Day three of BLE will spotlight new and diverse brands and voices to drive meaningful change, and include a special keynote session.

The final day of this year’s Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) will focus on sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion, spotlighting new and diverse brands and voices in order to drive meaningful change.

“Through partnerships with Products of Change, Licensing International, Black Lives Matter Licensing as well as Junk Kouture and many more brands, all aspects of the day three programme will aim to educate, inspire and invite action within the brand licensing community,” said Anna Knight, SVP of Licensing, Informa Markets.

BLE is the leading European event for licensing and brand extension and takes place from 20th-22nd Septemberat ExCeL London. Registration is open online.

The day will include the following timed events:

• 9:30-10:00am – Sustainability case study with Hasbro, License Global Theatre. Presented by Catrina O’Brien, head of Retail EurAsia – Licensing Consumer Products, Hasbro, and Helena Mansell-Stopher, founder & CEO, Products of Change.
• 10:00-10:15am – Culture & Unity catwalk. Featuring Black Lives Matter Movement fashion collections and spotlighting Black-owned businesses looking to break into the licensing industry.
• 10:30-12:200pm – Kelvyn Gardner License This! final – Brand & Design and Character & Animation categories. Watch finalists pitch live to a panel of expert judges to be crowned the winners of the License This! 2022 competition.
• 12:30-12:45pm – Sustainability catwalk. Products of Change, together with the United Nations and Junk Kouture, will present an educational and inspiring 15-minute set centred around the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as a catalyst for change. Junk Couture will host an exclusive catwalk show, presenting designs from its worldwide competition for 13–18-year-old students.
• 1:00pm-1.45pm – Day 3 keynote: Panel Discussion: The Good Fight: How Purpose Breeds Success. A panel of industry change makers will debate how leading with purpose can create a competitive advantage for licensors, retailers and licensees alike. With moderator Will Stewart, founder & CEO, The Point.1888; Nicolas Loufrani, founder and CEO, The Smiley Company; Veronica Hart, EVP Global Franchise Planning & CP Marketing, Paramount; Helena Mansell-Stopher, founder & CEO, Products of Change and Kingston Myles, head of Commercial Development, English Heritage.

Additional sustainability, purpose-driven and DE&I initiatives will take place throughout all three days of the show, to include the BLE & POC Sustainability Café, the Products of Change Lounge; Black Lives Matter Licensing; free of charge exhibiting space for Ukranian business owners; the Wellness Lounge; a discount to charitable and non-profit organisations exhibiting for the first time and Licensing International’s Diversity & Inclusion Accelerator.

“As consumers continue to expect more from the brands they love and the products they buy, it’s essential that we provide a platform as organisers to inspire, share ideas and educate, which is why we’ve framed the last day of the event around driving purpose and change,” added Anna Knight. “There is so much great innovation going on in this space, it’s essential to learn from one another as we strive for a cleaner, better future.”