Licensing International Expo

Licensing International Expo is the $191-billion-a-year licensing industry's largest annual event.

A trade show for leveraging properties and brand equity to develop merchandise, Licensing International Expo attracts more than 500 exhibitors representing more than 7,000 brands and properties in entertainment, sports, fashion & apparel, publishing, art & design, automotive, animation/anime, home & housewares, and LifeStyle.

Exhibitors include Fortune 500 consumer brands, film studios, publishing houses and other creative agencies.

More than 25,000 attendees from 82 countries represent the world's leading retailers, manufacturers, distributors and licensing agents.

The show is owned and organized by Advanstar Communications, Inc. It is sponsored by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA), and is affiliated with License! Global magazine.

Overview

Promoted as "The World's Brand & Property Marketplace," Licensing International Expo offers companies access to potential partners in licensing and merchandising, domestic and international, in one location. The show also hosts a three-day, simultaneous conference program called Licensing University. Because Licensing International Expo is an event specifically chosen for exhibiting movies, characters and other properties many months in advance of general release, it is regarded by the industry as a bellwether for retail trends.

Licensing International Expo's show floor serves multiple functions. Several thousand square meters contain hundreds of exhibits and displays, seating areas for impromptu and scheduled business discussions, and specialized suites inside which negotiations are held in privacy.

Agreements involving or related to licensing, while classifiable in general terms, are not prescriptive, resulting in many possible combinations of parties and transactions.

Manufacturers and licensees contract with owners to leverage and extend brands and properties. Retailers, wholesalers and distributors may come in search of merchandising programs and strategic partnerships. Licensing agents work with owners to market brands and properties worldwide. Marketers looking for promotional tie-ins frequently partnering with film studios. Media representatives identify emerging trends and spot market opportunities. Attorneys and support organizations fulfill a range of professional needs, including trademark and copyright law services.

Licensing University Conference Program

Sponsored by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA), in partnership with Licensing International Expo, the Licensing University conference program holds over 30 classes and seminars on a wide variety of industry-related topics. Courses are taught by ACTIVE licensing professionals and divided into basic, intermediate and advanced levels of content sophistication (one novice-level session is typically offered as part of an introductory, pre-conference workshop). A single-fee enrollment grants attendees access to every conference session.

Course topics from the 2008 conference program included "The ABCs of Licensing," "Understanding the Legal Side of Licensing" and "Working with Licensing Agents and Consultants" (basic level); "Entertainment Roundtable," "Retail Trends & Forward Thinking" and "Auditing & Policing Royalty Agreements" (intermediate level); "Brand Management for Licensees," "Extending Your Brand Globally" and "Working with International Licensing Agents" (advanced level).

Every year, selected courses qualify as credit towards earning LIMA's Certificate of Licensing. The Certificate of Licensing (CLS) is a year-long program incorporating 60 hours of classwork with industry experience, and can provide the educative foundation for a career in licensing and merchandising.

Relocation

In early 2008, after nearly thirty years of holding Licensing International Expo in New York City, the show's owners, partners and sponsors announced that Licensing International Expo 2009 would be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advanstar Communications launched a print and online promotional campaign ("What's Next?") in August 2008. It presented the move as the initiation of a larger facility in a favorable economic environment, which would attract a greater number of exhibitors and attendees with the prospect of more potential licensing deals and lower expenses — thus, a strategic decision consistent with the principles of both Licensing International Expo and the licensing industry itself.