BLE Names License This! Judges 2

Brand Licensing Europe has announced the judging panel for this year’s License This! challenge.

April 6, 2018

Now in its third year, the License This! contest offers new creative concepts the chance to break into the global licensing industry.

This year’s judging panel will by chaired by David Riley, managing director of Egmont Publishing Group. Riley will be joined by Darran Garnham, chief business development officer at Mind Candy; Aysha Kidwai, managing director of Indigo Lens; and Bettina Koeckler, senior vice president EMEA at Fox Consumer Products.

“I’m very pleased to be chairing such an expert panel of judges for License This!,” says Riley. “Over the past three years, License This! has brought many strong new properties to the attention of a wide audience of potential licensees. A number of these properties have gone on to deliver significant licensing deals. I look forward to being part of this panel and to hearing industry experts evaluate a wide range of new concepts. It’s going to be fun!”

The

judges will select a shortlist of four entries, which will then be pitched to them in front of a live audience at BLE on Oct. 17. The winner will receive a fully furnished stand at BLE 2014, worth £4,500, so that the new property can be brought to market.

Last year’s winner was the elephant-inspired brand, Pink Chillies.

“In the last year sales of our core products have gone very well and we have launched two new elephants into the range. Now we are getting ready to focus on the licensing and retail opportunities that being at BLE will bring,” says Suzanne Till, founder, Pink Chillies. “We feel that our brand messaging is very positive and that the elephant characters are very well suited to a wide variety of products so we are excited about the future.”

Property creators/owners can submit their property for the License This! competition at BrandLicensing.eu. The contest is open to any new property with roots in publishing, art and design, television or digital media that has no merchandising deals already in place or pending.

Registration is now open for BLE, which will take place in London Oct. 15-17.