Licensing Expo Virtual’s On Demand Content goes live ahead of show’s launch next week

The on-demand content surrounding this year’s Licensing Expo Virtual has now gone live, with the show scheduled to take place only one week from now, when it will play host to some 3,000 confirmed digital meetings.

Slated to take place from August 24th to 26th and produced in partnership with the industry trade association, Licensing International, the latest exhibitors at the virtual event have also been confirmed, with the likes of Global Icons and Sportgear joining a line-up featuring ViacomCBS, Tokidoki, Crayola, Games Workshop, WWE, Activision, Warner Bros, and more.

Among the thousands of attending companies taking advantage of Licensing Expo Virtual’s rich content and networking offerings include Amazon, Bioworld Merchandising, Hot Topic, J&J, Microsoft, pocket.watch, PopSocket, Primark, Ross, rue21, Toys R Us, and Walmart.

Those interested in attending the virtual event can register here free of charge to schedule meetings with the world’s leading IP owners and sift through thousands of available IPs that are ripe for license.

“In addition to Licensing Expo Virtual’s endless networking opportunities, we are immensely proud to produce world-class education in partnership with Licensing International,” said Anna Knight, VP of Licensing.

“All on-demand sessions will be going live in the platform from Monday to give attendees the chance to enjoy some of the content ahead of the live event, understand the latest trends, and enjoy the Licensing U program in preparation.

“We are also thrilled to share the highly impressive lineup of live speakers that are a part of the all-new Retail ‘Ask Me Anything’ program, Digital Brand Roadshows, Live Keynotes, Licensing International Excellence Awards and new Sustainability Clinics – speakers, exhibitors and attendees alike are all eager to leverage the upcoming Expo as a platform to explore the many challenges we as an industry have faced over the past 18 months and provide expert-led direction on the new opportunities that have emerged as a result of adversity.”

Designed to serve the critical retail segment that fuels the $292.8 billion in sales of licensed merchandise, Licensing Expo Virtual launched a new ‘Ask Me Anything’ program to help retailers make the most of the opportunities that licensing can offer.

From creating unique product ranges to building a more substantial experience in-store, licensing can help retailers stand out amongst competitors. Key sessions include:

Retail – ‘Ask Me Anything’ live sessions

Ask a range of licensing experts ANYTHING about brand licensing & retail. All questions can be submitted anonymously and will be answered during live sessions at the event – registered attendees can add them to their diary from today.

Session one speakers include experts from Brand Liaison, ACI Licensing, pocket.watch, and License Global

Session two speakers include experts from Retail Monster, IT’SUGAR, and License Global

Retail sessions on demand (available to watch from today)

Licensing as a tool for growth and customer engagement in retail

This session, presented by Julia Redman, Buyer and Consultant at Buyers Eye, will cover what to consider when bringing licensing into retail and how a well-thought-through licensing strategy can enhance your engagement with the customer. As with any business strategy, if you are going to embark on including licensing in your plans, you must consider and pre-empt both the benefits and the possible pitfalls to ensure that you create a clear path to success. We will try and help you create that path.

The Experience Economy – from pause to fast-forward

As kids, parents, and families continuously change the way they work, learn, shop, and relax – it’s more important than ever to understand their attitudes, behaviors, and consumption patterns in real-time. In this session, Jonathan Watson, CPO at The Insights Family, highlights some popular properties, brands, and categories emerging as the world reopens. We’ll also be discussing the growing trend for the ‘Experience Economy.’ Our recent data shows that some of the most important values parents look to instill in their children is value experiences more than products. The session will explore how retailers can think of licensing from a more strategic approach, creating partnerships that provide more value and long-term retention.

Wayfair’s sustained growth powered by a customer-centric vision and focus on execution

In this session, Ankit Mangal, Director at Wayfair, will speak to Wayfair’s recent growth and how it will sustain itself in coming years due to its customer-centric vision that manifests in different facets of the organization and focus on flawless execution to continue to increase share in a highly fragmented market that’s everything home.

Complementing consumer trends that are turning toward sustainability, Licensing Expo Virtual rolled out all-new Sustainability Clinics, in partnership with Products of Change, providing attendees access to renowned experts who are eager to share advice on developing eco-friendly business practices.

“The Sustainability Clinics are an important addition to this year’s event, as they offer attendees real-world advice on how to navigate this continuing trend,” remarked Knight. “According to a recent report by Nielsen, the U.S. sustainability market is projected to reach $150 billion by the end of the year – those are figures retailers, and IP owners need to pay attention to.”

