Mattel President and COO Richard Dickson to present BLE day one keynote: ‘Barbie x Fashion’

Iconic global brand Barbie will be the star of Brand Licensing Europe’s day one keynote, ‘Barbie x Fashion’, delivered by Mattel President and COO Richard Dickson.

“Barbie is one of the world’s greatest fashion and licensing icons, collaborating with everyone from Balmain, Karl Largerfeld, Moschino and Diane von Furstenberg, to M.A.C. and River Island,” says Informa Markets SVP of Licensing Anna Knight. “And, like all fashion icons, she has evolved, disrupted, inspired and led from the front – she is the perfect star to take centre stage during BLE’s fashion themed year and it’s no surprise she was labelled ‘The forever icon’ by Italian Vogue. Thank you, Mattel and Richard Dickson – we can’t wait for your keynote at BLE in September.”

During his Barbie x Fashion keynote, taking place at 1pm on Tuesday 20 September, Richard Dickson, Mattel President and Chief Operating Officer, will take BLE visitors on a rollercoaster ride, looking at Barbie’s amazing legacy to date and heralding the remarkable runway that lies ahead.

Brand Licensing Europe is Europe’s leading trade event and takes place from 20-22 September 2022 at ExCeL London. Registration is free and open now.

Richard Dickson first joined Mattel in 2000 and, in his role, he leads Mattel’s portfolio of global brands, overseeing innovation strategy, design and development, and brand marketing. He also oversees franchise management, which includes licensing and merchandising, episodic content, live events, and digital gaming.

During his time at Mattel, Richard Dickson has grown some of the world’s most powerful and purpose-driven brands, including Barbie – the most diverse line of fashion dolls – and Hot Wheels. In 2021, Barbie was the #1 toy property globally, Hot Wheels was the #1 vehicle property globally, and Fisher-Price was the #1 Infant, Toddler, and Preschool property globally, per The NPD Group.

Brand Licensing Europe unveils packed agenda for 2022 event

Europe’s leading event for licensing and brand extension – Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) – has announced a packed schedule of networking, educational and experiential events for its 22nd show, which takes place from 20-22 September 2022 at ExCeL London.

Welcoming thousands of European retailers, manufacturers and brand owners, BLE 22 will present the latest brand collaborations, inspire future product ranges, display the hottest product design innovation, showcase new and emerging IPs, and highlight the endless opportunities for brands to extend into new categories and markets.

Attendees can register for free to join Amazon, Aykroyd & Sons, Tesco, Moonpig, Panini France, Jakks Pacific, HMV, Danilo, Paladone Products, Clementoni Spa, Spin Master, Ravensburger and more, already registered to visit.

More than 150 exhibitors have confirmed their participation including Mattel, NBCUniversal, TF1 Licensing, Acamar Films, Pokémon, Sophie La Girafe, Difuzed, Crunchyroll, Bravado, The Smurfs, AC Milan, Asterix, Formula E, Paramount, BBC Studios, Hasbro, Gallimard Jeunesse, Ubisoft.

Attendees can enjoy the following experiential, educational and networking highlights:

  • 10 choreographed catwalk shows forming part of BLE 2022’s fashion theme focusing on Footwear, Kids, Food & Beverage, Collabs, Sports & Athleisure, Culture & the World and Sustainability
  • 4 branded cafes and bars offering immersive experiences, product installations and additional meeting space
  • The much-loved character parade, taking place at 11.30am on 20 and 21 September – follow the characters as they walk through the show before emerging outside the West entrance of ExCeL.
  • The Kelvyn Gardner License This! competition Finale returning on 22 September from 10:30am until 12:00pm. Watch the shortlisted entrepreneurs battle it out to win the 2022 Character & Animation and Brand & Design awards. Plus, last year’s winners Sophie Jonas-Hill with Tea for Tattoo and Joel Mercer’s Seed Folk exhibiting on the main show floor.
  • A new sustainability and diversity programme spotlighting new and diverse brands and voices, with 22 September (final day of the show) exclusively dedicated to bringing this to life through activations and education
  • An exclusively curated Retail Lounge designed for retail attendees to mingle, gain product inspiration and host meetings

Educational highlights include:

  • Free-to-attend keynotes on 20 & 21 September at 1:00pm in the License Global Theatre. Stay tuned for the first reveal next week.
  • A renewed partnership with Products of Change providing an educational platform for those looking for guidance on how to make their business more sustainable
  • A re-imagined experience for newcomers to the industry with orientation sessions, show tours, speed networking and expert mentoring alongside pre-event on-demand content .
  • Additional free educational sessions in the License Global theatre including category spotlights and conference sessions from the recently postponed Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit
  • Entertainment showcases on 20 & 21 September in the Platinum Suite

All sessions will be recorded and available on-demand in the online platform, available to all registered attendees and exhibitors. This does not include the invite-only entertainment showcases.

Networking highlights include:

  • Opening Night Drinks on the show floor on 20 September from 5:00pm – 7:00pm open to all attendees and exhibitors.
  • The return of the Online Meetings Service and Matchmaking Lounge allowing attendees and exhibitors to book meetings ahead of the event and maximise ROI from the show.
  • Exhibitor drinks reception on 21 September at the Novotel from 5:00pm – 7:00pm.

