Johanne Broadfield was appointed to the role of vice president, Cartoon Network Enterprises, EMEA in February 2014. She is responsible for leading Turner’s consumer products team and business, spearheading the development of Turner’s channel and show brands into consumer product franchises within and across the region.

Broadfield joined Turner Broadcasting from Mattel, where she held various leadership positions in Europe, lastly a senior director across the UK, Canada and Eastern Europe consumer products business. She has also held leadership roles at Disney, Fisher-Price, as well as Burda Medien and Alpina International in Germany.

How many years have you been attending the show?
This is my second year with CNE and before that 11 years with Mattel.

How long do you usually stay for?
The whole 3 days and don’t believe anyone who tells you that the last day of the show is quiet.

What do you remember about your first visit?
It was in 2003 – I seem to remember being in back-to-back meetings for 2 days!

Have your needs changed in terms of what you want from the show?
The key need was for more time – since we’ve moved to 3 days, the pressure has been somewhat relieved.

What do you love most about BLE?
From a business perspective, the opportunity to get so much done in such a short space of time. From a more personal perspective, it’s got to be the sense of community on the floor, in the meetings and at the events around the show. It’s pretty unique.

When I’m at BLE one thing I always do is…
Block time to walk the floor – apart from taking in the industry news and key messaging, it’s also a chance to speak with people I don’t have an appointment with.

What do you do about lunch?
Lunch – ha, what’s lunch?! Cartoon Network serves lunch at the booth ….and fresh coffee at our barista bar.

What are you on the hunt for this year?
We will have a lot to share with our partners and prospective licensees – that’s our priority for the show. We have a very clear idea of what we want to discuss with whom and we’ll want to make that time as productive as possible. We’re having a party at the stand on Tuesday night – following last year’s success – and find that’s a great moment to have the impromptu chats and make new connections. Same on Wednesday night: Cartoon Network is sponsoring the LIMA party at Kensington Roof Gardens.

What will make it a successful show for you this year?
Essentially success is defined as great feedback from our licensees and retailers about what we offer, and how we offer it. Cartoon Network is known for combining the hard graft of licensing with a lot of fun. We’ve had some great ideas on how to do that this year – we’ll soon find out if we get the thumbs up!