Licensing International, the trade organisation for the global licensing industry is bringing its UK Licensing Essentials Course to the virtual sphere this summer, hosting a two-day event from Wednesday, July 29th to Thursday, July 30th.

Designed as a crash course in all aspects of brand licensing, the event is targeted to all brand licensing professionals, with a focus on retail executives, as well as other professionals looking to break into or expand their profile in the $293 billion licensing industry.

Typically held in London, this year’s course will be fully online, opening up the opportunity for professionals outside of the UK to easily participate for the first time ever. Also for the first time, there will be no cost to attend.

The programme will take place over two, half days from 13:30 to 16:00 GMT each day, and will feature both live and pre-recorded sessions broken up by a series of fun networking activities, including virtual roundtables and a happy hour at the Virtual Licensing Bar.

Content will be tailored for everyone from industry newcomers to accomplished veterans while sessions will cover best practices, basic licensing know-how and new industry standards in light of recent global events. Among the topics to be covered are:

• It All Starts Here: How IP Comes to Life – a deep dive into the path new IP follows to make it to store shelves
• Reality Check: License Agreements for Non-Lawyers
• Who’s Shopping? A Profile of the Children’s Market
• The New Normal for Licensing – a look at how licensing has been impacted by COVID-19 and how to take advantage of new opportunities

Confirmed speakers include Susan Bolsover of Penguin Ventures (part of Penguin Random House); Andrew Carley of TILT Global Brand & Licensing Solutions, Dave Collins of PowerStation Studios, Rob Corney of Bulldog Licensing, Steven Ekstract, Informa’s Global Licensing Group, Louise French of Beanstalk, and consultant Aysha Kidwai.

They will be joined by Adrienne Mirviss of Wildbrain CPLG, Holly Oldham of Rubie’s UK, Gary Pope of Kids Industries, Claire Potter of Metrostar Media, Julia Redman of Buyers Eye, consultant Graham Saltmarsh, commercial strategist Pete Selby, and Will Stewart of The Point.1888.

“The decision to host Licensing Essentials Course online this year has allowed us to not only open it to a global audience, but also make it free to attend for the first time ever,” said Maura Regan, president, Licensing International.

“This event truly is a must-attend for anyone looking to expand their understanding of the brand licensing industry, especially retail executives who may be exploring new ways to adapt or enhance their business models in light of the disruption we’re currently seeing.”