Brand Licensing Europe has announced record attendee numbers at its 2019 event, and the theme for its 2020 return: fashion.
The event, which took place at the UK’s ExCeL London, is dedicated to brand licensing and extension, connecting big names such as Manchester City FC and Nintendo with product makers who can extend their brands.
Brand Licensing Europe welcomed 8,062 visitors and 268 exhibitors, a record number for the show’s history.
Next year’s event will be all about fashion licensing, through apparel, footwear, accessories and beauty. Early stage plans include a live catwalk, with dramatic themed shows beamed onto every digital screen throughout the venue.
BLE 2020 will also be exploring fast fashion, haute couture collaborations, sustainability, the economy and more, says Informa Markets VP licensing Anna Knight.
She commented: “BLE has become infamous for its themes and we are so excited about next year’s, we’ve been planning it for months. What I love about fashion in licensing is how inclusive it is. It’s accessible to every BLE exhibitor and its appeal is universal: it’s relevant to every demographic and is gender, race, age and generation neutral.
“We all have an emotional connection with fashion. For years, toys have traditionally been the gateway to consumer products for brands, but apparel is now helping to drive experiences and build brands, especially for categories like eSports, which have an older, hardcore, merch-driven, fanbase.
BLE 2020 takes place at ExCeL London from 6-8 October 2019.
