The Frankfurt Book Fair (10-14 October) will follow the London fair in highlighting the importance of licensing for the publishing business. LIMA UK Managing Director, Kelvyn Gardner, will moderate its academy session on licensing and publishing on 12 October. The packed three-hour session will see experts from both publishing and licensing explain how to build books into successful brands and vice versa. It will cover the type of topics and characters that are suited to a licensing programme, how to find the right business partner, what to bear in mind when drawing up a contract and what licensing agencies can offer. The session will be of particular interest to rights and licensing managers from publishing houses and international licensing agencies. Experts at the session include Olivier d’Agay, Director of the Saint Exupéry – d’Agay Estate (which looks after rights for The Little Prince), Dr. Ursula Feindor-Schmidt, lawyer for copyright and media law and Paul Chen, General Manager, Rovio Entertainment Ltd. China (creator of Angry Birds). The session forms part of the Frankfurt Book Fair’s academy programme which offers a range of conferences, workshops, training and professional opportunities. Other licensing-related initiatives organised by the Fair include a cross-media trading centre, training sessions on rights management and a rights directors meeting which will be focusing on the Chinese market. Kelvyn Gardner, Managing Director of LIMA UK, comments: “The opportunities for publishers to increase income via licensing their characters to non-book manufacturers are huge and conversely the publishing industry represents a goldmine to licensees. Our latest research shows that publishing is the fifth largest sector of licensing. We’ve seen some stand-out international successes in the publishing field, whether it’s the licensing programme for Fifty Shades of Grey or children’s content such as Harry Potter, The Gruffalo or The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” Tickets for the event are now available through the Frankfurt Book Fair’s website which is on: www.buchmesse.de -ends- For media enquiries please contact: Victoria Roe, The PR Network Tel: 07967 804140 Email: victoria.roe@theprnetwork.co.uk Notes to editors: About LIMA Founded in 1985, the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) is the primary trade organization for the worldwide licensing industry. LIMA’s mission is to bring together all segments of the industry for the advancement of professionalism in licensing through research, national and international seminars, trade events and publications. With members in 35 countries, offices in New York, London, Munich, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, and representatives in Australia, Iberia, India, Italy, Korea, and “New Europe,” members enjoy access to a wide variety of activities, resources and benefits. For more information on LIMA sponsored trade shows, educational programming, networking opportunities and more, please visit www.licensing.org. To learn more about LIMANET, the most complete network of Property Information and Licensing Professionals online, please visit www.limanet.com. LIMA UK has been operating since 1999. In addition to our international services, we support local members with UK government contact, specialist business support services and UK-tailored educational seminars and networking events. For more information please visit www.licensing.org.uk