Brand Licensing Europe opens is now accepting entries for next year’s popular Retail Mentoring Programme after 2023’s programme fills up in record time.
Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) 2023 opens its doors at Excel, London, in exactly three months, yet head of retail Laura Freedman-Dagg has already opened applications for 2024’s Retail Mentoring Programme (RMP).
BLE’s RMP is a six-month course for retailers in the UK who are new to licensing and want to find out how it can boost their career, product ranges, customer loyalty, business and profitability. It’s free, CPD accredited, interactive and backed by leading brands. It starts in March 2024 and will culminate at BLE, which takes place 24th-26th September 2024.
The programme has been running for 13 years and has become so popular among retailers that BLE was forced to close applications for 2023 two months ahead of schedule. 90 delegates are enrolled for 2023, a record number and 16 more than last year.
The 2024 Retail Mentoring Programme includes:
- Individual and team mentoring with Keith Pashley, licensing industry specialist and RMP programme manager
- Complimentary access to Intro to Licensing online training
- A complimentary delegate pass to the second Licensing for Retail day, which returns to The Convene, London on 7th March 2024.
Licensing for Retail got off to a flying start this year with exactly 200 attendees including 106 retailers from My 1st Years Ann Summers, George at Asda, Claire’s DFS, FatFace, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Moonpig, Morrisons, New Look, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Home Bargains, HMV, TruffleShuffle, Iceland, Selfridges, Vanilla Underground and more.
Delegates enjoyed top-level content including trend presentations, case studies and panel discussions from the likes of Mattel’s Head of Consumer Products Jon Spalding, plus lots of time carved out for valuable networking with peers, the BLE and Licensing Internationals teams, brand owners, licensees, agents, consultants, media and industry suppliers.
- A day spent with a licensor host to better understand their side of the business. Hosts this year include Sega, Bravado, Hasbro, National History Museum and CAA Brand Management.
- The opportunity to judge the product categories at the Licensing Awards.
- Attendance at a pre-BLE seminar programmed in line with the group’s specific learning goals and includes an interactive workshop element.
- VIP attendance at Brand Licensing Europe (24th-26th September, Excel, London) with access to the exclusive retail lounge experience.
- Entry to the RMP Alumni group which facilitates learning and networking opportunities year-round for those who have graduated from the programme.
Laura Freedman-Dagg, head of Retail, Informa Markets’ Global Licensing Group, said: “The RMP is such an important part of the Brand Licensing Europe offering. We work very hard to continually find ways to engage retailers who might not consider themselves ‘in licensing’ as well as those joining teams which live and breathe it.”
Laura continued: “This approach is a priority for us as it drives sustainable growth, cross category representation and, perhaps most importantly, retailers who ‘get it’ before they even step foot on the tradeshow floor. Attracting more retailers to the show is beneficial for brands and our exhibitors, of course, but it’s also part of our remit to educate retailers about the good of licensing.”
Lucy Steer, partner & head of Category Gifts, Dine, Cook and Seasonal, John Lewis & Partners attended this year’s Licensing for Retail conference. She said: “I found the Licensing for Retail day truly inspiring and innovative, with thought provoking, relevant speakers from market leading brands and agencies, as well as providing a great opportunity to connect with licence agencies, brands and other retailers.”
