New York City, NY and Burbank, CA — Licensing International (LI) and the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) are announcing a new partnership that will facilitate networking and information sharing for members while fostering the growth, expansion, and reach of the global brand licensing industry as well as the global themed entertainment industry.

As the leading trade association for the $356+ billion global brand licensing industry, Licensing International’s mission is to raise the level of professionalism for licensing practitioners and create greater awareness of the benefits of licensing to the business community at large. LI serves over 1,200 corporate members, including licensors, manufacturers, retailers, agents, consultants, and service providers in 40 countries and across industries.

As the leading association for the themed entertainment industry’s global community of creators, innovators, and fabricators of themed experiences, TEA supports the makers of experiences worldwide and provides tools, education, community, and connections to support the growth of their businesses.

“Connecting Licensing International’s members with the TEA community opens up so many exciting opportunities,” said Maura Regan, President of Licensing International. “This new partnership between our two associations brings Licensing International’s members together with TEA’s members so that they can share and gain insights into the trends driving each industry and collaborate to develop quality experiences that will delight consumers around the world.”s

“We are energized and excited for this new partnership with Licensing International,” said Melissa Oviedo, CEO of Themed Entertainment Association. “Through our discussions with Licensing International, we understand licensors turn to TEA members to help them bring licensed location-based experiences—and more—to life. This collaborative partnership will further facilitate new connections while opening doors to new business opportunities within both associations and our members.”

Key benefits of the partnership include:

• TEA members will receive LI’s Affiliate Member rate to attend and exhibit at the annual Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, and Licensing Expo China events.
• LI Members will receive TEA’s Affiliate Member rate to attend TEA events
• Reciprocal sharing and access for members to exclusive research, reports, and data created and published by both organizations
• Joint networking events and opportunities to help facilitate connections between TEA and LI members

This strategic partnership furthers Licensing International and TEA’s commitment to providing value for members while supporting the dynamic brand licensing and themed entertainment industries through the creation of innovative new projects and experiences.

TEA and Licensing International are also thrilled to announce their upcoming joint event during the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas later this month. Stay tuned for registration information and Save the Date for an evening at the JOHN WICK EXPERIENCE, located at AREA15 on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.

To learn more about LI and TEA, please contact: Maria Ungaro, SVP, Member & Partner Relations (mungaro@licensing.org), or Chloe Hausfeld, Global Director of Strategic Partnerships (Chloe@TEAConnect.org).

About Licensing International
Licensing International is the leading trade organization for the $350+ 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, more than 1,500 Licensing International member companies in over 40 countries enjoy access to an array of benefits, including extensive educational programming and worldwide networking events. Visit https://www.licensinginternational.org/ for more information. 

About TEA
The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) brings together the creators and makers of experiences worldwide – from the creative storytellers to the technical builders, from operators to investors, from idea to operation – and provides them with tools, education, advocacy, community, and connection to help grow their businesses and careers. The international non-profit association’s members focus on creating for and serving the leisure and travel sectors. Their work can be seen in entertaining and educational projects found in theme parks, water parks, museums, zoos, corporate visitor centers, casinos, restaurants, branded experiences, multimedia spectaculars, retail spaces, resorts and hospitality, destination attractions and more. TEA encompasses a dynamic community of more than 1,600 member companies in over 40 countries. TEAConnect.org