The International Kids Licensing Days Return to Bologna Children’s Book Fair

Bologna Children’s Book Fair has announced the return of The International Kids Licensing Days (IKLD), which are back for the fourth consecutive year, from April 8-10, with an extensive program of B2B conferences on the latest trends in children’s content.  

The B2B conferences, in English, will delve into the latest trends in children’s content, from licensing to publishing, from audiovisual to gaming, thanks to the contribution of over 40 international key players. 

The three days will be held exclusively in presence at the Licensing Conference Room (Hall 29 Mall 2 of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair), in the context of the 17th Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids, the international licensing event of reference and dedicated to children’s, teen and young adult brands.  

The IKLD will open on April 8 with a talk by publishing giant Kodansha on the world of manga, increasingly central to the licensing market, to continue with accurate analysis of licensing and publishing trends. The afternoon will explore case studies and examine trends in gaming, publishing, and licensing. 

On April 8 at 11:10 a.m., Ben Roberts, content director EMEA, License Global, will present his Brand Licensing Forecast, taking a deep dive into the trends and data forecasting shifts in the licensing business across 2024/25 and beyond. The session will touch on the findings from License Global’s Top Brand Licensing Agents report and data gathered recently at Licensing for Retail Day, where attendees provided insight into the latest retail trends and challenges. 

Related:TV/Film Rights Centre: New Business Area at Bologna Children’s Book Fair

Roberts will be joined on the speaker line-up by Gary Pope, Samantha Loveday, Fée Heyer (U.K.), Yulia Amano (Japan), Ludvig Kullander (Sweden), Elena Favilli (U.S.), Tadeja Irmancnik (Slovenia), Gianluca Marani, Alan Vele (Italy) and Thierry Baujard (Germany).  

Brand Celebrations 

On April 9, several sessions are dedicated to celebrations of major international brands, such as the 25th anniversary of Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card game, the 35th anniversary of the patchwork elephant, Elmer, the 80th anniversary of Moomins and the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty with an accompanying cake party.  

Other conferences will focus on news, trends and licensing previews, from the speech in collaboration with Products of Change on how to promote sustainability through product storytelling, to licensed products for Milano Cortina 2026, to the BrandTrends Group panel on the connections between technology and children’s literature. A talk by Mondo TV and Rai Kids on the Grisù IP will be held in Italian, and the return of nostalgia brands will be discussed. 

Speakers on the second day of the IKLD will be Paul Black, Helena Mansell-Stopher, Daniele Tombini and Marianne James from the U.K., Silvia D’Archivio, Annita Romanelli, Silvia Figini, Alan Vele, Moris F. Calasso from Italy, Morghan Fortier and Brett Jubinville from Canada, Emmet O’Neil (Ireland), Neal Hoskins (Poland), Philippe Guinaudeau (France) and Roleff Kråkström (Finland).  

Last month, License Global reported how the Bologna Children’s Book Fair has established the TV/FILM Rights Centre. This new business area welcomes audiovisual producers and enables networking with publishing professionals for an enhanced book-to-screen proposal. The conferences on April 10 are devoted to the dialogue between audiovisual and publishing. Two meetings are curated by the creative and storytelling agency, Book on a Tree. This day includes analyses of trends in both markets, along with case histories such as The Brilliant World of Tom Gates and tutorials on how to pitch a publishing IP and turn it into the next successful TV or film production.  

The International Kids Licensing Days are organized by Bologna Children’s Book Fair and Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids, in cooperation with Licensing Magazine.