From Sept. 24-26, Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) took over the ExCeL with more than 250 exhibitors for the show’s 25th year running. The milestone event broke BLE attendance records.
More than 10,800 attendees from 172 countries stopped by the show, a 12% increase over last year. More than 1,400 retailers were in attendance, a 46% increase over 2019 and 22% over last year. Retailers in attendance included Aldi, ASOS, Dick’s Sporting Goods, H&M, Miniso, Uniqlo, and more.
Source: Brand Licensing Europe
“We’ve had fantastic feedback from retailers on the brands they’ve been able to meet through pre-booked meetings — which also reached record-breaking levels — and shopping the show floor for product inspiration and unexpected new connections,” says Laura Freedman-Dagg, BLE’s Head of Retail. “We work hard to bring new retailers to the show each year, and there’s nothing more gratifying than seeing them walking the show and engaging with our exhibitors who, once again, have really brought their A-game.”
“What a fitting way to celebrate BLE’s 25th anniversary by breaking all previous records held by the show,” says Anna Knight, Senior Vice President of Licensing at Informa Markets. “It is testament to the hard work, commitment and passion of an amazing team who really care about delivering the very best event for this industry. On behalf of them and me, thank you again to everyone in the European licensing industry that supports us year after year — attendees, exhibitors, partners, retailers, media and more. It means everything.”
The number of exhibiting companies also increased by 5%, with more than 60 new exhibiting companies. Next year’s BLE will take place from Oct. 7-9.