Licensing Expo Chosen for International Buyer Program (IBP) Select, a U.S. Department of Commerce Export, Licensing & Trade Promotion Program, to Facilitate International Licensing Deals

IBP Select to support further growth in attendance from global buyers including international licensees, manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers

Santa Monica, Calif. (September 13, 2016) – Licensing Expo, the world’s largest and most influential licensing industry event, today announced that the Expo has been selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Buyer Program (IBP) Select. The program will enlist the U.S. Department of Commerce’s global network to recruit pre-screened international manufacturers and retailers to attend Licensing Expo and meet with exhibitors.
IBP Select is a joint government-industry effort that brings thousands of international buyers to the U.S. for business-to-business matchmaking with American firms exhibiting at major industry trade shows. Every year, the IBP facilitates billions of dollars of new business between U.S. and international companies.
Through Licensing Expo, IBP Select will give exhibitors valuable access to more potential international licensing partners from China, Mexico, Canada, South Korea and Japan at the show. These markets collectively represent $169.2 billion in annual retail sales of licensed merchandise.*
Jessica Blue, Senior Vice President, Licensing, UBM Americas: “Being chosen from many applicants for IBP Select means that the show and our exhibitors will benefit from promotion in our five chosen international markets and across the United States. We look forward to working with the IBP and assisting our exhibitors with leveraging international opportunities at Licensing Expo, the global meeting place for the licensing industry.”
On site, IBP Select specialists will assist with pairing U.S. brands, international licensees, manufacturers and retailers, as part of the Licensing Expo Matchmaking Service. The IBP will help enable all U.S.-based Licensing Expo exhibitors and international attendees to find and meet prospective licensing partners based on their objectives with guidance from experienced staff.
IBP Select’s on-site International Business Center will host two international trade specialists to help guide exhibitors looking to extend their brands outside the U.S.
Andrea DaSilva, Global Team Leader, Media & Entertainment Industries, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce: “Our team is very excited to support Licensing Expo 2017 via the IBP Select project and bring our expertise to the show. With more than 100 export assistance offices domestically and over 70 overseas with trade specialists ready to support U.S. exports, Licensing Expo offers a unique opportunity for our team to recruit buyers across multiple licensing sectors from overseas. We look forward to meeting with as many exhibitors at the International Business Center as possible and connecting them with our program and international manufacturers and retailers.”
Licensing Expo, the longest consistently running licensing tradeshow, has connected the world’s most influential entertainment, character, fashion, art and corporate brand owners and agents with consumer goods manufacturers, licensees and retailers for more than 35 years. Attendees come to spot trends, build strategic partnerships and secure promotional tie-ins. Millions of products across the world started as a conversation at Licensing Expo. This is where brand owners, licensees and retailers find the right partners to expand their businesses and create relationships.
Sponsored by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA), Licensing Expo takes place on May 23-25, 2017 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, in Las Vegas, NV. Complimentary registration for the Expo will be available in the months leading up to the show: www.licensingexpo.com/2017.
*According to the LIMA Annual Global Licensing Industry Survey 2016 Report.

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Press Materials: licensing-expo/content/virtual-press-office
Media Contact: Jannelle Grigsby, media@licensingexpo.com +1 310 857 9020
About Licensing Expo (www.licensingexpo.com)
Now in its 37th year, Licensing Expo is the world’s largest and most influential annual trade show dedicated to licensing and brand extension. The show floor is merchandised into three zones: Characters and Entertainment; Art and Design; and Brands and Agents. More than 16,200 retailers, licensees, manufacturers, distributors and licensing agents attend the Expo from more than 67 countries. Licensing Expo is owned and organized by UBM Americas and is sponsored by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA). UBM Americas also owns and operates License! Global magazine, Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) and Licensing Expo Japan.
About UBM Americas
UBM Americas, a part of UBM plc, is the largest business-to-business events and trade show organizer in the U.S. Through a range of aligned interactive physical and digital environments, UBM Americas increases business effectiveness for both customers and audiences by cultivating meaningful experiences, knowledge and connections. UBM Americas has offices spanning North and South America, and serves a variety of specialist industries with dedicated events and marketing services covering everything from fashion, tech and life sciences to advanced manufacturing, cruise shipping, specialty chemicals, powersports and automotive, concrete, hospitality, cargo transportation and more. For more information, visit: www.ubmamericas.com.