Brand Licensing Europe 2021 opens tomorrow (Wednesday) for the first time in two years.

Much has changed since BLE 2019, and the licensing community that gathers at Excel will be seeking normalcy, acknowledging the effects of the pandemic past, but mostly looking forward for opportunities in the months and years ahead.

There will be a broad offering among 206 exhibitors across multiple licensing categories that illustrate the breadth of the licensing industry, preparing for in-person meetings with existing and potential licensees, retailers, marketers, and other service providers.

In-person events
In addition to the exhibits, there will be several in-person events at ExCel, including a pair of keynote sessions. For those who are unable to attend BLE in person, there will be a virtual version November 30-December 1. In addition, a full slate of online Licensing U educational seminars and presentations will be available on demand beginning November 22.

There also will be a plethora of news regarding new licensing agreements, brand representations, content agreements and other new business ventures. (We’ll be reporting through this week on BLE news and events.)

Among announcements surrounding BLE:

• BLE will play host to the Newlife Charity: Clothing Swap that will allow attendees exchange no longer worn apparel for other clothing. In addition to clothing swap, showgoers can make a donation to the Licensing Industry’s The Light Fund, which raises funding for charity projects helping, children, women and men. The swap will be at the Sustainability Activation in partnership with the sustainability organization Products for Change. Newlife is a non-profit serving disabled and terminally ill children in the UK.
• Agency ThePoint.1888 is launching a new retail services division, Spotlight.1888, designed to help licensees, brands and retailers with licensing strategy. Spotlight, which has a four-person staff led by Hannah Stevens, Head of Retail and Sport, targets “gaps” at retail and what might appeal to a brand’s demographic. The division also will have the 32 brands the agency represents available to retailers. 1888 added a creative services business, Story.1888, in August for product branding and marketing and style guides.
• British designer brand Fenella Smith signed a licensing agreement with Guide Dogs for the Blind Association to develop a collection of mugs, dog bowls, treat jars and other products. As part of the agreement, Fenella Smith, which also has licensing pacts with British baker John Whaite and online art print shop 83 Oranges, will donate a minimum of £2500 to UK-based Guide Dogs.
• Aardman Animations signed new licensing deals for its Wallace & Gromit and several other brands. Corgi (die cast vehicles), Pinfinity (augmented reality pins), and Aurora World (plush) will develop products across Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Morph and Aardman’s new property Robin Robin, a stop motion musical that launches on Netflix on Nov. 24. Half Moon Bay (gift products) renewed its license for Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep and Puckator extended its agreement for solar-powered Wallace & Gromit figurines.
• Irish animation producer Cartoon Saloon will launch a licensing program for its new preschool series “Silly Sundays” and feature film Puffin Rock—The Movie. WarnerMedia Kids & Family recently greenlit “Silly Sundays” for the Cartoonito preschool block on HBO Max and Cartoon Network, where it will launch in U.S. in 2023 before expanding to international markets. The Puffin Rock film, which was greenlit in 2019, was scheduled for release this past spring but was delayed by the pandemic.
• Banijay Brands will introduce a consumer products program for its property and garden makeover shows “Interior Design Masters”, “Your Home Made Perfect” and “Your Garden Made Perfect.” Interior Design launched on the BBC in 2019, and has two seasons, while Your Home debuted on BBC Two in 2019 and is in its third season. The six-episode Your Garden was introduced on BBC Two on Feb. 4.
• Poetic Brands launched NFL-licensed t-shirts and hoodies at Primark this month with plans for a larger collection to coincide with the Super Bowl in February. The initial seven-piece collection includes New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots.
• Spirits Company Sazerac extended its agreement with Brandgenuity to include the UK and Europe with a focus on Fireball Whiskey and Southern Comfort. Brandgenuity added Southern Comfort in July to a representation that also includes Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Myers’s Rum, Yukon Jack, Parrot Bay Rum, Romana Sambuca and others.