A total of 152 companies are already confirmed to exhibit at Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) 2021, with seven weeks still to go and more expected to sign shortly.
The news coincides with the launch of the event’s online platform. From today, anyone who is registered for BLE can drop off a virtual business card, search the exhibitor list or IP directory, and book meetings for both the in-person and online events through the Matchmaking function, sponsored by Flowhaven.
BLE runs in-person from 17 November to 19 November at ExCeL London, with a follow-up event called BLE Virtual taking place online from 30 November to 1 December.
As the first in-person licensing event to take place in more than two years, BLE boasts a wide range of exhibitors from across the globe covering the full spectrum of categories from sports to animation and heritage to gaming.
Names include ViacomCBS, Hasbro, Perfetti Van Melle Group, Panini, Rainbow, SEGA, Vivendi, Coolabi, Warhammer, The Smurfs, Penguin Ventures, Banijay Brands, Crunchyroll, Manchester City, Aardman, Asterix, FC Internazionale Milano, ETS Studios, Kate Mawdsley, Withit Studios, Olympique de Marseille, WWE, MGA Entertainment, Natural History Museum, V&A Imperial War Museum, Sinigaglia, SCRIBOS Asmodee, ZSL (London Zoo), Federation Française de Football, FC Barcelona, Planeta Junior, Sophie La Girafe, England Football, Dorna Sports, Real Federacion Espanola de Futbol, IMG, and Magic Light Pictures.
The online platform will host on-demand educational content and exhibitor trailers. This content will go live after the in-person event ends on 20 November, and follow-up meetings will be available during BLE Virtual from 30 November to 1 December.
The online meetings function, sponsored by Flowhaven, was launched at BLE (and sister show Licensing Expo) five years ago. In its first year, more than 1,200 meetings were arranged, and 13,783 online profiles created. In 2019, when BLE was last in-person, these statistics rocketed to 3,129 meetings.
Brand Licensing Europe is part of the Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets. Anna Knight, VP of Licensing, Informa Markets, said: “We’re just seven weeks away from meeting up in-person again at BLE, and to know we will have over 150 companies from across the world exhibiting in London and/or online is fantastic news for the industry and for our visitors.
“We’re just seven weeks away from meeting up in-person again at BLE, and to know we will have over 150 companies from across the world exhibiting in London and/or online is fantastic news for the industry and for our visitors”
Anna Knight, VP of Licensing, Informa Markets
“I think it’s fair to say we have all missed that face-to-face time, and it will be wonderful to kick-start connections and provide inspiration and food for thought for the European licensing industry once more. And for those attending online, I promise you will not miss out. We will be streaming sessions, vox pop and exhibitor interviews filmed at BLE in London, as well as exclusive, never-before-seen content created for the virtual platform.â€
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