While you have been sweltering back in the tropical heat of the UK, I have spent this week navigating the (fiercely air-conditioned) halls of Mandalay Bay in downtown Las Vegas, where Licensing Expo has been taking place. It’s been another successful trade show which reinforces the fact that events are getting back to their pre-pandemic ‘buzzy’ best. Things happen when you congregate en masse and meet face-to-face that would simply never happen over zoom. Meetings are more productive, both sides are more engaged and there is always the possibility of random introductions that are unlikely to ever be pre-planned but can turn out to be very rewarding.

Someone made a very good point: when you return after a week of 40+ organized meetings and numerous spontaneous conversations in the aisles, hotels, bars and airport lounges, you won’t necessarily remember every detail. But you will remember what you felt and what excited you – an emotional reaction that stays with you. You leave with a strong sense of which brands, properties and partners you want to work closer with – and hopefully a good connection that can be built on. You rarely get the same depth of feeling from a digital presentation.

Overall, the turnout here has been good – back to pre-pandemic numbers. A strong softlines presence is always to be expected, given the fast-paced nature of that area, where deals can be signed and product brought to market in a matter of months. Hardlines is different, with fixed seasonal launch windows and longer product development lead times. Hence most toy companies with a strong licensed portfolio see the benefit of visiting the show to start planning for 2024 and even 2025.

Not all toy retailers made the trip, but quite a few key players still see significant value in attending, such as The Entertainer, B&M, Home Bargains, Lidl and Frasers – although the grocery channel was conspicuous by its absence (no Tesco, Argos / Sainsburys and only George representatives from Asda), which is quite a change from years gone by. A couple of major licensors didn’t have a presence on the show floor this time round, but pretty much every significant licensing company was here in some shape or form.

The good news – especially when looking ahead to 2024 – is that confidence seems to be returning and slates are strong. There is plenty to get excited about for next year and beyond, and although the problems at some major US retailers create a ripple effect which spreads across the globe, arguably that only makes ‘new’ even more important.

Gossip has been fairly thin on the ground: I gather Zag will be taking all UK licensing in-house with immediate effect while I bumped into Jo Hall, who tells me that she will be ‘retiring’ from her role as chief commercial officer, Toys R Us Asia at the end of September and relocating to Phuket. However, I suspect it won’t be the last that we see of Jo in the toy arena – I am sure there will be no shortage of advisory / consultancy offers for someone with her considerable knowledge and experience. But after 39 years in the corporate retail world, she has certainly earned the chance for a change of pace.

The only real controversy here has centred on the various showcase presentations run by major licensors. Disney moved its showcase from the Monday before the show opened to running it on a show day, taking visitors off the show floor – which understandably didn’t go down too well in some quarters. I can’t see them getting away with that again next year. A few licensees were similarly disappointed that they were excluded from the showcases, either because “you’re from the UK and this presentation is for Americans” or “it’s only for existing licensees, not prospective new partners.” That seems a strange rationale for a global show where attendees are being encouraged from across the globe, and for an exhibition where a key goal is surely to attract new partners to work with you.

Of course, attendance policy is up to each individual company. If it’s a capacity issue, I have some sympathy. If, however, it is a conscious decision to exclude certain demographics, there are broader issues. One licensees I spoke to was fuming: “I have brought six people here. What’s the point if we can’t get access to what we came here to see.” If the show is to remain truly international and not become a localized North American event, perhaps some of these licensors could take another look at their approach?

So, that’s Vegas for another year, well done to Anna Knight and her team for putting on a great show. It’s still a weird place (where else would you go inside to smoke because outside areas are designated smoke free?) and we need to land a few decent deals to pay for the sandwiches and coffee we’ve consumed (and you thought Olympia was expensive…). But undoubtedly it was a very productive and successful trip. I would particularly like to thank all the people who went home on Wednesday evening, leaving some of our larger partners with time to meet with us on the final day; often our best day at shows is the last day.

Now for a relaxing weekend to get my voice back (talk too much…moi?) before diving into the mountain of follow up and catching up on everything we missed while we have been away. I’m looking forward to watching our editor Rachael’s appearance on BBC Breakfast, as part of a segment discussing Barbie, as excitement builds for the forthcoming Barbie movie – and all retailers could certainly do with a bit of excitement right now.