Informa Markets’ Global Licensing Group announces its 2021 calendar of events, kicking off with August’s Licensing Expo, which will now be a fully virtual experience, enabling the broadest and most robust cross-section of attendees from retail, manufacturers and brands from around the world to come together to make deals, network, learn and discover new IP.

At Licensing Expo Virtual, expect to find:

• Curated matchmaking, enabling brands, manufacturers and retailers to connect;
• Digital Brand Roadshows, which will bring brand discovery to the forefront, highlighting new, innovative and compelling IP by category;
• The Licensing University program, which offers education on the foundations of licensing, the most up-to-date issues facing the business of licensing and much more;
• World renowned keynotes; and
• Licensing International’s highly anticipated Licensing Excellence Awards, which honor the best licensing programs, retailers and licensees in the business, set to stream live on day one of licensing’s biggest week, Aug. 24.

“We’ve heard from our industry, and the best way to serve the international market in 2021 is to provide in-person experiences later this year, as well as a rich online experience that everyone can be a part of this summer,” says Anna Knight, vice president, licensing, Informa Markets. “We’ve all felt the impact of not being able to gather in-person in 2020, and while the speed of recovery is promising, we serve a truly global market. Feedback from Licensing Expo customers and partners indicate that August is still too soon for the majority of the licensing community to properly plan and execute participation in an in-person event of this size and magnitude with continued restrictions on international and corporate travel. Our mission remains to create the most valuable platforms for our industry to connect and grow, and therefore we have decided to focus our efforts on our virtual experience in August, followed by in-person events in Q4 and beyond.”

Licensing Expo Virtual, set to take place August 24-26, 2021, is a free-to-attend event supported by a robust online platform that allows exhibitors and visitors to schedule and host meetings, enjoy on-demand content and thought leadership and search and discover the widest range of properties available for license from anywhere in the world.

“Licensing International’s mission is to serve the licensing industry, help advance our member’s business and celebrate our successes as an industry,” says Maura Regan, president, Licensing International. “Licensing Expo Virtual does all of that and we are proud to be the exclusive sponsor.”

Following Licensing Expo Virtual will be the inaugural Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit U.S. (Oct. 27-28, 2021), which will take place live and in-person in New York City at Convene Liberty Street. Following hot on the heels of the European launch this June and set to welcome 300-400 licensing and brand executives, B&LIS will provide trends and forecasts, retailer insights, spotlights on growth categories and deep-dives into digital and content innovation to help navigate the ever-changing retail, content and consumer landscape.

Then in November, Brand Licensing Europe will take place live and in-person at ExCeL London on Nov. 17-19, 2021, with an online event following two weeks later (Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2021). To make online participation and navigation seamless, BLE will also use the same platform as Licensing Expo Virtual.

B&LIS and BLE in-person events will be organized in accordance with Informa’s AllSecure health and safety standards, designed to ensure all participants can attend safely and with confidence.

Licensing Expo will return to Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., on May 24-26, 2022.

For more information about Licensing Expo, to exhibit or register to attend for free, visit www.licensingexpo.com.