The Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards Debut

Events

The very first ever Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards have been launched by Max Publishing. Set to break new ground in recognising the dynamism and growth of brand licensing, these annual awards will reward excellence in brand licensed merchandise, IP management as well as retail execution.

Launched by Max Publishing (which has a pedigree in both licensing and awards, exemplified by the UK Licensing Awards and the Licensing Source Book), the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards have been welcomed by the industry, with many providing invaluable input into their creation.

The inaugural award winners will be unveiled at a lavish afternoon event held at The Dorchester, Park Lane, London on Wednesday 20 April 2016, attended by retailers, licensees, brand owners and licensing representatives.

Commenting, Ian Hyder and Jakki Brown, joint managing directors of Max Publishing said: “We have been totally overwhelmed by the level of support and help we have already received in launching the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards. We will do our utmost to ensure that they truly reflect and add further validity to this crucial and growing area of the licensing arena.”

Worldwide licensing trade association, LIMA had no hesitation in pledging its support for Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards. As Kelvyn Gardner, managing director of LIMA UK commented: “Brands have really stepped up into the licensing limelight and the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards will duly recognise excellence in this field. We are proud to build on our existing association with Max Publishing and The Licensing Awards by giving this new awards programme our wholehearted support.”

Brand Licensing Europe has been announced as the headline sponsor of the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards. Commenting, Darren Brechin, BLE event director said: “We are delighted to be the headline sponsor of these inaugural awards, especially as they reflect our commitment to this sector as testified by the growing Brands and Lifestyle section of our Brand Licensing Europe exhibition.”

The official media partner for the new awards programme is Total Brand Licensing. Sharing her enthusiasm for the awards, publisher Francesca Ash said: “Total Brand Licensing is delighted to support the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards 2016. The 100 most valuable brands in 2013 were worth over $2.55 trillion, which would make them the 6th biggest country in the world by GDP, ahead of Russia, Brazil and India – the sector absolutely deserves its own dedicated awards that recognise the extraordinary power of the brand sector within the licensing industry.”

A dedicated website has been developed (www.brandlicensingawards.co.uk) and has now gone live with full details on the award categories and about the awards event itself.

Entry, which will go live on September 30, will be via online submission, followed by expert validation.