See below for a snapshot of participants confirmed for the Sustainability Clinics:

  • Andrea Green, Principle, Globally Green Consulting
  • Brenda Seto, Ambassador for Canada
  • June Kirkwood, Director, Nutmeg Licensing
  • Carrie Lomas, CEO, Brand Conscience
  • Leonora Aixas Otero, Ambassador for Spain

Sustainability clinics are now available to book – registered delegates can visit the Products of Change virtual book and book their meetings with the experts listed above.

To view the full 2021 Licensing Expo Virtual agenda, find out about the Keynotes, Licensing International Excellence Awards, License This! Finale, Digital Brand Roadshows, and more details on the above sessions, visit here

Educational offerings and meetings are available exclusively to Licensing Expo Virtual attendees;  register for free now to pre-book meetings and access this content at the event.

Press interested in attending the event can secure credentials here.

Sony’s Funimation completes $1.175bn acquisition of anime platform Crunchyroll

The Sony owned Funimation Global Group has completed its acquisition of the anime platform, Crunchyroll from AT&T in a deal that closed out at $1.175bn.

Finalising a deal that was first detailed in December 2020, it now sees the Crunchyroll business welcomed into the Funimation fold – a partnership made up of Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment Japan.

The deal – valued at $1.175bn – arrives in recognition of the pace at which the popularity of anime is growing among audiences the world over.

“The alignment of Crunchyroll and Funimation will enable us to get even closer to the creators and fans who are the heart of the anime community,” said Kenichiro Yoshida, chairman, president, and chief executive officer, Sony Group Corporation.

“We look forward to delivering even more outstanding entertainment that fills the world with emotion through anime.”

Crunchyroll is an anime direct to consumer service that boasts more than five million SVOD (streaming video on demand) subscribers, offering mobile games, manga, events merchandise and distribution to over 120 million users worldwide.

“Crunchyroll adds tremendous value to SOny’s existing anime business, including Funimation and our terrific partners at Aniplex and Sony Mucis Entertainment Japan,” said Tony Vinciquerra, chairman and chief executive officer, Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“With Crunchyroll and Funimation, we are committed to creating the ultimate anime experience for fans and presenting a unique opportunity for our key partners, publishers, and the immensely talented creators to continue to deliver their masterful content to audiences around the world.

“With the addition of Crunchyroll, we have an unprecedented opportunity to serve anime fans like never before and deliver the anime experience across any platform they choose, from theatrical, events, home entertainment, games, streaming, linear TV – everywhere and every way fans want to experience their anime.

“Our goal is to create a unified anime subscription experience as soon as possible.”

New York Toy Fair 2021 cancelled as Coronavirus pandemic continues to cause uncertainty

The New York Toy Fair 2021 has been cancelled owing to the insufficient resolution of the ongoing Coronavirus crisis across the globe, the Toy Association has confirmed this afternoon.

The annual industry event had been moved from its Q1 February slot to a later date, scheduled to take place from May 1st to 4th this year. However, the US industry body has confirmed this afternoon that it will not conduct the interim trade show this year.

Plans for Toy Fair Dallas remain on course for October 2021 while providing an ongoing mix of physical and digital business opportunities for the industry will be the Association’s focus this year.

“Our foremost consideration is the health and well-being of the global toy and play community and setting a clear path forward,” said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of The Toy Association.

“We want to provide our exhibitors, retail buyers, and the larger toy and play community with certainty on important destination shows and the ability to take advantage of immediate opportunities through our year-round buying and selling platform.”

As uncertainty about the pandemic persists, The Toy Association remains keyed into what is possible, stating that it will be concentrating on its digital business offerings, before bringing the industry back together in person for Toy Fair Dallas 2021 from Tuesday, October 5 through Thursday, October 7.

The Toy Association is also looking ahead to Toy Fair New York 2022 from Saturday, February 19th to Tuesday, February 22nd in a newly expanded Jacob K. Javits Center.

Toy Fair Everywhere digital market weeks held throughout 2020 successfully helped toy businesses forge ahead amid the pandemic and brought in more than 3,000 buyers from over 60 countries, proving the global potential of the platform for doing business despite travel restrictions and different time zones.

This February, the digital B2B marketplace will further establish its position as the toy industry’s first and only year-round platform, making new business opportunities possible every day.

The Toy Association will also collaborate with additional prospective retailers throughout 2021 on virtual private product preview events, which in 2020 created new avenues for nearly 400 toy makers to get their products on shelves.

