The Licensing International Excellence Awards prepare for Licensing Expo Virtual live stream ceremony

The Licensing International Excellence Awards will be returning to Licensing Expo this year, albeit in a virtual format, as the ceremony makes its preparations to live stream on Day One of Licensing Expo Virtual this August 24th to 26th.

The annual award programme will once again honour a list of nominees and reveal the 2021 winners across its 22 categories, whittling down the record-setting number of finalists from the more than 150 nominees across 23 countries. The live broadcast will take place on the Licensing Expo Virtual platform and is available exclusively to event attendees.

Register here for the event and ceremony free of charge.

Scheduled for August 24 at 9:00 a.m. PST/12:00 p.m. EDT, the live ceremony is designed to celebrate a world-class group of licensing professionals, IP owners, agencies, retailers, and more, for their creativity and dedication to the pursuit of advancing the brand licensing industry.

“In a year where stay-at-home restrictions radically disrupted societal behavior, a selection of standout professionals and companies helped the industry navigate these uncharted waters through strategic licensing initiatives – many of which are nominated for this year’s Licensing International Excellence Awards,” said Maura Regan, president of Licensing International.

“Each and every one of this year’s nominees have played a part in reimagining the brand to consumer relationship, changes that will have a positive impact on the outlook of our industry. We look forward to celebrating these successes during the award ceremony during Licensing Expo Virtual.”

Anna Knight, VP of Licensing, Informa Markets, added: “Licensing Expo is about bringing the global licensing community together, a sentiment that really strikes home as we’ve all had to face unique challenges and think outside the box, more so than ever before.

“We are proud to partner with Licensing International and host the Excellence Awards ceremony on the first day of this year’s event to pause and applaud so many individual’s and company’s continued perseverance and inflow of creative ideas that kept our industry’s momentum going.”

The Licensing International Excellence Awards categories include:

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Apparel / Footwear / Accessories
Presented by WildBrain CPLG

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Appliances/Automotive/Electronics/Housewares/Paint
Presented by ViacomCBS

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Digital: Apps / Software / Video Games
Presented by WildBrain – emojitown

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Food / Beverage
Presented by LI Accelerator Recipients Bedrock Collectibles, Holy Joe, LIBREX, Park Star Media & Somos Arte

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Health & Beauty Aids
Presented by WildBrain – Teletubbies

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Home Décor
Presented by InSpirit Designs

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Publishing / Social Expression / Back-to-School
Presented by ViacomCBS

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Toys / Games / Novelties / Role Play (ages 0-8)
Presented by Alifish

BEST LICENSED PRODUCT – Toys / Games / Novelties / Role Play (ages 8+)
Presented by InSpirit Designs

BEST AGENCY / MANUFACTURER REP
Presented by Bedrock Collectibles, Holy Joe, LIBREX, Park Star Media & Somos Arte

BEST LICENSED BRAND – Corporate
Presented by ViacomCBS

BEST LICENSED BRAND – Digital: Apps & Video Games
Presented by InSpirit Designs

BEST LICENSED BRAND – Entertainment / Character / Toy Brand – Animated
Presented by Alifish

BEST LICENSED BRAND – Entertainment / Character – Live Action
Presented by InSpirit Designs

BEST LICENSED BRAND – Food / Beverage / Restaurant Brand
Presented by WildBrain CPLG Lifestyle

BEST LICENSED BRAND – Lifestyle: Art / Design / Celebrity / Fashion Brand
Presented by Bedrock Collectibles, Holy Joe, LIBREX, Park Star Media & Somos Arte

BEST LICENSED BRAND – Sports / Collegiate
Presented by ViacomCBS

BEST LICENSED COLLABORATION
Presented by Alifish

BEST LICENSED PROMOTION
Presented by WildBrain CPLG – Peanuts Worldwide

BEST RETAILER – Corporate / Lifestyle / Fashion / Sports
Presented by Alifish

BEST RETAILER – Entertainment / Character
Presented by Bedrock Collectibles, Holy Joe, LIBREX, Park Star Media & Somos Arte

THE PANDEMIC PIVOT
Presented by ViacomCBS

 To view the full Licensing International Excellence Awards nominee list, visit here.

Global Licensing Group details new dates for BLE 2021 – a hybrid of in-person and online events

Global Licensing Group, a division of Informa Markets and event organisers of Licensing Expo and Brand Licensing Europe, has detailed its 2021 and new event format, bringing with it a hybrid of in-person and virtual offerings.

Licensing Expo will take place live and in-person at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on August 10th to 12th, while accompanying the tradeshow is an online event, which will be held two weeks later on August 24th to 25th.

Meanwhile, Brand Licensing Europe will take place live and in-person at ExCeL London on November 17th to 19th, 2021, with an online event also following two weeks later on November 30th to December 1st, 2021.

The new format has been devised to meet the demand for face-to-face meetings with the flexibility and convenience of an online event setting as a means of encouraging  IP exploration, new connections and thought leadership.

