In light of the recent announcement of HRH Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral taking place on Monday 19 Sept. 2022 and the confirmation that this date is also a U.K. Bank Holiday, there will be some changes to this year’s Brand Licensing Europe show hours that all attendees should be aware of:

“We have done everything possible to reduce disruption to our visitors, exhibitors and contractors, whilst also taking into account that many people in the U.K. do not wish to work on Monday 19 Sept. in order to pay their respects to Her Majesty and be with their families on such a momentous occasion,” says Anna Knight, senior vice president licensing at Informa Markets. “Monday is the busiest day for the set-up of the event, and we therefore need a few additional hours on Tuesday morning to enable exhibitors enough time to complete set-up of their stands and to welcome you to the event.”

The changes will impact a number of timed events that were due to take place on the morning of Tuesday 20 Sept. These have now been rescheduled as follows:

BLE and Licensing International will host a joint webinar on Tuesday 13 Sept. at 13:00 BST where senior vice president of licensing Anna Knight and Licensing International president Maura Regan will talk through the changes and answer any questions. Registration for the webinar is free, click here to sign up.

“We understand that the adjusted hours will require attendees and exhibitors to reschedule meetings on Tuesday morning and we apologize for the inconvenience this will cause. We very much appreciate everyone’s flexibility and understanding as we navigate these unprecedented times. We would like to stress the venue will remain open as usual on Tuesday morning for those with pre-booked travel – there are plenty of seating areas and cafes for those wishing to work or take meetings before the show opens at 12pm,” continued Anna Knight.

With just one week to go until doors open, retailers, manufacturers, product designers and other brand licensing professionals are invited to secure their free ticket on the BLE website. FAQs can be found on the BLE website to help with any questions or expect impact on travel – click here to read.

On Thursday 8 Sept. Brand Licensing Europe and License Global released the following statement:

‘All of us at Brand Licensing Europe & License Global are heartbroken to hear the news of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing today at Balmoral. We join our colleagues around the world in grieving the loss of a beloved leader.’