willems will discuss the brand’s evolution, its inspiration, and how it has been brought to life ahead of the tournament in 2016.

The session forms part of a sports-themed first day, with the following talks also running:
• Keynote presentation ‘The story of Team GB from Beijing to London, and the Road to Rio’ from Leah Davis, Head of Marketing, and Simon Massie-Taylor, Commercial Director, at Team GB at 1pm in the Licensing Academy.
• UEFA EURO 2016 partner, IMG, will also host a seminar entitled ‘The ten rules of successful sports licensing’ in the Brands & Lifestyle Theatre at 2pm.

Darren Brechin, BLE 2014 Event Director, said “In its recent report on sales of licensed products in the US and Canada, LIMA identified sports licensing as a growth area – and this is certainly being replicated in Europe. We are delighted to welcome UEFA EURO 2016 to the speaker programme to round off the sports day, and hope that visitors will gain some useful insights into the evolution of one of football’s biggest and most potent brands.”

Also bringing the world of sports and licensing together, BLE will play host to 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.