BLE 2018 opens Matchmaking Service following huge successes in 2017

Events

Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) opens its Matchmaking Service following huge success in 2017. Nearly 3,000 business meetings were pre-arranged for BLE 2017 using the service, a 150 per cent increase

It connected 1,000 licensors with licensees, made 12,000 contacts available for meetings spread across a wide range of sectors and interests and attracted over 250,000 online user profile views. One Matchmaking Service user secured business worth $1.5m.

Introduced by BLE in 2016, the BLE Matchmaking Service is a free online tool that exhibitors and visitors can use to pre-book meetings to take place during the show. 

It allows visitors to:

• Make the best use of their time at the show
• Search by region, company name, property name, category and more to ensure they meet the most relevant exhibitors for their needs
• Discover new properties by using the search tool to narrow down exhibitors by property type
• Introduce themselves pre-show to increase meeting efficiency

It allows exhibitors to:

• Search for pre-registered visitors by type, region, category, company name and more
• Message anyone requesting a meeting to ensure they are relevant
• Access a dedicated meetings space in the Matchmaking Lounge if needed
• Manage their stand team and oversee meetings schedules
• Populate their diary with meetings by syncing the Matchmaking Service to ical, Outlook or Google Calendar

BLE’s Matchmaking service also allows global partners and new exhibitors to take advantage of a free VIP concierge service, which offers support in setting up and building online profiles as well as booking meetings with a tailored wish list of relevant visitors.

BLE brand director Anna Knight commented: “2018 will be the third year of us running the Matchmaking Service and the rise in its use and popularity last year was incredible. BLE is a meetings event. People come here to do business. Exhibitors’ and visitors’ diaries are jam-packed from start to finish and the Matchmaking Service helps them to maximise their time at the show and also makes it possible for them to meet people they may have otherwise missed.

“To hear that one user secured $1.5m of business off the back of our Matchmaking Service is incredible – it’s exactly the reason we introduced it and here’s to more stories like that this year.”

Eye Candy Art Group managing director Mark Blackburn: “I’ve been coming to the show for seven or eight years and the Matchmaking Service is fantastic. You are now even telling me who I should meet; the wonders of technology!” 

Endemol Shine Head of UK Licensing: “We have all used it. It’s our first show and its absolutely brilliant.” 

Quantum Soup Studios visitor Chris Payne: “I go to loads of trade shows and this is the best matchmaking system I have used. Definitely.”