Countdown starts to the thirteenth Bologna Licensing Trade Fair, the major regional event for licensing professionals takes place from 30-31 March

Posted on 14 January 2020

Events

The leading licensing fair for Italy and Southern Europe is only three months away – and it’s generating even more excitement than usual, with a new format, new features and nearly 1,000 brands on show

Now reformatted as a two-day show to offer a more focused event for professionals and optimize the attendance of exhibitors and visitors, the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair (BLTF) is taking place from 30-31 March 2020, with the Bologna Licensing Awards on the afternoon of 30 March.

With 4,500 visitors, 900 brands and 60 retail companies taking part in 2019, and similar numbers expected in 2020, BLTF is gearing up to consolidate its leading position in the regional licensing market. Major exhibitors already signed up for this year’s show include Hasbro, Planeta Junior, WildBrain CPLG, The Pokémon Company, Mondo TV, Maurizio Distefano Advisors, Atlantyca Entertainment, Mattel, Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products, Bic Licensing, Premium Licensing, RaiCom, Mondadori, ForFun Media, Sbabam, Pea&Promoplast, Gruppo Alcuni, Starbright and De Agostini, with many others to be announced soon.

As well as the exhibition, the show will offer a number of networking and partnering resources that include access to pre-registered visitors’ lists, comprehensive press office and networking support, press tours for exhibitors with the main media partners and of course opportunities across global children’s publishing, entertainment, digital and media offered by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, taking place side-by-side with BLTF.

And that’s not all. This year the popular Licensing Retail Lounge, a consolidated networking retail area, is joined by the Licensing Fashion Zone, which will bring together brands, apparel and accessories in one place to reflect the increasingly central role of fashion for the licensing industry. There will also be a dedicated matchmaking service bringing retailers and fashion industry players together with exhibitors.

Now in its thirteenth year, the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair remains an essential meeting place for licensing industry professionals targeting the key markets of Italy and Southern Europe. Marco Momoli, Culture Business Unit Director, says: “The continuing importance of the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair in the framework of the world-leading Bologna Children’s Book Fair makes these two days among the most important on the regional licensing calendar. As licensing adapts to an ever-more more fluid and changing retail environment, this show is, more than ever, one of the year’s must-attend events.”