Brand Licensing Europe is the leading event dedicated to licensing and brand extension in Europe. It takes place 1-2 October at Olympia’s Grand Hall in London, UK. In 2007, a record-breaking 4,301* key licensing industry players attended the event - an increase of eight per cent on 2006 - and organiser Advanstar Communications plans to grow the event by a further 30 per cent this year, creating the biggest ever event in its ten year history.

Blockbuster Properties to Screen at Brand Licensing Europe
Four of the world’s leading movie studios will present the hottest Hollywood properties to the industry at Brand Licensing Europe, many months before moviegoers get even a glimpse of them. Marvel, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Brothers Consumer Products will be among more than 200 exhibitors lining up to dazzle at Brand Licensing Europe. Between them, they will unveil blockbuster licensing opportunities across a wide range of genres and categories, including Ice Age 3, Avatar, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Iron Man 2, Wolverine, Spectacular Spider-Man, Super Hero Squad, Thor, Captain America, New Avengers, Scooby-Doo, Batman, Harry Potter and Tom and Jerry. Exclusive sizzles, trailers, teasers and film footage will be screened in the Brand Licensing Europe Screening Suite: a purpose-built cinema that was launched to wide acclaim in 2006 and doubled in size by organiser Advanstar Communications the following year to accommodate interested retailers. David Binnie, general manager, Warner Bros. Consumer Products UK, said: “We are delighted to be returning to Brand Licensing in 2008. Over a very short period of time we have noticed an impressive increase in the attendance of retail buyers and European visitors to the show. This coupled with the bespoke screening suite facilities positions Brand Licensing Europe as an important, must attend event in our licensing calendar.” Carl Lumbard, SVP & MD Fox Licensing & Merchandising Europe & Latin America, commented: “Brand Licensing Europe is a key event for Fox Licensing & Merchandising Europe. At this year’s show we will be presenting our strong slate of upcoming feature films, in particular, Ice Age 3 for summer 2009, Avatar for December 2009 and Fantastic Mr. Fox also in December 2009. In addition, we will be presenting new plans for our successful, on-going television properties such as the ‘living classic’ that is The Simpsons, Family Guy, 24 and Prison Break.”

Exhibitor Numbers On the Up for Brand Licensing Europe 2008
Exhibitor numbers for Brand Licensing Europe 2008 are on the up, with organiser Advanstar Communications firmly on course to achieve its target of attracting 220 exhibitors on to the show floor in October, compared to 196 in 2007.
American Retro Museum, Bulldog Licensing, Cartoon Network, Caroline Jane Church, Ludorom, Mary Evans Picture Library, The Picture Production Company and Sublevel Studios are among those set to appear at the London event for the very first time this fall. Repeat exhibitors Aardman Animations, TV Loonland, Cathay Creative, Celebrities Entertainment GmbH, Chorion, Europacorp, Jane Evans Licensing Consultancy and RDF Rights have not only rebooked, they have up-scaled their stands.
“It’s a fantastic vote of confidence in Brand Licensing Europe that we have so many exhibitors signing up for the first time as well as returning with an even larger presence. Though perhaps it’s not surprising when you look at the statistics, which prove that Brand Licensing Europe is not only a showcase for our exhibitors, it’s an event where real business is done,” said Helen Gardner, managing director of Brand Licensing Europe’s organiser Advanstar Communications.
Melanie Beer is head of licensing at Granada Ventures, who exhibited in 2007: "Granada Ventures had an amazing show in 2007, one of the best ever, and a high percentage of new leads have already been converted into deals. We had a great retail turnout and Nicole Withers (marketing and retail manager) will be inviting even more buyers to come and see us in 2008. Brand Licensing Europe is key for us and we are hoping for an even better performance in 2008 as our strong portfolio continues to evolve and expand."

Record Visitors Attend Brand Licensing Europe
A record-breaking 4, 301 visitors attended Brand Licensing Europe in 2007. Helen Gardner commented: “The ABC audit confirmed that 4,301 pure visitors attended Brand Licensing Europe 2007, an increase of eight per cent on 2006 and even higher than we had originally thought. Additional research has shown that an incredible 91 per cent of visitors have the power to authorise, approve or specify purchases at the event, and 55 per cent are likely to make a business purchase as a direct result of attending the show. This compares to 39 per cent in 2006 and shows that Brand Licensing Europe is a show where business is taken seriously.”

Brand Licensing Europe – a Mirror on the Industry
Brand Licensing Europe is proving yet again it is the only event in Europe that truly reflects and caters for the entire licensing industry, as companies from every market sector flock to exhibit at the show this October, including adult brands, lifestyle, art, design & image, fashion, sports, publishing, character and entertainment. Exhibitors from all over the globe are lined up as well, representing countries including the United Kingdom, United States, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Sweden, The Netherlands, Taiwan, Japan, Mexico and El Salvador.
Phaedra Haramis is licensing manager with the Spanish sports management company Dorna Sports, which owns the rights to, among other things, MotoGP World Championship: "Brand Licensing 2007 was an extremely fruitful show for Dorna Sports. We have signed several new licenses for the MotoGP brand that contacted us through the show this year and we have followed up many other interesting leads. We will most definitely be exhibiting again in 2008!"

Advanstar Hires Account Manager to Solidify Brand Licensing’s Position in Europe
Jennifer Offenborn joined Advanstar Communications in April as account manager for Brand Licensing Europe to support the organisation’s drive to further increase visitors and exhibitors attending from mainland Europe in 2008 and beyond.
Jennifer speaks fluent German and will work closely with senior sales executive Licia Viscito who – a fluent Spanish, Italian and English speaker - was recruited in 2007 to spearhead Advanstar's drive into Europe following the event’s re-brand to Brand Licensing Europe.
The number of international visitors attending Brand Licensing Europe in 2007 rose by 26 per cent to account for 23 per cent of the total audience. Overall, visitor numbers rose by 8 per cent to a record 4,301; and exhibitor numbers increased by 27 per cent to 197.
The Hosted European Retailer Programme also brought a phenomenal 36 per cent increase in the number of senior buyers from major retailers including El Corte Ingles, Auchan, Carrefour France and Toys R Us Netherlands.
“We’re delighted to have Jennifer on board – she will play a critical role in our ambitions to grow Brand Licensing Europe by 30 per cent in 2008 and will assist us in solidifying the event’s unchallenged position at the heart of the European licensed consumer products business,” commented Advanstar Communications managing director Helen Gardner.