This year’s BLE will feature leaders from across the industry in its two free seminar series, designed to help attendees learn from experts and advance their skill base.

Designed to keep executives abreast of key trends affecting the European licensing industry, Brand Licensing Europe’s two different seminar series feature a host of free sessions with the sector’s thought leaders that you won’t want to miss.

The Licensing Academy, which is held in Character & Entertainment Zone and sponsored by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association, is home to the event’s two keynote sessions and a range of other sessions throughout all three days of BLE. Today’s keynote focused on the gaming industry with a panel that included executives from Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe, Curve Digital, Activision and Bioworld International. For more on what was covered, click here.

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Don’t worry if you missed this keynote or any of the others sessions today, there is still plenty to see over the next two days.

LIMA U.K. managing director Kelvyn Gardner will again open the day with his Introduction to Licensing, followed by and overview of the European licensed toy market with The NPD Group. Then at noon, the second keynote session will take place, titled “Licensing: The Next Generation.” Featuring executives from Buzzfeed, Tinderbox, Authentic Brands Group and 212 Degree Strategy Consultancy, the panel discussion will cover insights into what’s next for licensing include new platforms, content, commerce strategies and technologies that will shape our business.

Other sessions not to miss over the next two days include:

Wrapping up the day on Thursday in the Licensing Academy at 1:15 p.m. will be the finale of the annual License This! competition for new concepts featuring a “Dragon’s Den”-style pitch by the two finalists to determine the ultimate winner.

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And that’s not all. This year, the Brands & Lifestyle Zone is again featuring its own seminar program, focusing on expert guidance on licensing within the worlds of sport, lifestyle, fashion and heritage brands.

Among the speakers appearing in the next two days are Lauren Sizeland from V&A; a straight-talking panel hosted by Richard Pink from Pink Key Consulting that includes Penguin Random House’s Susan Bolsover, Perfette van Melle’s Christine Cool, Fat Face’s Gabrielle Sims and The Smiley Company’s Nicolas Loufrani; Judith Mather of The National Gallery alongside Jane Evans from the brand’s licensing agent JELC; Stuart Fox, co-founder of last year’s License This! winner I Like Birds; and Adam Bass from Golden Goose.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL BRANDS & LIFESTYLE THEATRE SCHEDULE