Printwear & Promotion The Total Promotional Package
Now in its 16th year, Brand Licensing Europe, took place last month at London’s Olympia and featured over 290 exhibitors.
Over 70 new exhibitors joined the growing show, showcasing everything spanning characters and entertainment to art and design making it another jam-packed event for this booming industry. This year’s show welcomed the likes of Bond 24, Chelsea Football Club, UEFA Euro 2016, The Jim Henson Company, Von Dutch, International New York Times, Team GB and National Museum of Royal Navy – all taking stands for the first time.
Visitors flocked to hear keynote speeches from Leah Davis, head of marketing, and Simon Massie-Taylor, commercial director, at Team GB on the first day. The second high profile session was hosted by Vu Bui, coo of Minecraft creator, Mojang, on day two who discussed the company’s ethos, plans for the future, and important lessons for potential licensees. Sessions in the all new Brands & Lifestyle Theatre, hosted in partnership with Brand Jam, were also a hit with visitors.
In this expanding marketplace, two strong trends emerged this year. Sports licensing is growing as a strong category in its own right, with a 20% increase in sports exhibitors at the show alone. In its keynote session, Team GB highlighted the licensed products which helped increase brand engagement well beyond the 2012 games. Similarly, in his seminar, Peter Willems, head of marketing activities and sponsorship at UEFA, discussed the way in which licensing is helping to build brand awareness ahead of the 2016 tournament.
Another key theme this year was the revival of well-loved ‘vintage’ brands, with the likes of Thunderbirds, Paddington Bear, The Moomins, The Clangers and The Beano featuring among the properties on show. Even relatively newer properties, The Powderpuff Girls for example (created in the 1990s), were being prepped for a comeback. With a modern twist to bring them up to date, this licensing trend is certainly one to watch.
Next year’s Brand Licensing Europe will take place October 13 to 15 at Olympia, London.
