Both events will benefit from in-person and online experiences.

The Global Licensing Group, a division of Informa Markets and event organisers of leading global events Licensing Expo and Brand Licensing Europe, has announced its 2021 dates and an innovative new event format.

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

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

Schedules for both in-person and online events can be viewed below.

An official statement reads: "2020 has proven that the need to meet and connect face-to-face is paramount, however the flexibility and convenience of an online event setting is also useful to the business of brand licensing, particularly in terms of fostering IP exploration, new connections and thought leadership."

The Global Licensing Group says 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 licence anywhere in the world.

The Las Vegas and London events will be organised in accordance with Informa’s AllSecure health and safety standards, which have been 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,” says 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.”