Fashion, entertainment or art's leading brands have an unmissable meeting in Las Vegas to attend Licensing Expo 2016! The world's most influential professionals -owners, agents, manufacturers, retailers...- will meet here during three days (June 21-23), so we have been talking to the organisers to learn more about this amazing show. And if you are as excited as us to know the highlights and novelties we will find on the showground, don't stop reading!
Last year you celebrate the biggest show yet. Considering that the show takes place for 36 years, what stands out Licensing Expo above other similar shows?
Licensing Expo is the world’s largest and most influential licensing industry event. The Expo is a place where more than 16,100 retailers, licensees, manufacturers, distributors and licensing agents from 90 countries come together with 5,000 of the hottest brands to discuss licensing and brand extension deals.
What novelties will we find in this year's edition?
Highlights of Licensing Expo 2016 include:
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A Sports Activation Zone presented by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) that showcases an unforgettable and immersive experience with top athletes. Through this first of- its kind activation, attendees will have the opportunity to compete for prizes by going head-to-head with NFL players and other professional athletes in a variety of fun, unique and engaging games.
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A Geek Culture Pavilion that encompasses everything from comics to horror and provides an area where attendees can connect with their favourite classic and contemporary brands.
- Seven International Pavilions that serve as commercial centres for each country and offer a full range of licensing activity. Each dedicated space features brands from that region looking to license and resources for licensors looking to bring their brand into that country.
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A new Matchmaking Service featuring a pioneering online platform that allows attendees and exhibitors to arrange key meetings in advance of the show. By searching through thousands of exhibitor and attendee contacts, exhibitors at Licensing Expo can now connect with new and existing partners to arrange meetings. The unique online platform also allows Expo attendees to search exhibitors and arrange meetings. This dedicated, high-profile networking program is the official one-to-one Matchmaking Service of Licensing Expo 2016.
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A renowned Opening Night Party with after-hours networking for the industry. The event is attended by the world’s most influential brand owners, retailers and licensees. Festivities for the 2016 party include entertainment by Winter Dance Party courtesy of C3 Entertainment, Inc., which is a tribute to musical icons Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens.
- The second annual Digital Media Licensing Summit offering a day-long schedule of seminars will take an in-depth look at online content creators and how they are leveraging their success on platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo and Vine. The sessions are designed to help licensors, licensees and retailers navigate and take advantage of both existing and emerging opportunities that digital content and its platforms offer.
Who can attend Licensing Expo?
Licensing Expo is a business-to-business tradeshow. We host more than 16,700 people on the Expo floor including brand owners, licensors, licensing agents, manufacturers, licensees, retailers, wholesalers, distributors and agencies.
The show attracts professionals and companies from all across the country, can you give some tips for those exhibiting in Las Vegas for the first time, and concretely at Licensing Expo?
One of the main benefits of attending a trade show is that you can meet large numbers of useful people in one place. Trade show visitors, like exhibitors, need to plan ahead to take advantage of these networking opportunities.
You can find more tips on the official site of the show.
Among the benefits for participants, we find the Matchmaking Service, What is this about and how can we benefit from it?
This year’s Licensing Expo features a pioneering online platform that allows attendees and exhibitors to arrange key meetings in advance of the show. By searching through thousands of exhibitor and attendee contacts, exhibitors at Licensing Expo can now connect with new and existing partners to arrange meetings. The unique online platform also allows Expo attendees to search exhibitors and arrange meetings. This dedicated, high-profile networking program is the official one-to-one Matchmaking Service of Licensing Expo 2016.
The online platform is complemented by a team of relationship experts that understand the importance of face-to-face meetings, building relationships and making deals happen, and will provide assistance to users leading up to Licensing Expo as well as be on-hand to answer questions at the show. This service is priced at $500 but will be offered free of charge to all attendees and exhibitors in 2016.
What are the benefits of an exhibit at Las Vegas Licensing Expo?
By exhibiting at Licensing Expo you can:
- Expand international distribution
- Develop retail exclusive products and/or programs
- Create brand collaborations
- Initiate unique and spontaneous partnerships
- Build a network of licensees
Finally, can you give us some participation results from the last edition?
Over the three-day Expo in 2015, 16,150 licensing professionals attended the show, representing a 3% increase from last year’s event. This figure includes a 6.6% uptick in international attendance with one in three attendees coming from outside the U.S. The countries with the greatest number of attendees were Canada, Japan, Mexico and the U.K. with significant increases from Australia (+31%), Brazil (+30%) and China (+12%).
The 2015 show, sponsored by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA), featured 460 exhibiting companies in 232,000 square feet, an increase of 6.5% on 2014. More retailers attended than ever before, up 15%, which was noted by many exhibitors. This year’s Expo concluded on a strong note with over 70% of the 2015 floor space re-booked for 2016, which is a testament to the success of the three-day event.
Highlights from Licensing Expo 2015 included more than 150 new exhibitors; The Opening Keynote featuring executives from Hot Topic, Toys“R” Us, Inc., Delivery Agent and Global Brands Group.; The Opening Night Party co-hosted by Sony Music who presented Fifth Harmony as special guest performer and was sponsored by Endemol Shine North America and LIMA; the inaugural Digital Media Licensing Summit; The Big Interview with fashion designer and influencer Bethany Mota; International Day and live stunts performed by Nitro Circus.
Press attendance at the Expo increased by 27% with 152 journalists in attendance covering exhibitor news and events live from the show floor in 2015. Media highlights included The Wall Street Journal, ABC, Fox News (local and national), Telemundo, Reuters, The Las Vegas Review-Journal, AdvertisingAge, Top Gear and Yahoo Autos, among others.