Over 230 exhibitors, including more than 30 first-time exhibitors, attended the fashion-themed edition of Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) on 20-22 September at ExCeL London. Retail visitor numbers (as a percentage of total attendance) rose by 4% compared with pre-Covid levels (2019). European visitor numbers were also on par with pre-Covid levels. Furthermore, 4,575 meetings were booked through the show’s online platform, a 46% rise vs 2019.
Commenting is Anna Knight, SVP of Licensing, Global Licensing Group. “This year was the best BLE I can remember in my seven years. It was just amazing from start to finish. I really do want to thank everyone who exhibited, visited, and worked with us to fix things.
“I am also delighted to say we enjoyed our busiest ever day three on record this year. When I shared the highlights video from our final day on LinkedIn, I confessed that it was one of my proudest moments ever.
Days 2 and 3 were the busiest on record, and BLE 2022 was the 22nd event
“We dedicated day three of BLE 2022 to sustainability, diversity and purpose. We wanted to showcase diverse voices and talent and work alongside industry partners to drive positive change within brand licensing. And that’s exactly what we did.
“From the opening Peppa Pig case study with Hasbro to the Culture & Unity catwalk in partnership with Black Lives Matter, which was just stunning and powerful from start to finish, to our Sustainability catwalk with those amazing Junk Kouture collections and the content from the UN’s Caroline Petit, and our keynote panel, which dissected how purpose can breed success.
“None of that would have been possible without the shared vision of Helena Mansell-Stopher from Products of Change, Saphia Maxamed of Black Lives Matter Licensing, and our very own Ella Haynes, who worked tirelessly to bring everything to life. The focus for day three wasn’t a tick box for us.
“We said it last year when we gave Saphia a platform to introduce many in the industry to Black Lives Matter Licensing, and we’ll say it again; this isn’t a one-off. This is part of our DNA, and you can expect to see it every year. We believe in what we’re trying to do, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Also commenting is Ella Haynes, BLE Event Director
“Everyone I talked to commented on how busy the show felt, how the buzz was back to the BLE days of old, and that makes me incredibly proud.
“I’d just like to remind everyone they can now watch all the educational sessions for free and on-demand on our online platform. The content was so strong this year, all of the sessions were incredibly well attended. The Mattel keynote was literally standing room only. So if you didn’t get to see it on the day, don’t worry, you haven’t missed out.
“Next up is Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit in New York in November, Licensing Expo in May, and BLE returns to ExCeL London 4-6 October. We’re also sponsoring networking drinks at SiLC in London on 18th October, so we hope to see you all there, especially if we didn’t get a chance to say hello at BLE.”
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