LICENSING NEWS

Details of BLE round table discussion focusing on toys and licensing

Published on: 13th September 2019

Toy World Publisher John Baulch will chair a panel discussion at BLE entitled ‘How can toy licensing recover its sparkle?’

Following on from the ground-breaking licensing survey which Toy World conducted in partnership with Informa, the organiser of the forthcoming BLE show, this year’s event will host a special panel discussion which will debate some of the survey’s findings and explore ways in which sales of licensed merchandise could be boosted after four consecutive years of decline.

The aim of the survey was to assess the current attitudes of toy licensees and retailers towards the licensing category – the upsides and the downsides, the opportunities and the challenges, its strengths and how partnerships with licensors could be improved for everyone’s benefit.

The results of the survey, which were published in the August and September issues of Toy World, offered an honest and unflinching perspective on the issues facing licensees, and the panel session is sure to be equally lively and informative, providing plenty of food for thought for licensors, licensees and retailers.

Entry to the panel discussion is free of charge and details of the session can be found below. We hope to see many of you there.

How can toy licensing recover its sparkle?

An exploration of the ways in which toy licensees and retailers can collaborate with licensors to reinvigorate the licensed toy category

Day: Tuesday 1st October

Time: 12:30 – 13:00

Seminar Theatre: License Global Theatre

Chair: John Baulch, publisher & managing editor, Toy World

Panellists: 

  • Hannah Mungo, director of Consumer Products, UK and Ireland at NBCUniversal
  • Marianne James, VP, Consumer Products, Commercial Partnerships & Experiences UK, Northern & Eastern Europe, Nickelodeon Viacom Consumer Products
  • Andrew Barrett, director of product development, VTech Electronics Europe
  • Lucy Wynne-Jones, head of licensing, Europe, Moose Toys UK
  • Stuart Grant, buying director, The Entertainer

This panel discussion is one of 25 sessions scheduled for BLE’s License Global Theatre. Other highlighted topics include sustainability, publishing, animation, gaming, eSports, food and beverage, heritage, fashion, influencers, digitalisation, retail, Brexit and more.

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