According to Advanstar Licensing, organizers of Licensing Expo, more than 15,000 attendees visited the three-day event, marking a 10 percent increase over 2012.

Retail attendance continued to grow with a 14 percent increase over the previous year, reports Advanstar Licensing, with many retailers using the newly introduced Retail Buyers Lounge for meetings throughout the Expo. Retailers in attendance included Target, Toys 'R' Us, Argos, Sainsbury’s, Kohl’s, H&M, Amazon, BHS, Foot Locker, Marshalls, Old Navy, Claire’s, Cost Plus World Market, Best Buy, Forever 21, Walmart, Hot Topic and Carrefour.

Significant attendee increases came also from the mobile, publishing, gaming, food and beverage and automotive sectors (up 20 percent-plus), with a overall rise of 30 percent reported in attendance by final decision makers. One in three visitors to Licensing Expo were from outside of the U.S., with a strong presence from Japan (up 35 percent) and South America (up 20 percent), reports Advanstar Licensing.

The Licensing Expo made some major changes in 2013 including a re-merchandising of the show floor by key categories, the establishment of the Retail Buyers Lounge and the debut of the first-ever industry-wide opening night party, with more than 2,300 people in attendance.

In addition, the number of people that attended Licensing University, which is organized by the Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association, more than doubled as well with more than 1,000 participants and the two keynote presentations reached a record high attendance of 1,500.

“The show floor buzzed with business being done and the feedback from exhibitors and attendees was overwhelmingly positive,” says Jessica Blue, vice president, Licensing Expo, Advanstar Licensing. “We saw more attendees than ever before and many have commented that the show was much easier to navigate and therefore more productive. The Expo team is so excited to begin building on this success for 2014.”

More than 70 percent of the Expo exhibit floor has been re-booked for the 2014 event, which is scheduled June 17-19, 2014, again at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.