Licensing Expo 2021, originally scheduled to take place in Las Vegas in August, will now happen virtually from August 24-26, Informa Markets’ Global Licensing Group announced. Two in-person events from Global Licensing Group — Brand Licensing & Innovation Summit and Brand Licensing Europe — will follow in the fall.
Licensing Expo will return to Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on May 24-26, 2022.
“We’ve heard from our industry, and the best way to serve the international market in 2021 is to provide in-person experiences later this year, as well as a rich online experience that everyone can be a part of this summer,” said Anna Knight, vice president, licensing, Informa Markets. “We’ve all felt the impact of not being able to gather in-person in 2020, and while the speed of recovery is promising, we serve a truly global market. Feedback from Licensing Expo customers and partners indicate that August is still too soon for the majority of the licensing community to properly plan and execute participation in an in-person event of this size and magnitude with continued restrictions on international and corporate travel. Our mission remains to create the most valuable platforms for our industry to connect and grow, and therefore we have decided to focus our efforts on our virtual experience in August, followed by in-person events in Q4 and beyond.”
Licensing Expo Virtual will be free to attend and supported by an online platform that allows exhibitors and visitors to schedule and host meetings, access on-demand content and thought leadership, and search and discover properties available for license from around the world.
Attendees of Licensing Expo Virtual can expect curated matchmaking to connect brands, manufacturers, and retailers; digital brand roadshows highlighting IP by category; the educational Licensing University program; a line-up of keynote speakers; and the Licensing Excellence Awards presented by Licensing International, which will stream live on August 24, the first day of the virtual expo.
“Licensing International’s mission is to serve the licensing industry, help advance our member’s business and celebrate our successes as an industry,” said Maura Regan, president, Licensing International. “Licensing Expo Virtual does all of that and we are proud to be the exclusive sponsor.”
Following Licensing Expo Virtual is the inaugural Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit U.S., slated for October 27-28, 2021, live and in-person in New York City at Convene Liberty Street. After a European launch in June, B&LIS is set to welcome 300-400 licensing and brand executives, providing them with trends and forecasts, retailer insights, spotlights on growth categories, and deep dives into digital and content innovation to help navigate the retail, content, and consumer landscape.
Next, Brand Licensing Europe is planned for November 17-19, 2021 — also live and in-person — at ExCeL London, with an online event two weeks later from November 3o to December 1. BLE will use the same platform as Licensing Expo Virtual.
B&LIS and BLE in-person events will be organized in accordance with Informa’s AllSecure health and safety standards, designed to ensure all participants can attend safely.