The Licensing Forum, source of ideas and business opportunities | Key4Communications | News

The 7th Licensing Forum offered ideas and business opportunities for all professionals of this industry. The event was held on September 12 at Ifema, in parallel with Intergift and bringing together more than 150 professionals representing 87 companies from all areas of the business: licensors, agents, licensees and retailers.

The event featured exhibitors thirteen , ten of them with their own booth:

- Biplano Licensing: this licensing agency presented its projects for its main properties, including Matt Hatter, Masha and the Bear, and the Dreamworks films, with franchises such as How to Train Your Dragon and Turbo.

- Copyright Promotions Licensing Group Barcelona, a multinational licensing agency with properties such as Skylanders and The Simpsons. The firm also introduced its new art property, inspired in the works of Michelangelo, as well as its plans for the 2014 World Basketball Championship to be held in Spain, plus Despicable Me 2 and the Minions.

- El Ocho Licencias y Promociones not only exposed its new agreements for Peppa Pig, which already has 60 licensees in Spain and Portugal, but also presented its projects regarding the preschool series Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom, as well as the series produced by Vodka and Fremantle’s Tree Fu Ton, among others.

- Fremantle Media is an international audiovisual group, holding the rights for television series as Monsuno, Strange Hill High, and Kate and Mim-Mim, among others.

- Hong Kong Licensing Show – HKTDC explained the opportunities offered by this fair to be held in Hong Kong from 6 to 8 January.

- LIMA Iberia is the official representative in Spain and Portugal of the international association of licensing professionals.

- Luk Internacional not only presented its plans for Doraemon, but also for Banana Cabana, B-Daman, Trash Pack, and the app Line.

- Mattel Brands, the licensing division of the world's best-selling toy maker, announced its new property, Ever After High, aimed at girls over seven years, and the preschool licenses of Hit Entertainment .

- Planeta Junior, a company specializing in audiovisual content, detailed its plans for Maya the Bee and the Rainbow series, including Mia and Me.

- Selecta Vision focused on two properties: the preschool series Dinosaur Train, by Jim Henson and with Tomy as master toy, and La CQ, a series by Televisa and Cartoon Network.

Three other companies took part in the event using the new meeting spaces for licensing agents.

- Arait Multimedia, multimedia content distributor specializing in Japanese animation and with Inazuma Eleven as star property.

- Imira Entertainment, a Spanish company specialized in the production and distribution of audiovisual content for children and youth, with properties such as Lucky Fred in its portfolio.

- Mendía Licensing, licensing and promotional agency, managing classic brands like Pepsi and Asterix and Obelix, among others.

Roundtable on retail
The roundtable The increasing power of retail analyzed the weight and influence of the retailers in the licensing business, and outlined some ideas about how to address the relationship between retailers and other industry players.

The panel featured:

- José Manuel Cuesta, Director, Fnac Majadahonda.
- Jose María Cendra, General Director, Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products.
- Pau Pascual, Director, Copyright Promotions Europe Group Iberia.
- Lluís Torrent, General Director, Panini Iberia.
- Fernando Pérez, Director, NPD Group Spain.

Among other issues, participants noted:

- The need for licensors and agents to explain properties to retailers.
- The concentration on a handful of licenses as retailers are committed to safe bets.
- The need for retailers to count with a licensing manager.
- The business opportunities presented by the industry.

The event encouraged the exchange of knowledge and business opportunities, and was organized by the trade magazine Licencias Actualidad, published by Ediciones Just. The publication has 15 years of experience in reporting and analyzing the industry.