• Programme now available as fully virtual or hybrid solution
• Applications open now until Friday 28 May 2021

31st March 2021

From today, retailers are invited to apply for a place on Brand Licensing Europe’s 2021 Retail Mentoring Programme. Thanks to the organisers offering a fully virtual as well as hybrid option this year, invitations to take part in the free-to-attend, CPD-accredited course are being extended to retailers from Europe as well as the UK for the first time.

The BLE Retail Mentoring Programme is now in its 11th year and retailers from Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Selfridges, Halfords, Asda George, Ann Summers, River Island, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Toymaster, The Entertainer and Morrisons are among hundreds of alumni. Delivered through a series of seminars, workshops and 1-2-1 consultancy sessions, the 2021 BLE Retail Mentoring Programme schedule includes:

• May: One-hour introductory meeting (virtual)
• 17 – 18 June, over two half-days: Licensing Essentials Course delivered by Licensing International (virtual)
• June: The option to virtually drop into Max Publishing’s Licensing Awards judging day and cast a vote
• August-October: Spend around 2.5 hours on a personalised brand owner experience day (live and/or virtual)
• 5 November: Half-day Licensing for Retail seminar (live/virtual)
• 17-19 November: VIP admission to Brand Licensing Europe, where retailers can spend up to three days at Europe’s leading licensing event (live/virtual)

Anna Knight, VP of Licensing, Informa Markets, said: “We come across branded consumer products everyday – from V&A notebooks to Pokémon backpacks – but it’s not always obvious how brands can help to drive footfall and create additional revenue for retailers. The Retail Mentoring Programme offers European retailers the chance to better understand every aspect of brand licensing and provides them with all the tools needed to successfully get branded consumer products onto store shelves.

“With the growing importance for retailers to stand-out, the programme covers everything from identifying new trends, finding and securing the right partners and suppliers, and driving a great customer experience through branded products. It means so much to us that we’ve been able to support over 400 retailers on the programme over the last 11 years, and we’re really excited we can now welcome European retailers to join us for 2021.”

Retail Mentoring Programme delegate benefits include:

• Insight from best-in-class retailers, agents and brand owners on how successful licensing partnerships are delivered across a range of categories from apparel to homeware
• Brand owner experience days where retailers can spend a day (in-person or online) with a leading brand to better understand what goes into a successful licensing partnership
• Brand discovery sessions – find out who owns what brands and how to build relationships
• Visual merchandising workshops – learn how to make consumer products stand-out online and in-store
• Introductions to important new contacts and social events within the licensing industry
• Practical insights into building a licensing programme
• Understanding critical legal, technical, financial and licensing terminology

Retailers can apply for a free delegate place on the programme here. Applications will remain open until Friday 28 May.

For media information:
Charlie Le Rougetel at BIGTOP
charlie@bigtop-pr.co.uk
+44 (0)7736 330676

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 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 Japan, Licensing Expo Shanghai, The Licensing Leadership Summit, License Global magazine, License Global Daily E-News and The Licensing Mixtape podcast. Global Licensing Group events are sponsored by Licensing International.

About Licensing International:
Licensing International is the leading trade organization for the global licensing industry. Licensing International’s mission is to foster the growth and expansion of 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, Licensing International members in over 40 countries enjoy access to an array of benefits, including extensive educational programming and worldwide networking events. Visit LicensingInternational.org for more information and to utilize licensing’s definitive online resource.