Brand Licensing Europe 2014 bolsters a booming industry Brand Licensing Europe - November 2014

 
Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) 2014 has once again boosted the thriving licensing industry, now worth an estimated $13bn (£8bn) in retail sales in the UK alone*. 7,164 visitors attended this year’s show (subject to BPA Audit); consistent with the record-breaking 2013 event. Over half of attendees were actual decision makers and this year saw an increase in overseas visitors and an impressive 28% rise in retailers attending the show.

This year’s event, which took place from 7 – 9 October at London’s Olympia, boasted 306 exhibitors, of which 88 were new, and floor space totalling 7,338 square meters – making it the largest BLE ever. Exhibitor numbers increased across all three of the show Zones:
• The Brands & Lifestyle Zone witnessed an incredible 25% increase in exhibitor numbers from 2013.
• The Art, Design & Image Zone saw an impressive 9% growth.
• The Character & Entertainment Zone experienced a steady 4% growth year on year.

This year’s Retail Mentoring Programme was also the biggest yet since its launch five years ago. It attracted over 50 individual buyers from 10 of the major UK retailers, and now officially forms part of Tesco’s training programme for buyers.

It was standing room only for the two keynote sessions, hosted by Team GB and Minecraft creator Mojang, who both discussed their different approaches to licensing and brand development. Visitors also flocked to the final of the annual License This! Competition, where humorous and topical property RaNT! was crowned the 2014 winner. This year’s show also hosted more educational sessions than ever before with the introduction of a new Brands & Lifestyle Theatre, run in partnership with Brand Jam.

Darren Brechin, BLE Event Director, said: “We couldn’t be more thrilled with this year’s event. There was a buzz on the show floor from the minute the doors opened each morning until the lights went off and the show closed. Our key objective for 2014 was to deliver more qualified buyers, and we were looking to increase retail visitors by at least 10%, so to witness a staggering 28% increase in retail attendees has surpassed all our expectations. We are in a fast paced and exciting industry, and this year’s show was a true reflection with so many new properties, and many well-loved favourites, brought to market to explore the endless opportunities licensing offers. We are looking forward to an exciting and busy year ahead.”

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Brand Licensing Europe 2015 takes place from 13 – 15 October 2015 at Olympia, London.
For more information please visit www.brandlicensing.eu or follow us on Twitter using @bleurope for show updates.

_{*LIMA UK Licensing Fact Sheet (published 7 October 2014) www.licensing.org}