• 2,800 Matchmaking meetings booked in 2018
• Average attendance rose from 71 to 85 per cent
• BLE 2019, 1-3 October, ExCeL London – brandlicensing.eu/register

Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) opens its Matchmaking Service today following huge success in 2018, when more than 2,800 meetings were pre-arranged using the service and average attendance rose from 71 to 85 per cent.

Over 1,400 licensors were connected with licensees and 12,800 contacts were made available for meetings across a wide range of sectors and interests.

“Sponsored by Flowhaven, the BLE Matchmaking Service is a free online tool that exhibitors and visitors can use to pre-book meetings, helping them make the best use of their time at the show,” explained event director Anna Knight.

“BLE is a meetings event; people come here to do business. Exhibitors’ and visitors’ diaries are jam-packed from the second the show opens for three solid days and the Matchmaking Service helps them to maximise their time at the show and meet people they may have otherwise missed. We’re delighted to see its use – and popularity – rise exponentially year on year.”

Visitors can use the Matchmaking Service to:

• Search by region, company name, property name, category and more to ensure they meet the most relevant exhibitors for their needs
• Discover new properties by using the search tool to narrow down exhibitors by property type
• Introduce themselves pre-show to increase meeting efficiency

It allows exhibitors to:

• Search for pre-registered visitors and fellow exhibitors by type, region, category, company name and more
• Message anyone requesting a meeting to ensure they are relevant
• Access a dedicated meetings space in the Matchmaking Lounge if needed
• Manage their stand team and oversee meetings schedules
• Populate their diary with meetings by syncing the Matchmaking Service to ical, Outlook or Google Calendar

New exhibitors, retailers and global partners (companies who exhibit at BLE and Licensing Expo in the same calendar year) can also take advantage of a free VIP concierge service, which offers support in setting up and building online profiles as well as booking meetings with a tailored wish list of relevant visitors.

BLE 2019 takes place at ExCeL London from 1-3 October 2019. Register for free at www.brandlicensing.eu/register