Licensing Expo 2018 kickstarts in Las Vegas, showcases more than 5,000 brands

The Las Vegas Licensing Expo 2018 kickstarts at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center from May 21.

Sponsored by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association, the annual trade show will take place May 22-24. The event will showcase more than 5,000 brands that reflect the latest developments in consumer trends.

The industry’s definitive event will see more than 16,000 attendees, licensees, retailers, manufacturers, distributors, brand owners, licensing agents and IP holders, representing more than 65 countries, enjoy a wide selection of networking, educational and business-building opportunities.

New exhibitors for Licensing Expo include Country Music Association, Flying Colors Apparel, Gearbox, Members Only, Penguin Random House, Pocket.watch, Swiss brand World, Tetris, TOHO, Tokidoki, U.S. Marine Corps Trademark Licensing, Van Gogh Museum and Warner Music Group, among others.

“Licensing Week was born out of a desire to give our attendees a well-rounded, 360-degree experience at Licensing Expo, and this year’s lineup certainly reflects this mission,” said Jessica Blue, senior vice president, global licensing group, UBM.

These new exhibitors join an overabundance of returning exhibitors including 4K Media, Aardman Animations, Activision, American Greetings Entertainment, Atlantyca Entertainment, BBC Worldwide, Bravado International Group, BuzzFeed, CAA-GBG Global Brand Management Group, Cartoon Network Enterprises, Discovery Consumer Products, Genius Brands International, Grumpy Cat, ITV Studios Global Entertainment and more.

Nicholas Denissen, vice president, Amazon, will deliver the opening keynote address at Licensing Expo. Denissen will speak to how brands can grow their business online and what Amazon is doing to enable them.

Additionally, Licensing Week will provide supplementary tools for non-American and new industry players.

Meanwhile, InventHelp will introduce its Virtual Invention Browsing Experience (VIBE), which will connect enterprising brand owners and manufacturers directly with forward-thinking inventors looking to bring the newest products to market.

Licensing Expo will offer its Matchmaking Service to registered attendees. The Matchmaking Service allows users to seek out meetings and opportunities that suit their needs.

LIMA will also announce the winners of its annual International Licensing Excellence Awards, which showcase the industry’s best in creativity and performance across all major sectors of licensing, on May 22.

During the ceremony, LIMA will also recognize this year’s Hall of Fame inductees–Elias Fasja-Cohen, chief executive officer and founder, Tycoon Enterprises, and Brian Goldner, chairman and chief executive officer, Hasbro.