Officially biggest BLE on Record
This week’s Brand Licensing Europe was the biggest ever, breaking previous record levels of attendee and retailer visitor numbers; a fitting way to celebrate the event’s 25th anniversary.
By midday on the final day (Thursday 26 September) and with four hours of meetings still to go, BLE had broken the following records:
· 10,847 attendees – + 12% over 2023 so far. Please note, this is not the final end-of-show figure and is expected to increase even further.
· 1,417 retailers – + 46% over 2019 and + 22% over 2023
· Attendees from 172 different countries.
Anna Knight, SVP Licensing, Informa Markets, said: “What a fitting way to celebrate BLE’s 25th anniversary by breaking all previous records held by the show. 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.”
Retailers attending BLE this year include Aldi, Asda, ASOS, Bargain Max, Bershka, Boots, C&A, Celio, Dexy Co, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dunelm, El Corte Ingles, Forbidden Planet, Frasers Group, H&M, Habitat, JENNYFER, Lidl, LUSH, Mango, Marks & Spencer, Mercadona, Miniso, Next, PEP, Pets at Home, Poundland, Primark, Pull&Bear, Reiss, Sainsbury’s, Selfridges, Specsavers, Stradivarius, Tesco, Undiz, Uniqlo, Urban Outfitters, WH Smith, Zara, Zavvi and many more.
BLE’s head of retail Laura Freedman-Dagg said: “Retail attendance at BLE has grown once again to record levels and we’re delighted with the category and geographical representation of buyers coming to the show this year.
“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. 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.”
Additional highlights:
· 242 exhibiting companies, a 5% YOY increase, including more than 60 new exhibiting companies.
· 10% increase in meetings over last year, over 6,200 meetings arranged through the BLE online Event Planner
Earlier in the week, BLE organisers celebrated the show’s 25th anniversary with a birthday party and photocall with many licensing professionals who attended that first even in 1999 and still attend today.
