Santa Monica, Calif. (May 19, 2016) – Top character and entertainment brands from all facets of media including film, television, online, music and gaming will meet once again in Las Vegas, NV, at Licensing Expo, the world’s largest and most influential licensing industry event. The annual tradeshow is an opportunity for these leading brands to make connections, further their influence and extend into new product categories and territories. Produced by UBM Americas and sponsored by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA), the Expo is held on June 21-23 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV.
Jessica Blue, Senior Vice President, Licensing, UBM: “Licensed products account for $241.5 billion* in total retail sales worldwide, with 44.4%* of that from character entertainment brands. Licensing Expo provides an opportunity for these brands to showcase new concepts and evergreen franchises, to update existing partners and find new ones.”
As the longest consistently running licensing tradeshow, Licensing Expo connects more than 16,150 licensees, manufacturers and retailers with both iconic and emerging intellectual properties each year. The 2016 show features brands such as Alvin and the Chipmunks, Angry Birds, Dr. Seuss, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Garfield, Hot Wheels, Minions, My Little Pony, The Simpsons, The Smurfs, Sonic the Hedgehog, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Swan Princess, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Thomas & Friends, Transformers and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Some of these beloved characters can be seen during the annual Licensing Expo Character Parade held at select times throughout the show. Highly anticipated by attendees and exhibitors alike, the Parade is the place where character and entertainment licensing comes to life.
Pete Yoder, Vice President, Cartoon Network Enterprises, North America: “Each year, Licensing Expo is a critical event on Cartoon Network’s planning calendar. It provides the perfect platform to showcase our ever-broadening portfolio of hit brands, whether at our highly anticipated partner summit, or our impactful presence on the show floor. This year, we look forward to celebrating our successful launch of ‘The Powerpuff Girls,’ making key announcements around global franchises like ‘Ben 10’ and ‘Adventure Time,’ and introducing Adult Swim’s breakout hit ‘Rick and Morty’ to the licensing community.”
Over 435 companies representing more than 5,000 brands will be exhibiting at this year’s Licensing Expo. Character and Entertainment highlights include BBC Worldwide, C3 Entertainment, Inc., CBS Consumer Products, DreamWorks Animation, Hasbro, Iconix Brand Group, MGA Entertainment, NBCUniversal Brand Development, Nickelodeon, One Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Rovio Entertainment Ltd., Saban Brands, Sony Pictures Consumer Products, Striker Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products, Ubisoft Entertainment, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and many more.
*Figures are courtesy of the LIMA Annual Global Licensing Survey.
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Can’t wait for June? Check out the NYC Licensing Summit video series for exclusive, on-demand content from executives such as Hasbro’s Simon Waters. Videos now available for purchase.
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Media Contact: Jannelle Grigsby, media@licensingexpo.com +1 310 857 9020
About Licensing Expo (www.licensingexpo.com)
Now in its 36th 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 16,150 retailers, licensees, manufacturers, distributors and licensing agents attend the Expo from more than 90 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 and Brand Licensing Europe.
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.