“The calendar for BLE is firming up quickly and we want to give the industry as long as possible to start planning and block their diaries before the meeting requests start coming in. With so much going on through the exciting Fashion theme, the packed seminar programme and more, there’s something for everyone and we can’t wait to welcome the European licensing community to ExCeL this September,” says Informa Markets SVP of Licensing Anna Knight.

Upon registering, all visitors and exhibitors will gain access to the free online platform to setup their profile in preparation for the Meetings functionality opening mid-July to book meetings ahead of the event. All content will be available on-demand in the platform once the show ends.

 

Visitor registration for Brand Licensing Europe 2022 is now open

Hot on the heels of a triumphant in-person return for Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) opens online visitor registration today. The event brings together thousands of leading retailers and manufacturers to discover the widest range of brands from Europe available for license for three days of deal-making, networking and trend spotting and returns to ExCeL London from 20-22 September.

Over 120 companies from all over the world – with strong representation from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Lithuania, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK – are already confirmed to exhibit.

They include some of the world’s leading brand owners including Paramount, Warner Bros, Hasbro, NBCUniversal, Mattel, Aardman Animations, AC Milan, Acamar Films, Banijay Brands, Asmodee, Asterix, BANDAI NAMCO, Beanstalk, Brandgenuity, Bulldog Licensing, Caroline Mickler, Crunchyroll, Cyber Group Studios, Difuzed, FC Barcelona, Gallimard Jeunesse, IMG Licensing, LMI, Magic Light Pictures, Natural History Museum, Penguin Ventures, Perfetti Van Melle, Royal Museums Greenwich, Sanrio, SEGA, Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe, The National Gallery, The Pokémon Company, The Smurfs, V&A, Yale University and many more. Latest names confirmed include Euro Lizenzen, MGA Entertainment, Formula E, Ubisoft, UEFA Club Competitions, Van Gogh Museums, Creative Licensing Corp, KOCCA and more.

Thousands of brands are represented on the show floor, from animation to sports, heritage, arts, gaming and more, offering attendees the opportunity to secure the rights to  leading brands including My Little Pony, MTV, Top Gun, Chupa Chups, Asterix & Obelix, Paw Patrol, the Victoria & Albert Museum, The Batman, Hello Kitty, Assassin’s Creed, Peter Rabbit, Barbie, Masha & the Bear, the Van Gogh Museum, Formula E, le Petit Prince, Kellogg’s, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sophie la Girafe, Far Cry, and many more.

“It was essential to bring BLE back as an in-person event last year – this industry is highly creative and collaborative and relies on  face-to-face networking as well as the ability to experience brands first-hand so we can’t wait to return even stronger this September,” says Anna Knight, Informa Markets SVP of Licensing. “We saw some great quality attendees there – and at Licensing Expo last month – including H&M, Pull & Bear, Primark, Asda, and so many more, which shows the strength and growing appetite for brand collaborations and licensing.

“For 2022, we can’t wait to bring the industry back together again and help to drive the conversations that lead to the creation of innovative new products that consumers love. This year’s fashion theme aims to showcase collaborations first-hand and will let retailers and licensees experience brands and products in a more meaningful, engaging way.”

This year’s BLE theme is fashion, which will be woven throughout the show’s content and spotlight the incredible creativity happening in this sector and its impact on the licensing industry as a whole, from brand collaborations to innovations in the metaverse, retail experiences and sustainability with the continued partnership with Products of Change, will include daily fashion shows on the central catwalk, inspirational product showcases, a high-profile keynote and complementary conference sessions.

Kirsty Schaper, Senior Brand Licensing Manager, Royal Museums Greenwich, says: “We are absolutely delighted to be returning to BLE in 2022 to exhibit our unparalleled collections in astronomy, art and British and maritime history and technology. Visit our stand to discover opportunities and inspiration for working with our exceptional, world-class collections to create unique products in association with our prestigious heritage brand.”

Brand Licensing Europe announces fashion as main theme for 2022

This year’s theme for Brand Licensing Europe, taking place on 20-22 September at ExCeL London, will be fashion. Visitors and exhibitors will be able to enjoy interactive features showcasing some of the biggest fashion licensing deals over the past year.

 

The fashion theme will weave its way throughout the event, including:

  • High-end product showcases on display close to the catwalk and in the main entrances, featuring products modelled in the catwalk shows
  • The License Global Theatre is moving back to the show floor for 2022 and will include several sessions and two keynotes dedicated to fashion
  • Products of Change make a very welcome return to Brand Licensing Europe and will be a powerful driver behind communicating the importance of sustainability in fashion

Ten 15-minute fashion shows will hit the central catwalk across three days, themed around key licensing categories. Retailers, designers and manufacturers can expect professional, expertly made-up and choreographed models (covering both kids and adult ranges) to be featured as brands’ collections are displayed on the catwalk.

The catwalks will cover multiple categories, including: Collabs, Food & Beverage, Footwear, Kids, Sports & Athleisure, Sustainability and Culture & The World.

Each show will also be live-streamed across the show floor and in both the central boulevard and West Podium at ExCeL London.

Anna Knight, SVP of Licensing, Informa Markets, says: “From Primark x Greggs, H&M x Keith Haring Mark II and Natural History Museum x Fat Face, to Selfridges opening as a fully-functioning online retailer in the Metaverse and amazing in-store experiences popping up all over the world, fashion is an incredibly exciting space to be in right now. The impact it can have on brands, and brands can have on it, is endless.”

For more details, enquire here.