BLE Underway at London’s ExCeL

A collection of top brands and agencies from around Europe come to the show each year to showcase what they have on deck for the next many months. The event provides a great opportunity to meet new faces and find the latest properties on the licensing market.

This year’s BLE marks another strong showing for the event with marquee brands such as ABG, Activision Blizzard, Aardman, Natural History Museum, V&A and many more. Exhibitors at BLE are joined by an assortment of panels touching major licensing trends of the year. From the emerging world of esports to the rapidly evolving landscape of heritage licensing, this year’s event has a variety of diverse topics to cover.

To get you ready for this year’s BLE,

License Global

has collected a primer of some of the must things to check out on the show floor.

BLE hosts more than 260 leading brand owners and agents in 2019. Exhibitors are coming from nearly every vertical

To see a full list of exhibitors for this year’s event, visit the

BLE Exhibitor’s List

.

No matter the topic, this year’s BLE provides a space to learn about the latest news and trends affecting the licensing community. Some of the highlighted panels include:

Why Trends Matter for Licensing

Join the team from the Trend Bible, as they share insight into how the world’s best brands use trends to stay commercially relevant within the boundaries of licensing.

Preparing for Brexit

How should a company plan its business, and what steps should it take, in the face of the uncertainty surrounding the implementation of Brexit?

Story board – The Best of British Animation

This keynote highlights the efforts of leading animation houses in the U.K. including panelists from Acamar Films, Magic Light Pictures, blue-zoo Productions, Aardman Animations, Coolabi. It will focus on content-first programming and how top companies in the space are leveraging authentic storytelling to develop sustainable brands.

Gaming Counter-Culture – The Rising Brand of Esports

Moderated by Steven Ekstract, brand director, Global Licensing Group, Informa Markets, this panel discussion will highlight how esports is providing new avenues for licensing and brand management.

An Introduction to Licensing

For those new to the industry – or just looking to brush up on their knowledge – Kelvyn Gardner

managing director, Licensing International U.K., will be detailing the basics of business each morning at BLE. Gardner will provide an overview of the market including industry terminology, key considerations and how deals are put together.

For a full list of presentations from BLE 2019 visit the

agenda page

of the BLE website.

Even after the show floor closes, BLE provides a schedule of networking opportunities to get the most out of your visit. Kicking off with the Official BLE Exhibitor Party on the opening day, the informal drinks and networking.

On day two, the event organizers, the Global Licensing Group, will host an after-hours party to provide exhibitors and attendees to meet the people responsible for the show.

Finally, Licensing International will be hosting a paid networking event with live entertainment, karaoke, food, drinks at the Museum of London Docklands. Get tickets for the BrainBase sponsored event on

Eventbrite

.

For more information, please visit the

official event website

.