An exclusive fireside chat with Vince Klaseus, President of Universal Products & Experiences, the global consumer products, games, and theme park merchandise and retail division at NBCUniversal, is among the latest raft of content sessions confirmed for Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) 2025, which takes place 7-9 October at Excel London.

NBCUniversal: Building the Fandom Flywheel (Tuesday, 7 October, 11:30am, License Global Theatre) will look at how NBCUniversal – one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies – has perfected the art of turning great stories into cultural phenomena, from the big screen to store shelves, theme parks and trending TikToks. This intimate, fireside chat between Vince Klaseus and Amanda Cioletti, Vice President, Content & Strategy, Global Licensing Group at Informa, will pull back the curtain on how the studio’s ‘symphony’ approach unites consumer products, retail partnerships and location based experiences into a self-reinforcing flywheel that keeps fans engaged long after opening weekend. Together, they will address the following topics:

• How NBCUniversal’s most beloved franchises are managed for long-term growth
• How IP based retail and innovative products create flagship experiences for brands inside and outside the Universal theme parks

“We are thrilled Vince Klaseus is speaking at BLE this autumn – this is a rare opportunity for retailers, manufacturers and other brand owners to get behind the scenes on how leading licensor NBCUniversal thinks about its products and experiences to reach fans where they live, play and shop,” said BLE event director Ella Haynes. NBCUniversal ranks at No. 4 on License Global’s annual Top Global Licensors whitepaper, with a reported $17 billion in retail sales of licensed consumer products in 2024. The exclusive report details insights from brand owners each year and shares which brands are leading the charge with consumers for product extensions and services.

Six additional sessions have been announced for the 2025 programme:

1. From passion to profession: navigating career paths in an ever-evolving industry landscape

Three brand licensing industry experts will share their career journeys, valuable lessons and professional advice.

• Jen Maude-Roxby, head of licensing & business development, V&A
• Carter Brown, CP product development specialist, Hasbro
• Will Stewart, founder & CEO, True Purpose Enterprises

2. Licensing meets Amazon: How licensees and licensors can maximise brand value online

Delivered by Venture Forge CEO Andrew Banks, this session will help brand owners, licensees and licensors turn licensing agreements into high-performing Amazon strategies to protect IP, grow sales and strengthen partnerships.

3. Licensing agents 101: What they do and why they matter

This session will teach attendees what agents do and how to find the right one with the following panelists confirmed:

• Andrew Hodgson, managing director of Europe, LMCA
• Claire Potter, managing director, Metrostar
• Gemma Witts, managing director, Europe, Retail Monster

4. IP & licensing – a crash course

This dynamic session – led by JMW Solicitors partners John Burns and John Buckby – will look at what IP is, how to protect it and what to watch out for in licensing agreements, leaving visitors equipped to maximise their brand’s potential through licensing.

5. Brand development through storytelling

This session looks at how we can build awareness for properties through stories. Whether audiovisual and gaming or books and immersive experiences, storytelling is becoming increasingly essential for a brand to succeed.

6. Hong Kong Arts Centre: Where IP & arts come to life

Hong Kong Arts Centre is Asia’s creative arts gateway, bridging East and West. It nurtures over 30 original IPs, from comics to multimedia – through exhibitions, publishing and licensing. With world-class facilities and government support, HKAC connects artists, licensors, and collectors, turning local stories into global cultural assets.

All announced sessions can be found online.

About Brand Licensing Europe
Launched in 1998, Brand Licensing Europe is the only pan-European annual event dedicated to licensing and brand extension. The London event features over 2,500 brands and more than 7,500 licensees, manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and licensing agents. Brand Licensing Europe is a part of the Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets, the licensing industry’s leading trade show organiser and media partner. Its mission is to provide licensing opportunities around the world by bringing brands and products together.

About License Global
License Global, a part of the Global Licensing Group, is the leading publication for the brand licensing industry, delivering award-winning editorial content, including news, trends, analysis and special reports about the global consumer product and retail marketplace. Through its magazine, website, daily e-newsletter, webinars, videos and event publications, License Global reaches more than 150,000 executives and professionals in all major markets. The magazine also serves as the official publication for the sector’s trade events, which include Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe and Licensing Expo Shanghai.

About Global Licensing Group
The Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets 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 Informa Markets: Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Shanghai, License Global magazine, licenseglobal.com and License Global Daily E-News. Global Licensing Group events are sponsored by Licensing International.

About Licensing International
Licensing International is the leading trade organization for the $369+ billion global brand licensing industry. Licensing International’s mission is to foster the growth and expansion 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 1,200 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.

About UNIVERSAL PRODUCTS & EXPERIENCES
Universal Products & Experiences (UP&E) globally drives the expansion and elevation of NBCUniversal’s iconic collection of brands, intellectual properties, characters, and stories based on the company’s extensive portfolio of properties created by Universal Pictures, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation and NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. The division executes this through innovative physical and digital products, as well as engaging retail and product experiences across our expansive global theme park destinations (for both owned and third-party IP), location-based venues, e-commerce product platforms, and retailers around the world. Along with global brand strategy and creative, UP&E’s lines of business include Consumer Products and Games, along with Theme Parks Products & Retail. UP&E is a division of Universal Destinations & Experiences, part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. More information is available at universalproductsexperiences.com.