With the event less than a week away, this guide can help plan a visit.

License Global

September 14, 2022

6 Min Read
Images featuring products from exhibitors and scenes from previous Brand Licensing Europe events.
Images featuring products from exhibitors and scenes from previous Brand Licensing Europe events.Brand Licensing Europe

This year’s Brand Licensing Europe kicks off in just six days. The event runs Sept. 20-22 at ExCeL London. Attendees can register for a free ticket at Brandlicensing.eu and immediately start requesting meetings with over 220 exhibiting companies and planning their diary so they don’t miss out.  

“BLE is packed with content this year, so here’s my list of ’22 things to see and do for BLE ‘22, which includes everything from our Fashion theme to our Sustainability & DEI day on Thursday, 220+ brands, thousands of IPs ready for license, a spotlight on France, daily keynotes, networking drinks and much, much more,” says Anna Knight, senior vice president, licensing, Informa Markets. “We can’t wait to see everyone at the show next week – please do stop and say hello!”  

  1. Culture & Unity Catwalk: BLE’s Culture & Unity catwalk show is an unmissable showstopper with Black and LGBT+ designers, fashion, models and crew – some fresh from London Fashion Week to inspire your new product range to be more inclusive. Don’t miss DJ Longers – DJ to Cardi B and Idris Elba – playing Afro beat and hip hop.     

  2. Are you a Barbie Girl? A very special opening day keynote – Barbie x Fashion – delivered by Richard Dickson, president and chief operating officer, Mattel.  

  3. Get in Character: The character parade, featuring the likes of Snowman, Smurfs, The Batman, Peter Rabbit, Pip & Posy and The Gruffalo, will hop, skip and plod through the hall for their annual photo opp. Make sure to get a selfie with your favorite characters and tag #BLE2022  

  4. NEW! It’s Easy Going Green: The BLE & Products of Change Sustainability Café will recycle materials from last year’s Sustainability Activation and showcase sustainable consumer products and fashion lines from 12 brands, including Primark, The Eden Project, WasteBuster, Smiley, Wow! Stuff & RSPB, Hasbro and Asda, The Smurfs & Pure Top Table and Discovery.  

  5. NEW! Time to be SustainaBLE: Products of Change, with United Nations and Junk Kouture, present an educational and inspiring catwalk show with presentations and performances centered around the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Junk Couture will host an exclusive catwalk presenting recycled fashion designed and modeled by 13-18-year-old students.  

  6. NEW! Daily Keynotes: For the first time ever, there’s a BLE keynote every day!  

  7. Celebrate the Licensing Rising Stars: Kelvyn Gardner License This! Finale at 10:30 a.m.-Noon Thursday, License Global Theatre. Learn more about the finalists here.  

  8. NEW! Free Orientation Sessions and Show Tours: New to BLE and/or licensing? Join the BLE team for free orientation sessions and show tours to help get the most from your visit. 

  9. NEW! Strike a Pose!:Tuesday, Sept. 20, 5:30 p.m. Mattel / Wednesday, Sept. 21, 12:30 p.m. SEGA. Don’t miss spectacular dedicated catwalk shows, hosted by Mattel and SEGA, showcasing how Barbie and Sonic the Hedgehog have come to life through fashion collaborations.  

  10. Exclusive retailer competition to win £500 of spa vouchers in the Retail Lounge: An exclusive lounge for retailers to meet, relax and recharge as well as talk to the BLE team about taking part in next year’s popular Retail Mentoring Program. Also – NEW for 2022 – take part in our competition to create a brand licensing program for Carte Blanche’s Tatty Teddy and you could win £500 of Champneys Spa vouchers.  

  11. Character & Entertainment Brands and IP: Thousands of brands specializing in character and entertainment IP will be on the show floor, from Warner Bros with The Batman and Hasbro with Peppa Pig to WildBrain CPLG and Peanuts, Banijay Brands with Peaky Blinders, BBC Studios and Bluey, Aardman Animations’ Shaun the Sheep, IMPS with The Smurfs, Crunchyroll with Dragonball Z and many more.  

  12. NEW! Know it All?: This year’s educational program goes way beyond daily keynotes to touch on topics including creative design, supply chain challenges, the impact of consumer trends on the future of retail, location-based experiences, new-age consumer spending, sports licensing and a sustainability case study with Hasbro. Arrive early to claim a seat – access is first come, first served and free to attend.  

  13. Product Showcases: Don’t miss the inspiring branded fashion products in our showcases next to the BLE Catwalk as well as dressing up this year’s BLE entrances.  

  14. Free Advice from Products of Change: Meet the entire PoC team – Helena, Rob and PoC ambassadors – who will run free drop-in sustainability clinics and member meetups at stand #F211.  

  15. Brands & Lifestyle – Brands and IP: The FA, Transport for London, Tour de France, RSPB, Van Gogh Museum, UEFA Champions League, Marie-Antoinette, The Beatles, Absolut, Billie Eilish, Heinz Beanz, Pringles, Peperami, Federation Francaise de Football and Elton John are just some of the amazing brands to discover in our Brands & Lifestyle zone.  

  16. NEW! Vive La France!: BLE is introducing an annual Country Spotlight starting in 2022 with France, where the licensing market is valued at $6.7 billion. Don’t miss the French-themed Opening Night Party and the chance to meet with many exhibiting French brands and agents including Asterix, Tour de France, Dakar, ChefClub, Ubisoft, Crunchyroll, Sophie La Girafe, Cyber Group Studios, Bandai Namco Europe, Le Petit Prince and many more. Don’t miss French Community Drinks from 5:30-6 p.m. at the BLE bar.

  17. Art, Design and Image Licensing Zone Brands and IP: Meet the winners of last year’s Kelvyn Gardner License This! competition – Joel Mercer and Sophie Jonas-Hill – plus exciting artists and illustrators including V&A Photography, Frida Kahlo and more.  

  18. A Sporting Life!: Don’t miss the huge array of sport brands in our Brands & Lifestyle Zone including AC Milan, Admiral Sportswear, Chelsea FC, DFB German Football Association, Dorna Sports (Moto GP), FC Barcelona, FC Internazionale Milano, FC Porto, Federacao Portuguesa de Futebol, Formula E, Manchester City FC, McLaren, Rugby World Cup 2023, Sport Lisboa e Benfica, The FA, Tour de France, UEFA Club Competitions and WWE. 

  19. Cheers!: Please join us for a celebratory drink at one of our networking events:  

    • France Licensing Day Launch: Tuesday, Sept. 20, 5:30 p.m., BLE Bar 

    • Opening Night Drinks: Tuesday, Sept. 20, 6-8 p.m., BLE Bar & Motul Bar  

    • Exhibitor [only] Drinks: Wednesday, Sept. 21, 6-8 p.m., Novotel 

  20. Ease of Arrival: Don’t forget that the Elizabeth Line has now opened, making it quicker and easier than ever to get to ExCeL from east, west and central London. For information on traveling to ExCeL, click here.

  21. NEW! Reimagined Licensing U Program: Brilliant online and in-person content for BLE attendees from Licensing International, plus speed networking and mentoring (note there’s a cap of just 250 tickets for in-person content).  

 

Read more about:

Brand Licensing Europe

About the Author(s)

License Global

License Global is the leading news source for the brand licensing industry, delivering award-winning editorial content including news, trends, analysis, and special reports about the global consumer product and retail marketplace.

Through its print edition, website, daily e-newsletter and event publications, License Global reaches more than 150,000 executives and professionals in all major markets. The magazine also serves as the official publication for the sector’s trade events, which include Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Japan, Licensing Expo Shanghai and the Licensing Leadership Summit.

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