UBM Americas, organizers of Licensing Expo, the world’s largest and most influential licensing industry event, has announced that the online Matchmaking Service is now live.

Taking place June 21-23, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, this year’s Expo features an online platform that allows attendees and exhibitors to arrange key meetings in advance of the show.

By searching through thousands of exhibitor and attendee contacts, exhibitors at Licensing Expo can now connect with new and existing partners to arrange meetings. The online platform also allows Expo attendees to search exhibitors and arrange meetings.

This dedicated, high-profile networking program is the official one-to-one Matchmaking Service of Licensing Expo 2016.

“Licensing Expo has developed this unique offering to support the show experience for our valued exhibitors and attendees,” says Jessica Blue, senior vice president, licensing, UBM. “We are thrilled to be able to facilitate these key relationships in the licensing community and ultimately, business deals.”

The online platform is complemented by a team of relationship experts that understand the importance of face-to-face meetings, building relationships and making deals happen, and will provide assistance to users leading up to Licensing Expo as well as be on-hand to answer questions at the show. This service is priced at $500, but will be offered free of charge to all attendees and exhibitors this year.

Licensing Expo 2016, sponsored by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association, is on track to include more than 150 new exhibitors, while featuring new pavilions, innovative booths, keynotes, a 26-session Licensing University conference and an Opening Night Party. More than 450 businesses will exhibit at the 2016 show, many with larger spaces to showcase their expanded brand portfolios. 

More than 5,000 premier fashion, entertainment, sports and household brands will exhibit at Licensing Expo and include Cartoon Network Enterprises, Cosmopolitan, Goldie Blox, Grumpy Cat, Hasbro, Inc., Healthy Living Magazine, Hot Wheels, Jojo Siwa, Mondo TV, National Breast Cancer Foundation, NFL Players Inc., The Ohio State University, Pierre Cardin, Skechers and Warner Bros. Consumer Products, along with London Fog, Marc Ecko and Starter from Iconix Brand Group, Inc. Many new exhibitors are joining every week.

Licensing Expo’s Matchmaking Service is available now at LicensingExpo.com/2016MatchMaking.

*This article originally appeared in License! Global on March 11, 2016.