Official figures show that this year’s Brand Licensing Europe smashed all records in its 14-year history. Visitors were up 23 per cent, there were 20 per cent more exhibitors, retail attendance was up 14 per cent and European delegates grew 17 per cent. Here, ToyNews speaks to exhibitors and visitors to get their views
“BLE 2012 was great for us. Physically, Nickelodeon had a much stronger presence than ever before with a booth
that served as both a display and information centre, as well as our meeting space. The atmosphere of the event was great. People seemed enthusiastic and optimistic about the industry. It felt as though there were more exhibitors on the floor, with the exhibition hall feeling easier to navigate than it has been in previous years. The Nickelodeon booth was a hub throughout the event with partners keen to talk to us. We will certainly be back next year.” Mark Kingston, VP, Nickelodeon Consumer Products UK & Australia
NOVEMBER 2012
“Clearly the
momentum of the past years saw 2012 delivering the busiest and most internationally visited ever. For
Mattel, we saw an increase in licensee participation and retailer attendance, both in terms of UK and European customers. The extension into the back halls appeared to work well – visitor numbers did not seem to diminish further back.” Johanne Broadfield, Senior Director of Licensing, Mattel
“We came to BLE with a strong line-up of properties, busy diaries and reasonable expectations. The good news is that
the show surpassed our expectations, we had a great set of meetings over the three days and a very positive response to our properties. Lots of people commented on that intangible buzz that was around the show from the start. It felt like a more upbeat, positive and dynamic show than we had seen in a few years. It felt good to see the industry in that mood.” Jennifer Lawlor, SVP Consumer Products, Zodiak Rights
“It was a very busy show, especially on Tuesday and Wednesday. The show had a really international feel, with visitors and
buyers from all over Europe and the Middle East. The highlight for us has to be the amount of unsolicited interest in City of Friends from
retailers and licensees, both UK and international.”
Carl Christian Hamre, CEO, CreaCon Entertainment
“The show was a great success, with very productive meetings with retailers and
licensees, as well as new companies
looking for opportunities to work with us. For us it was as busy as last year. I’m impressed by the growth of the show and the way Advanstar facilitates the organisation of it. I particularly find the new booking system for stand space very useful as a tool when confirming space for next year’s event. We will be back, bigger and better.”
Sissel Henno, Head of Brand Licensing Europe, Sega