Retail Leaders to Keynote Licensing Expo

A panel of top merchants and brand experts from Toys 'R' Us, Hot Topic and other companies will kick off Licensing Expo in June with the Executive Keynote Panel.

April 6, 2018

Retail Leaders to Keynote Licensing Expo


Barry	Famulak

Fitzsimmons	Harper

A panel of top merchants and brand experts from Toys 'R' Us, Hot Topic and other companies will kick off Licensing Expo in June with the Executive Keynote Panel, sponsored by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association.

Taking place at 8 a.m. on the first day of the show June 9, the keynote panel, “Where Is Retail Headed and How Will We Get There?” will mark the start of the trade show. Licensing Expo will take over the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., June 9-11.

Four experts will give insight into the ever-evolving consumer marketplace and retail landscape including:

Richard Barry, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, Toys 'R' Us;
Dow Famulak, president and executive director, Global Brands Group, the licensing sister company of sourcing giant Li & Fung;
Mike Fitzsimmons, founder and chief executive officer, Delivery Agent, which powers contextual commerce for TV networks, device manufacturers, recording artists, brands and advertisers; and
Lisa Harper, chief executive officer, Hot Topic.

LIMA senior vice president Marty Brochstein will moderate the keynote discussion, which is free to all registered Licensing Expo attendees.

The keynote is part of the Licensing University lineup of seminars and educational programs organized by LIMA and held in conjunction with Licensing Expo.

“We’re pleased to provide a forum for industry leaders to come together and discuss some of the most

important issues facing the licensing business today,” says Charles Riotto, president, LIMA. “This year’s speakers will offer a bird’s eye view of how best to navigate the current and future retail landscape to help attendees move their businesses and brands forward.”

This year's Licensing University will feature a new series of 16 interactive roundtable discussions on hot topics in the business, from revitalizing classic brands to 3D printing. The new format will give attendees the chance to connect closely with industry experts and other participants and will be offered alongside longer-form sessions that will deliver in-depth discussions on 21 topics. Among the seminar topics that will be features this year are basics of licensing, royalty rate trends, tapping into the U.S. Hispanic market and monetizing market events, among many others.

For an up-to-date schedule of Licensing University sessions and to register visit the

Licensing Expo website

or the

LIMA website.