What is BLE?
Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) is an unmissable opportunity to meet with the world’s largest licensors, retailers, and manufacturers in one place, at a three-day show that has it all.
Since the event was launched, over 20 years ago, it has become a calendar staple for leading buyers, designers, manufacturers, and brand owners. This year will be no exception, as thousands make their way to the London ExCel on October 4th – 6th.
Informa, the organizers, describe it as, “the only pan-European event dedicated to licensing and brand extension” offering “three days of deal-making, networking and trend spotting.” With all that on offer, it’s no wonder that BLE pulls in exhibitors and attendees from all over the globe.
There are so many great reasons to attend the event. For us, the top reason…
The Power of Participation
BLE provides the opportunity to speak face-to-face with decision-makers and build valuable connections. Exhibiting and having a presence at this event enables you to stand out from competitors and stay ahead of the pack as you search for new opportunities. Speaking of which…
New Opportunities: Location Based Experiences
This year, the theme of the show is Location Based Experiences (LBE). This is a huge and growing market. It was valued at $3.29 billion in 2022 and is expected to increase considerably by 2030 as it expands into more categories and reaches more audiences.
According to BLE’s Event Director, Ella Haynes,
“its success is partly explained by the consumer preferences of new generations. While goods count for 39% of purchases by 21-34-year-olds, experiences count for 59%. Plus there’s a growing desire, partly spurred on by the pandemic, for multi-generational experience sharing and engagement.”
Haynes points out that LBE is much more than theme parks. London alone has witnessed several sell-out LBE successes, including the immersive Van Gogh and David Hockney exhibitions, and Path Entertainment’s Monopoly Lifesized experience.
Monopoly Lifesized experience will actually be the subject of the opening keynote session at BLE.
Hasbro’s VP of LBE and Path Entertainment’s CEO will explain how they brought the attraction to London. This will be followed by a discussion panel with LBE experts. Don’t miss it!
Effective Engagement
With so much going on it’s important to plan ahead. If you do, you can be sure to have a productive, educational, and exciting show.
A useful strategy is to start your BLE experience ahead of the event. As part of the registration, Informa provide access to a free online resource center that enables you to navigate the show, see who’s attending and get a sneak peek at panel sessions and presentations you can attend.
The great benefit of this is that you can identify who you would most like to meet and arrange meetings.
FUN FACT: On average, attendees at last year’s show spent 50% of their time at pre-booked meetings.
Preparing ahead puts you in a better position to make the most out of networking and the panel discussions. Making good connections gives you an edge for making those all-important follow-ups.
Dependable Solutions and our partner SCRIBOS will be at BLE showcasing our innovative licensing and royalty management software, and product authentication solutions. Schedule a meeting with us to find out more. Have a great show.
We hope to see you there.
Join the Dependable Solutions team at booth E260 at BLE!