The next virtual event with specialty retailer Claire’s is scheduled to take place February 4th.

“These proven digital opportunities should continue to be a critical part of every toy businesses’ mixed sales and marketing strategy,” said Marian Bossard, executive vice president of global market events at The Toy Association.

“As we look forward to our time together at Toy Fair Dallas 2021 and Toy Fair New York 2022, the proof is in the pudding as to the potential of these digital tools and events to serve our members in reaching new audiences.”

Global Licensing Group details new dates for BLE 2021 – a hybrid of in-person and online events

Global Licensing Group, a division of Informa Markets and event organisers of Licensing Expo and Brand Licensing Europe, has detailed its 2021 and new event format, bringing with it a hybrid of in-person and virtual offerings.

Licensing Expo will take place live and in-person at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on August 10th to 12th, while accompanying the tradeshow is an online event, which will be held two weeks later on August 24th to 25th.

Meanwhile, Brand Licensing Europe will take place live and in-person at ExCeL London on November 17th to 19th, 2021, with an online event also following two weeks later on November 30th to December 1st, 2021.

The new format has been devised to meet the demand for face-to-face meetings with the flexibility and convenience of an online event setting as a means of encouraging  IP exploration, new connections and thought leadership.

The shift to a multi-platform format will blend the best components of in-person and online to create an enhanced experience for all participants no matter their circumstances or location. Supported by a robust online platform, exhibitors and visitors will have access before, during and after the events to schedule and host meetings, enjoy on-demand content and thought leadership and search and discover the widest range of properties available for license anywhere in the world.

The Las Vegas and London events will be organized in accordance with Informa’s AllSecure health and safety standards designed to ensure all participants can attend events safely and with confidence. AllSecure practices are comprised of learnings and best-practices from across the leading trade event companies around the world, in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, to create physical environments that meet industry standards for gathering.

“We truly understand the importance of relationships and in-person connections to the licensing industry and have therefore made the decision to move both events to a time later in the calendar year,” said Anna Knight, vice president of the Global Licensing Group.

“In addition, we have also seen a fantastic response to Licensing Week Virtual, which we ran in June, and October’s month-long celebration Festival of Licensing. Following consultation with many of our customers, we have decided to carry forward the successful elements of these virtual events and learnings from them to run alongside our in-person events in 2021 and beyond.

“Multi-platform events are definitely the future, and the combination of live and online offers no limits to global participation.”

Maura regan, president, Licensing International, Global Licensing Group event sponsor, added: “I know I’m not alone in eagerly anticipating the moment when we can all gather again in person, and this revised timeframe and hybrid solution for our industry’s two flagship gatherings will offer the best chance for that to happen soon and safely.

“While we certainly learned this year that nothing can replace actual face-to-face interaction, the unique value of virtual events is their global accessibility. This plan for the 2021 iterations of Licensing Expo and BLE will allow us to have the best of both worlds.”

The London Stationery Show confirms new May dates for 2021

The London Stationery Show will be making its return in 2021, taking up a new summer slot across May 18th and 19th at the Business Design Centre.

Exhibitions in the UK have been halted over the course of the pandemic and were originally due to resume in October. The government Department for Culture, Media and Sport has already approved the event industry’s Covid-19 guidance, and was also satisfied with pilot events which took place in September.

It is now expected that events will be allowed to restart from March 2021.

The London Stationery Show is the latest in a calendar of events to have to adapt to the current climate and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this week, the organisers of the annual Spring Fair confirmed that its 2021 show would not be going ahead, but instead be held as an all-virtual event ahead of the return of its physical format with Autumn Fair 2021 and Spring Fair 2022.

Last month, the British Toy and Hobby Association made the decision to call off London Toy Fair.

“We are confident that exhibitions will resume in the spring,” said London Stationery Show’s event director, Alex Butler “And to ensure we’re in the best position possible to host a second-to-none event, we have secured a slightly later date than usual for next year’s show.

“From speaking with exhibitors and visitors over the course of this year, we know that everyone is craving the opportunity to meet face-to-face. The industry is in agreement that nothing can replace the organic business which comes from an exhibition.

“The health and safety of everyone involved will continue to be at the core of our planning, and we will be working hard to communicate our plans to ensure everyone feels confident attending the show.

“We are ready to safely open London Stationery Show’s doors and cannot wait to see everyone there.”

London Stationery Show will take place on Tuesday 18 May and Wednesday 19 May 2021. For more information you can contact the team at stationeryshow@oceanmedia.co.uk.