Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), the only pan-European event dedicated to licensing and brand extensions takes place September 20 – 22 at ExCeL London. And Dependable Solutions, Inc. will be there.
Coming on the heels of Licensing Expo, BLE brings together licensors, licensees, licensing agents, retailers, manufacturers, and many more for three days of deal-making, networking, and trend spotting.
Approximately 175 exhibitors will be under one roof showcasing brands across entertainment, sports, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), art, heritage, and more. Brands as diverse as Mattel, Crunchyroll, Banijay, Aardman, Sophie la Giraffe, Warhammer, and Dorna will be there. BLE 2021 had over 6,800 attendees from 79 countries and attendance for 2022 is expected to grow.
This year’s theme is Fashion. Fashion makes sense to lead the way at BLE. Fashion is one of the leading sectors of the global licensing market bringing in $33.8 billion in 2019. While fashion is a leading sector, apparel continues to be the largest licensed product category accounting for 15.1% of the market in 2019.
According to BLE, the Fashion Theme will be weaved throughout the event including a central catwalk featuring ten 15-minute fashion shows themed around key licensing categories (e.g. collabs, food & beverage, footwear, kids, and sports & athleisure), high-end product showcases on display, and communicating the importance of sustainability in fashion. In addition, the Day 1 keynote address will be “Barbie x Fashion.” Given by Mattel President and COO Richard Dickson on Tuesday, September 20th, this address will look at Barbie’s amazing fashion legacy as well as what lies ahead on the runway for the iconic brand.
While licensing and fashion may be theme, BLE offers several noteworthy panels that tradeshow goers will enjoy. Billy Langsworthy, Co-founder, Mojo Nation & Brands Untapped, moderates a panel of designers and creative leaders from the licensing industry to explore the creative strategies and design thinking that goes into crafting authentic, successful brand extensions. Simon Gresswell, Managing Director, SGLP Limited, will lead a discussion on sports licensing while Ben Roberts, EMEA Content Director, License Global, will lead the keynote leaders panel “Building a Post-Pandemic Retail & Licensing Strategy.”
Whether you’re making deals, seeing the hottest trends, or checking out what’s new on the catwalk, BLE 2022 is sure to bring the excitement. If you’re attending, don’t forget to stop by and visit Dependable Solutions at booth E256.