The shift to a multi-platform format will blend the best components of in-person and online to create an enhanced experience for all participants no matter their circumstances or location. Supported by a robust online platform, exhibitors and visitors will have access before, during and after the events to schedule and host meetings, enjoy on-demand content and thought leadership and search and discover the widest range of properties available for license anywhere in the world.

The Las Vegas and London events will be organized in accordance with Informa’s AllSecure health and safety standards designed to ensure all participants can attend events safely and with confidence. AllSecure practices are comprised of learnings and best-practices from across the leading trade event companies around the world, in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, to create physical environments that meet industry standards for gathering.

“We truly understand the importance of relationships and in-person connections to the licensing industry and have therefore made the decision to move both events to a time later in the calendar year,” said Anna Knight, vice president of the Global Licensing Group.

“In addition, we have also seen a fantastic response to Licensing Week Virtual, which we ran in June, and October’s month-long celebration Festival of Licensing. Following consultation with many of our customers, we have decided to carry forward the successful elements of these virtual events and learnings from them to run alongside our in-person events in 2021 and beyond.

“Multi-platform events are definitely the future, and the combination of live and online offers no limits to global participation.”

Maura regan, president, Licensing International, Global Licensing Group event sponsor, added: “I know I’m not alone in eagerly anticipating the moment when we can all gather again in person, and this revised timeframe and hybrid solution for our industry’s two flagship gatherings will offer the best chance for that to happen soon and safely.

“While we certainly learned this year that nothing can replace actual face-to-face interaction, the unique value of virtual events is their global accessibility. This plan for the 2021 iterations of Licensing Expo and BLE will allow us to have the best of both worlds.”

Cityneon partners with Museo Larco to introduce Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru

The exhibition and live event specialist, Cityneon Holdings has entered into an agreement with Museo Larco and Inkaterra Asociacion, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Government of Peru, to debut an exhibition of over 200 piece of rare artefacts from Peru that pre-date the Inca empire.

Called Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru, the exhibition will feature pieces that are valued at around $250 million and will travel to various cities around the world.

Partnering with World Heritage Exhibitions as the exclusive global show operator and promoter, Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru will feature the largest gold collection to travel the world. It will also include a virtual walkthrough of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Machu Picchu.

Recent restrictions put in place to preserve the invaluable historical site, fewer than 1 million travellers are allowed entry into Machu Picchu every year. With the recent global pandemic situation, the need for social distancing and other measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, this number has further dipped to 250,000.

In Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru, visitors will be treated to the story of the transformation of dozens of ancient cultures in Peru, starting with the Chavín culture, one of the earliest civilizations in the Americas, and stretching 3,000 years to the discovery of Machu Picchu by Hiram Bingham III in 1911.

The highlight of the exhibition is a fully intact Gold attire of a Chimú emperor, that dates back to 1300 AD. The Chimú empire was born from the previous Moche state in the northern coast of Peru, centuries before the expansion of the Inca empire, that formed the largest empire of the Southern Hemisphere.

The Chimú attire is the expression of an imperial body dressed in gold, channelling the power of the Sun, representing this Andean God on earth, and it will be surrounded by more than 10 earlier royal gold and silver ancestral attires from the land of the Incas.

Ron Tan, executive chairman and chief executive officer of Cityneon, said: “We are honoured to be trusted by Museo Larco and the Government of Peru to showcase these treasures to the world. We believe our expertise and track records will let us do justice to these remarkable pieces of rare Machu Picchu artefacts and allow us to take visitors through big, wonderful experiences.

“We are thankful to work with partners as established as the Museo Larco, Inkaterra Asociación and World Heritage Exhibitions. Together, we are confident to showcase this thrilling exhibition about the ancient cultures who lived in this city 7,000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains.”

With the limited entertainment options available as the world recovers from the unprecedented global pandemic situation, Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru will differentiate itself as a safe entertainment option due to the sheer size of the exhibition spanning over 1,500 square meters, allowing social distancing between visitors while they savour the 228 pieces of original Peruvian artefacts.

José Koechlin Von Stein, president of Inkaterra Asociación, added: “We are delighted to announce this partnership with Cityneon. Their track records of holding interactive exhibitions means Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru will be just as engaging as all their previous works, and we look forward to hosting millions at this historical, educational and fun exhibition while visitors learn about Peruvian history.

“We trust Cityneon’s vast expertise will truly bring ancient Peru to life.”

Andrés Alvarez-Calderón Larco, president of Museo Larco said: “We’re incredibly proud of our rich history and trust that Cityneon is the best partner to showcase the extraordinary and rich history of ancient Peru, bringing to life the various cultures that have lived in the land of the Incas and Machu Picchu over an astounding 5,000 years. We cannot wait for people all over the world to view these amazingly preserved artefacts up close.”

To hold the exhibition, Cityneon has assembled an experienced global team who would be able to handle the historical treasures. The Group’s subsidiary Victory Hill Exhibitions holds the world’s largest market share of Hollywood exhibition IPs globally, and it will make use of its vast industry experience in the curation of intellectual property in the travelling museums artefacts space.