Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) 2023 opens its doors at ExCeL, London in three months, yet head of retail Laura Freedman-Dagg is opening applications for the Retail Mentoring Programme 2024 (RMP) today.

BLE’s RMP is a six-month course for retailers in the UK who are new to licensing. It caters for those who want to find out how licensing can boost their career, product ranges, customer loyalty, business and profitability. RMP is free, CPD accredited, interactive and backed by leading brands. It starts in March 2024 and will culminate at BLE, which takes place 24-26 September 2024.

The programme has been running for 13 years. It has become so popular among retailers that BLE had to close applications for 2023 two months ahead of schedule. Ninety delegates are enrolled for 2023 – a record number – and 16 more than last year.

 

 

The 2024 Retail Mentoring Programme includes:

• Individual and team mentoring with Keith Pashley, licensing industry specialist and RMP programme manager
• Complimentary access to Intro to Licensing online training
• A complimentary delegate pass to the second Licensing for Retail day, which returns to The Convene, London on 7 March 2024.

Licensing for Retail got off to a flying start this year with exactly 200 attendees, including 106 retailers such as My 1st Years, FatFace, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Selfridges and more.

Delegates enjoyed top-level content including trend presentations, case studies and panel discussions from the likes of Mattel’s Head of Consumer Products Jon Spalding. Plenty of time was also carved out for valuable networking with peers, the BLE and Licensing Internationals teams, brand owners, licensees, agents, consultants, media and industry suppliers.

 

 

Commenting is Laura Freedman-Dagg, head of retail at Informa Markets’ Global Licensing Group.

“The RMP is such an important part of the Brand Licensing Europe offering. We work very hard to continually find ways to engage retailers who might not consider themselves ‘in licensing’ as well as those joining teams which live and breathe it.

“This approach is a priority for us as it drives sustainable growth, cross-category representation and, perhaps most importantly, retailers who ‘get it’ before they even step foot on the trade show floor. Attracting more retailers to the show is beneficial for brands and our exhibitors, of course, but it’s also part of our remit to educate retailers about the good of licensing.”

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