Toys and licences are closely interlinked. The Spielwarenmesse reflects the growing spectrum of products in this field and reveals additional sales potential to retailers. In doing so, the world’s leading toy fair provides the perfect platform for the international licensing business. When the toy trade and industry travel to Nuremberg from 29 January to 2 February 2020, they will discover the most coveted new releases and classics.

Hand in hand with Licensing International
From lifestyle products to dolls and from cuddly toys to back-to-school, stationery and creative crafts – international exhibitors across all twelve product groups will present a wide array of licensed products with strong sales potential. Trade visitors and retailers walking through the foyer of Hall 12.0 will come across Licensing International (formerly LIMA), whose stand is a central hub for the licensing industry during the fair. The partnership between the licensing association and the Spielwarenmesse has been highly successful for the past four years. Members of Licensing International are invited to a Happy Hour on Thursday from 4 pm to 7.30 pm. At the LicensePreview, association members are given the opportunity to present their highlights to an exclusive circle of visitors. The participants at the LicensePreview include, among others, NBC Universal, Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products and WildBrain CPLG with Sony Pictures and Sanrio.

Knowledge transfer
Ernst Kick, CEO of Spielwarenmesse eG, comments: “The key players in the licensing industry are all appearing at the Spielwarenmesse. By offering a selection of targeted features, we’re encouraging an intensive dialogue between licensors and licensees, agencies, trade and industry.” One such feature are the LicenseTalks, which deliver plenty of new and relevant insights. At Spielwarenmesse 2020, the talks will take place across four days for the first time. Experts at the Toy Business Forum in Hall 3A will shed light on the latest licensing themes from 10.30 am to 11.30 am, Wednesday to Saturday. On the first day, the speakers will look at the topic of Sustainability and Licensing. The following day, Jennifer Coleman (VP Licensing and Marketing, Konami Cross Media NY), Steven Ekstract (Brand Director, Global Licensing Group) and Sam Ferguson (VP Global Licensing, Jazwares) focus on “Digital Native Brands: Gaming as Content Originator”. The Friday will be under the banner of “Sequels & Co. – How to plan your business for sequels, spinoffs and remakes” with Werner Lenzner, Licensing and Strategic Development Manager at the Simba Dickie Group as one of the speakers. “Licensing market trends” will be discussed on the Saturday. Licensing International and License Global Magazine are supporting the talks.

Licensing in the spotlight
Exhibitors at Spielwarenmesse 2020 have at their disposal a diversity of opportunities to show their licensed products in their best light. The options range from banners and special displays to staircase advertising. Walking Acts draw the visitors’ attention to licensing themes and are a popular and memorable selfie motif. Providing a helpful overview of the licensed products on show, the LicenseGuide will be available online from 12 December at www.spielwarenmesse.de/en/licenseguide.

Fair dates: Spielwarenmesse®, Wednesday to Sunday, 29 Jan – 2 Feb 2020