• Licensing Expo to take place in-person August 10-12, 2021, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV
• Brand Licensing Europe to run in-person November 17-19, 2021, at the ExCeL London in the United Kingdom
• Both events will benefit from in-person and online experiences

December 9, 2020 — Today, the Global Licensing Group, a division of Informa Markets and event organizers of leading global events Licensing Expo and Brand Licensing Europe, is announcing its 2021 dates and an innovative new event format.

Licensing Expo will take place live and in-person at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev on August 10-12. Accompanying the tradeshow is an online event, which will be held two weeks later on August 24-25.

Brand Licensing Europe will take place live and in-person at ExCeL London on November 17-19, 2021, with an online event also following two weeks later on November 30-December 1, 2021.

2020 has proven that the need to meet and connect face-to-face is paramount, however the flexibility and convenience of an online event setting is also useful to the business of brand licensing, particularly in terms of fostering IP exploration, new connections and thought leadership. The shift to a multi-platform format will blend the best components of in-person and online to create an enhanced experience for all participants no matter their circumstances or location. Supported by a robust online platform, exhibitors and visitors will have access before, during and after the events to schedule and host meetings, enjoy on-demand content and thought leadership and search and discover the widest range of properties available for license anywhere in the world.

The Las Vegas and London events will be organized in accordance with Informa’s AllSecure health and safety standards designed to ensure all participants can attend events safely and with confidence. AllSecure practices are comprised of learnings and best-practices from across the leading trade event companies around the world, in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, to create physical environments that meet industry standards for gathering.

“We truly understand the importance of relationships and in-person connections to the licensing industry and have therefore made the decision to move both events to a time later in the calendar year,” says Anna Knight, Vice President of the Global Licensing Group. “In addition, we have also seen a fantastic response to Licensing Week Virtual, which we ran in June, and October’s month-long celebration Festival of Licensing. Following consultation with many of our customers, we have decided to carry forward the successful elements of these virtual events and learnings from them to run alongside our in-person events in 2021 and beyond. Multi-platform events are definitely the future, and the combination of live and online offers no limits to global participation.”

“I know I’m not alone in eagerly anticipating the moment when we can all gather again in person, and this revised timeframe and hybrid solution for our industry’s two flagship gatherings will offer the best chance for that to happen soon and safely,” says Maura Regan, President, Licensing International, Global Licensing Group event sponsor. “While we certainly learned this year that nothing can replace actual face-to-face interaction, the unique value of virtual events is their global accessibility. This plan for the 2021 iterations of Licensing Expo and BLE will allow us to have the best of both worlds.”

For U.S. media information:
Lauren Lloyd
LicensingPR@informa.com
+1 (310) 266-4792

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

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.