Licensing Expo has announced initial findings from the 2019 show.

The results, gathered from a year-over-year analysis of exhibitor and attendee data, as well as metrics from Licensing Expo's matchmaking service, reinforce licensing's growing presence across property categories while affirming the importance of the annual show for licensees, licensors and retailers alike.

Exhibitor Insights

Of the hundreds of exhibitors at Licensing Expo 2019, more than 150 were new to the floor, adding to its diverse catalogue of more than 5,000 brands spanning a variety of industries including esports, fashion, publishing, social influencers and much more. In comparison to 2018 figures, many property categories across the show floor saw an increase in the number of exhibitors, with the largest growth from Digital Content & Gaming (+27.78 percent), Related Services (+26.32 percent) and Art & Design (25 percent).

Attendee Insights

On the attendee side, licensing professionals from more than 70 countries came to this year's show, up from 65-plus countries in previous years. Retail attendance was strong and included new retailer presence from ASDA, Belk, Chewy, COEX, Lowes, Miniso, Primark, Total Wine & More, Vans, Wendy's, among many more. Reflecting North America's continued presence at the forefront of the licensing industry, U.S. domestic attendance increased 5 percent from last year.

Furthermore, this year's Licensing Expo saw a 38 percent increase in repeat attendees year-over-year, underscoring that Expo is vital to staying up-to-date on licensing trends and opportunities.

Matchmaking Insights

Licensing Expo's Matchmaking Service, a four-year-old, one-to-one business networking tool that connects exhibitors to attendees, proved to be invaluable for helping both exhibitors and attendees make the most of their time at the show. This year, more than 4,900 meetings were confirmed through the Matchmaking Service–up from 4,600 in 2018. More importantly, the Service facilitated quality meetings for exhibitors and attendees alike, as the average user ranked their meetings 4.3 stars on a 5-point scale.

Licensing Expo looks forward to celebrating its 40th year when it returns to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. on May 19-21, 2020.