Second Slate of Speakers at the B&LIS

The LEGO Group, Microsoft Xbox, Revlon, Elizabeth Arden, Studiocanal, Perry Ellis, Hasbro and Chefclub are among the many brands represented by speakers at this summer’s Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit, taking place online from 9-11 June. Early bird registration for the summit remains opens until 16 April and three-day passes can be purchased for as little as £175 (£158 for Licensing International members).

Stephanie Freeman, The LEGO Group’s Global Licensing Manager – Outbound, and Mark Bezodis, Licensing Managing Director, Perry Ellis International, will contribute to an opening day panel ‘Brainstorming the future of licensing in retail and vice versa’ alongside Karen Hewitt (Character.com), Susan Bolsover (Penguin Random House), and Licensing International MD Graham Saltmarsh.

Day one  sponsored by Custom Gateway, focuses on Trends and Retail and the five experienced panellists will cover huge questions being asked at retail right now, including:

• Whether and how to pivot online
• How stocking and selling licensed product could change in the future
• The benefit of adapting to instore experiential offerings
• How to reinvigorate returning customers to bricks and mortar stores
• The impact digital strategies are having on IP

Mark Bezodis, Licensing Managing Director, Perry Ellis International, commented, “BL&IS is an important event for the licensing industry because, for many, it’s an opportunity to pause and listen to the pioneers of the industry and the only event which seems to have its finger on the pulse of all things licensing and retail.”

Stephanie Freeman, Global Licensing Manager – Outbound, The LEGO Group, added, “I am honoured to join a panel at B&LIS and provide my insights and experiences over my time in licensing and also during the last year. Touchpoints for people within the industry are essential during these times, to ensure we all keep connected and feel a sense of being part of a larger team, and I am looking forward to learning from fellow panellists and it will be great to engage with people I wouldn’t necessarily cross paths with.”

The second day of BL&IS is all about sustainability and CSR with content curated by Products of Change and speakers from Hasbro, George at Asda, Lyfcycle, DNA Brands and Brands In Limited will address the damaging effects of the fashion industry on the planet, and how the industry is transitioning to a sustainable future.

John Friend, Head of Halo and Xbox Consumer Products at Microsoft will join a day three panel alongside Difuzed Head of Gaming and Esports Dan Amos and Scott Macrae, Asda’s New Business and Partnerships Manager.

The summit’s third day takes a deep dive into content and digital transformation, and John’s panel is called Next Level: Why Gaming and Esports is Dominating the Entertainment Leaderboard. He and his fellow panellists will help delegates to understand:

• The types of games on the market and their relative franchise strength/accessibility to consumer products markets
• The role of community and evangelism in gaming consumer products
• Navigating rapid speed of consumption to capitalise on opportunity and maximise longevity
• Tapping into the potential of streaming

BL&IS is a three-day virtual event that has been designed specifically to help middle-management, business leaders and owners to navigate the changing retail, content and consumer landscape by:

• Addressing the latest industry trends and topics and provide actionable, inspiring insight on the future of brands and licensing.
• Tackling the changes in licensing and facilitating conversation around digital transformation, the rise of sustainability and why and how businesses need to adapt
• Bringing the community to exchange, debate and share trends, insights and challenges

Online registration for the Brand & Licensing Innovation Summits is now open at www.brandlicensinginnovationsummit.com. Early bird discounts of 30 per cent are available until 16 April. A three-day delegate pass at the early bird rate will cost just £175 (£158 for Licensing International members). Qualified retailers are invited to register for free.