Brand Licensing Europe – a report!

Was that possibly the best Brand Licensing Show ever? 

I have been attending Licensing shows here in the UK and in the USA for many years and whilst the scale of America is always impressive, I have to say that I was hugely impressed with BLE this year. 

We don’t have to jump back very far in history to a show that lacked cohesion, direction and professionalism. I’ll be fair and say the exhibitors did their best, but I had the feeling they felt they were only there to support the industry; they didn’t really want to be there and this reflected in energy of the place. Many observers were saying that the show was a “waste of time and effort” and that unless it changed it wouldn’t last long on the licensing calendar. I think this was a statement of fact at the time, the show didn’t have long left and personally I would approach the idea of attending with a mixture of indifference and apathy – not a nice state of mind, but seemingly it was reflected on the faces of everyone I met! 

I have to congratulate Advanstar on their monumental effort in turning this show around. It has been no mean feat and one which appeared doomed when they took over the reins a few years back. 

So what’s changed? 

BLE has always been a great place to network but I felt that in the past it was just a “hello and goodbye”, but yesterday it was “hello, how are you, how can we help each other, let’s stay in touch and goodbye” – terrific and a huge mood change.

I can only speak for myself, but it wasn’t the quality of the stands or the number of exhibitors that stood out, it was the quality of the audience and the energy they created. The “buzz” was spot on.  People were ready to talk business, to listen as much as talk, to shake hands and to participate. The whole thing felt like companies are ready to “partner” and willing to “develop” and seemingly in a way that benefits the whole. 

I hope it’s the way of the future because I liked it. I hope it isn’t going to be short-lived because “we’re all having to be more approachable in these tough times”. I sincerely wish that it will always be thus and that the business will groom itself on its new sense of camaraderie. 

BLE 2009, great place to be!

In detail, as far as the brands go, there is little to report. The show is dominated by Character licensing, but look carefully underneath and there are terrific brands which have long term, sustainable, strategies. Most reading this will know about the great films being launched in 2010 and these will generate the usual quick wins for toy companies et al. Many will be aware of the top characters of the TV world and what’s likely to be big in the next 12 months – for me I believe Ben 10 will last a long, long time especially with the work Turner and Bandai will put into it. 

To wrap, I personally believe that this show is not just about the brands, the detail of the “sell”  and the exhibitors stands, because to say so would be to miss the essential essence of what was happening at BLE 2009. Of course many meetings were arranged on the pretext of doing business, but that wasn’t the whole point; It was making contacts, putting faces to names, building partnerships, shaking hands and making friends. 

Long may it continue to be this way!