Festival of Licensing Rebrand Allows for Month of Networking and Business Deals
December 10, 2020
It’s not often you can put Trivial Pursuit, an MTV-styled workout and Spongebob Squarepants-themed yoga into one event, let alone of one sentence. Yet that sort of creativity is why Informa Markets is hailing the success of its month-long virtual Festival of Licensing in October.
Traditionally held over three days at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, the 2020 Licensing Expo was entirely reimagined due to the pandemic. Rather than cram Zoom connections with attendees all across the world into a few days, Informa dramatically altered the scale and shape of the show.
The sheer size of the licensing industry—any brand you’ve heard of is involved—makes the event daunting during regular circumstances. The goal is to connect manufacturing companies including Hasbro, ViacomCBS and Bandai Namco and more with representatives from the likes of Nike, Target, Walmart, McDonalds and Lego. Deals made at this event lead to how retail stores and restaurants are stocked.
More than 200 household names manned virtual expo booths to continue the communication necessary to maintain the business exchanges that translate to everyday purchase for consumers.
Running Oct. 6-29, the Festival of Licensing was split into three international scopes—The Americas, Europe and Asia—that were spotlighted each week. This allowed staff to make the event as accessible to attendees regardless of time zone or other potential constraints of remote participation.
Feedback from show participants was overwhelmingly positive.
“Our experience at Festival of Licensing was invaluable—the deals signed, connections made, and education offered far exceeded expectations,” said Carol Janet, CEO of Design Plus. “We are thrilled to be walking away with newfound relationships with qualified licensees that we would otherwise not have had the chance to speak with and look forward to exciting developments for our brands that are a direct result of exhibiting at Festival of Licensing.”
Anna Knight, vice president of Informa’s Global Licensing Group, credits teamwork in transforming a three-day trade show into a three-week experience over a three-month period.
She suggests any group trying to pull off a similar feat sacrifice live programming for smoothness in order to ensure a successful, seamless event.
“I cannot recommend enough that you pre-record as much of the content as possible, this lessens the chance of technical hiccups,” Knight said. “You don’t want to interrupt the online attendee experience.”
After-hour activities and built-in breaks like the Spongebob and board game activations were added to alleviate the strain of attending a trade show on a computer. “We wanted to quell virtual attendee burnout,” Knight added.
The 2021 Licensing Expo is slated to return to Mandalay Bay in May 2021, but Knight predicts, and even encourages that some of the changes made in the year of COVID remain in place.
“We hope that these styles of events will be as inclusive as possible and enable participation for those unable to attend in 2021 and also those who perhaps have not thought about attending previously,” she said
Partner Voices
Overview:
The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality.
In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way.
“We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.”
Amenities:
The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.
The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience
The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need.
Gold Key Members
The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events.
OCCC Events:
This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.
The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:
AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023
200,000 Attendees
$257 Million in Economic Impact
MEGACON 2023
160,000 Attendees
$205 Million in Economic Impact
Open Championship Series 2023
69,500 Attendees
$89 Million in Economic Impact
Sunshine Classic 2023
42,000 Attendees
$54 Million in Economic Impact
Premiere Orlando 2023
42,000 Attendees
$108 Million in Economic Impact
Add new comment