Las Vegas, NV – Licensing Expo (Mandalay Bay Convention Center, May 21-23, 2024), the world’s leading event dedicated to brand licensing, IP extension, partnerships and collaborations, unveils a first preview of the content taking place across this year’s campus and curated impactful agenda for the final day of the show.

The final day of Licensing Expo opens with AI Futurist Zack Kass, former Head of Go-to-Market for OpenAI, the developers of the pioneering ChatGPT chatbot and previous advisor of brand giants like Coca-Cola and Morgan Stanley. Kass will keynote on the complexities of artificial intelligence, aiding senior leaders to provide foresight and direction to help organizations adapt and thrive alongside rapid advancements in AI (Thursday, May 23). Featured in outlets like Fortune, AdAge and Entrepreneur, amid a surge of proclaimed AI experts, Kass offers experience and pragmatic insights for major organizations looking to build a brighter future with artificial intelligence.

In the spirit of shaping the next generation of the industry, following the keynote, a panel will discuss, “Building Teams” and “How Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Needs to Start at Recruitment,” detailing various perspectives and practical solutions on fostering and attracting unique and diverse talent as the industry shines its attention to the next generation of licensing professionals.

On the last day of Licensing Expo, for the first time ever the event will also partner with Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WiT) to welcome the WiT Empowerment Day to campus. WiT Empowerment Day presents women inventors, creators and entrepreneurs a forum to pitch products Information Classification: General or ideas to top companies and buyers exclusively from Walmart. Mentor Roundtable discussions will also be available to provide learnings from the best in the business.

Ahead of Licensing Expo, there will also be a specialized WiT Empowerment Day Pitch Prep Program, led by Azhelle Wade, known as The Toy Coach. This program includes everything from preparing product pitches to on-demand video lessons, digital workbooks and a virtual Prep Session to ensure Empowerment Day participants will be confident and ready for meetings.

Concluding the final day of education at Licensing Expo, a dedicated panel of Chief Marketing Officers will speak on constructing forward-facing brands and how to connect with audiences while engaging consumers in new and innovative ways.

“We have invested resources to comprehensively research how we can continue to evolve and offer even more value to our Licensing Expo community and the resounding theme that emerged was the importance on the power of connection and the future of the industry,” notes Anna Clarke, Senior Vice President of Global Licensing Group. “Licensing Expo is known as the tentpole destination to secure the biggest and most exciting licensing deals but this year, we also place emphasis on the trajectory of the business by crafting this special must-attend closing program for the first time ever in show history.”

“Licensing Expo is about making the most of the entire industry being in Las Vegas at the same time. We want to accentuate all the spaces and places across our whole Mandalay Bay Campus and the intentional touchpoints created to maximize all the chances available to serendipitously meet contacts that could ultimately lead to your next big partnership,” exclaims Ella Haynes, Event Director, Licensing Expo.

In addition to the purposeful final day schedule, the chances to meet start even before the show. Sunday, May 19 industry association Licensing International (LI) will host its annual networking fundraiser in support of the LI Foundation Scholarship Program at TOPGOLF, MGM Grand. The following day, Licensing International’s Global Excellence Awards take place Monday evening, May 20 at the HyperXArena in the Luxor Hotel & Casino. The successful Licensing Expo Opening Night Party also returns on Tuesday, May 21 at the Daylight Beach Club with talent soon to be announced.

Licensing Expo is the global meeting place for the world’s biggest brands: BBC Studios, Crayola, Crunchyroll, Nintendo, Pokémon, TETRIS, Minecraft, Hasbro, Riot Games, SEGA, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount, Netflix, Amazon MGM Studios, Cloudco Entertainment, Smiley, Chupa Chups, Ubisoft, NBCUniversal, AEG, Absolut, Coca-Cola, Smirnoff, Kellogg’s, Air Force/Space Force, CAA Brand Management and Spin Master, to name a few.

Additional details for opening and second-day agendas as well as campus programming to be announced.

For more information or to register to attend or exhibit at Licensing Expo 2024, visit LicensingExpo.com.

About Global Licensing Group
The Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets, a subsidiary of Informa plc (LON:INF), is the licensing industry’s leading tradeshow organizer and media partner. Its mission is to provide licensing opportunities around the world by bringing brands and products together. The following events and information products are produced for the licensing industry by the Global Licensing Group at Information Classification: General Informa Markets: Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Shanghai, and License Global. Global Licensing Group events are sponsored by Licensing International.

About Licensing International
Licensing International is the leading trade organization for the $340+ billion global brand licensing industry. Licensing International’s mission is to foster the growth of brand licensing around the world, raise the level of professionalism for licensing practitioners, and create greater awareness of the benefits of licensing to the business community at large. Founded in 1985, more than 1,500 Licensing International member companies in over 40 countries enjoy access to an array of benefits, including extensive educational programming and worldwide networking events. Visit www.LicensingInternational.org for more information.