Opening its virtual doors on Tuesday Oct. 6 as the first week in the month-long Festival of Licensing, Brand Licensing Europe is already facing a record-breaking wave of meeting requests; currently listed at 11,000 and growing. With four days till launch, and the Global Licensing Group – organisers of the month-long celebration of licensing – expecting this number to rise exponentially – what exactly can attendees find at the festival next week?

The Festival itself runs until Oct. 29, moving across the world each week from UK & Europe (Oct. 6-8) to Asia (Oct. 14-15), the Americas (Oct. 23-25) and culminating in the C-suite executive-level conference Licensing Leadership Summit.

The first week, which is powered by Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), is a virtual hub of meetings, panels, keynotes, social events, insights and much more. For a more in-depth insight into how the panel works, attendees can download the Licensing International Webinar on how to make the most of the Festival of Licensing platform.

The content on offer ranges from an opening keynote from Nicolas Loufrani, chief executive officer, The Smiley Company “Re-affirming Purpose through Positivity, Creativity and Connection” with special guests Pablo Carballo and Joana Oliveira of Pull & Bear / Inditex Group as well as:

Among the week’s keynotes also sit Banijay Brands, Formula 1 and Team GB, taking place daily at 9AM BST on the Live Stage, sponsored by Crunchyroll. View the full agenda for Festival of Licensing here.

On the virtual show floor, over 180 industry leading brands are exhibiting and showcasing thousands of intellectual properties and a huge variety of brands; from sports and gaming to art and animation. See the full exhibitor list here.

The licensing community is also bringing visitor-focussed events such as ViacomCBS’ “Community & Wellbeing” or “Hasbro Happy Hours” events which aim to bring the industry back together. The Festival is also bringing events aimed at the family, with Oscar-winning animation studio Aardman Animations model making workshops with ambassador Jim “I play with clay” Parkyn; inviting festival goers to grab some clay ahead of the event, download your worksheets and get involved.

“Between 6-8 October, thousands of retailers, licensees and brands will be taking part in a completely reimagined, virtual BLE,” says Anna Knight, VP of Licensing, Informa Markets. “But while the format may have changed, and we will be meeting online from the comfort of our own homes rather than at ExCeL, attendees can still expect to meet the same amazing brands, discover tonnes of new IP, soak in the same high quality, thought-provoking content, and enjoy being part of the same brilliant European licensing community. We can’t wait to see everyone there.”

Festival of Licensing is organised and produced by the Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets. Visitors can register for free at www.festivaloflicensing.com.