Licensing Expo Reveals a World-Class Judge Panel for the 2022 License This! Competition
The License This! competition, hosted at Licensing Expo for the first time in person in the US market, today announced the 2022 judge panel featuring nine of the industry’s most renowned licensing experts. Brands represented on the panel include Flowhaven, Licensing International, Global Licensing Advisors, Boat Rocker Studio, PowerStation Studios, Redbubble, Lisa Mark Associates, Product Counsel, and InventHelp.
The deadline for entries has been extended to April 6 to grant more designers, illustrators, and animators the once-in-a-lifetime chance to compete for the grand prize and present on-stage in front of the esteemed judge panel. The competition is free to enter until the online form closes next week.
Licensing Expo returns in-person to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center for the first time since 2019, from May 24-26, delivered in partnership with industry trade association Licensing International. The competition, sponsored by Flowhaven, is slated to be held on Wednesday, May 25 from 3:30-4:30 p.m., convening a live audience of Licensing Expo participants comprising manufacturers, retailers, brand owners, and press eager to tune into the creative concepts presented by License This! finalists.
“At Flowhaven we believe that the licensing industry is built on creativity and thinking beyond the status quo – whether it’s in products, technology, or experiences,” said Timo Olkkola, Co-Founder, Flowhaven and sponsor judge of License This!. “We’re excited to sponsor this year’s competition and see how the next generation is driving licensing into the future.”
This year’s edition hosts two categories: Character & Animation and Brand & Design. Entrants are encouraged to tailor their submission to the specific category, noting that judges are looking for new, creative concepts which have the potential to spread across multiple product categories.
The judging panel comprises nine senior executives from across the industry, including:
- Amanda Cioletti, Vice President, Content and Strategy, License Global (Chair of the Judges)
- Timo Olkkola, Co-Founder, Flowhaven (Sponsor Judge)
- Steve Manners, Head of Marketing, Licensing International
- Steven Ekstract, Managing Director, Global Licensing Advisors
- Kate Schlomann, EVP Brand Management & Content Marketing, Boat Rocker Studio
- Sharon Weisman, CEO, PowerStation Studios
- Eric Morse, SVP, Content Partnerships & GM, Global Licensing, Redbubble
- Lisa Marks, President, Lisa Mark Associates
- Robert Yusim, Founder & President, Product Counsel
- Ronny Smith, Managing Director, InventHelp
Former License This! 2021 winner of the Brand & Design category, Xavier Smith with The Kujifunza Kids, a children’s animation brand, noted: “On behalf of my daughter India and my team, we are so thankful for the many doors the License This! program has opened. Designing our characters’ stories with my daughter has been epic and magical. Bringing life to the characters through brand exertion has truly been a remarkable journey, and we’re just getting started.”
Smith continued: “We encourage all creators to take a leap into this world that marries imagination and reality. License This! is the perfect platform for anyone with a dream to create – they provide all the tools you need to explore and create. Winning was a dream that we hope so many others can experience, too.”
Each category winner will receive:
- Free-of-charge 100 square foot booth at Licensing Expo 2023 worth $2,500
- One-year Licensing International membership worth $1,000 for a small business
- One-year Products of Change membership, worth up to $450 for a small business
- One-to-one consultation with License This! judges
Learn more about the License This! competition and how to submit an entry here.
Press can register for free credentials here.
Follow Licensing Expo on social: #LicensingExpo
Launched in 1980, Licensing Expo is the world’s largest and most influential annual tradeshow dedicated to licensing and brand extension. Every year, more than 5,000 brands and 16,000 retailers, licensees, manufacturers, distributors, and licensing agents attend Licensing Expo from more than 70 countries. Licensing Expo is a part of the Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets, 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.
About Licensing International
Licensing International is the leading trade organization for the $290+ billion global brand licensing industry. Licensing International’s mission is to foster the growth and expansion of brand 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 www.LicensingInternational.org for more information.
US Media Contact
Lauren Lloyd, 310-266-4792, LicensingPR@informa.com
Europe Media Contact
Charlie Le Rougetel at BIGTOP, +44 (0)7736 330676, charlie@bigtop-pr.co.uk
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