Largest Licensing Show and Conference Open Next WeekBRANDORA Editorial Staff - January 2016 |
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World’s Top Licensors to Explore Licensing Opportunities in Asia
Asia’s expanding middle class and growing demand for high quality brands present huge opportunities to the region’s licensing industry. Next week, the world’s leading licensors will gather at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre for the 14th Hong Kong International Licensing Show (11-13 January) and fifth Asian Licensing Conference (11-12 January).
Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the twin events will explore partnership and licensing opportunities in Asia and the Chinese mainland.
Buoyant growth in the global licensing industry
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Speaking at today’s press conference, HKTDC Service Promotion Director Jenny Koo described licensing as a win-win solution. She said brands could use licensing as both a revenue stream and a way to quickly expand into other regions and industries with diversified product ranges. At the same time, licensees can leverage licensed products to quickly upgrade their brands and increase exposure, add value to their products, increase sales and attract new clients. Citing latest figures from 2014, Ms Koo said the global licensing industry remained buoyant. “According to industry statistics, global sales of licensed merchandise amounted to US$158.8 billion in 2014, up two per cent year-on-year,” said Ms Koo. “The Asian licensing market is also booming, accounting for a 12.2 per cent market share worldwide. Greater China is the world’s fastest-growing licensing market. In 2014, sales of licensed merchandise in Greater China reached US$6.87 billion, up eight per cent over 2013, with the Chinese mainland alone accounting for sales of US$5.94 billion making it the second-largest licensing market in Asia.” |
The largest Hong Kong International Licensing Show
The Hong Kong International Licensing Show will be held from 11 to 13 January; it is the largest show of its kind in Asia. This year, the show will feature a record breaking number of more than 340 exhibitors from 15 countries and regions, showcasing more than 860 brands and properties. International brands attending for the first time include Hearst Magazines, Paris Saint-Germain FC, Rainbow Internazionale and The Wiggles. They will be using the Licensing Show to explore Asian markets.
Dynamic licensing categories + Hong Kong creativity
Among the wide range of licensing categories to be spotlighted are character, animation, edutainment, art and culture, fashion and lifestyle as well as the newly added food and beverage licensing category. Art Licensing will feature well-known art and cultural brands showcasing their properties and merchandise, including the Palace Museum (China), National Museum of History (Taiwan), Van Gogh Museum (Netherlands), ink colour paintings by Master Lam Tian Xing and three museums from Japan.
Under the Fashion & Lifestyle Licensing category, classic and stylish brands such as Smiley, Paul Frank, Lamborghini, AC Milan, Chelsea Football Club, FC Barcelona and Manchester City Football Club will be on display. The “Harper’s Bazaar Lounge”, sponsored by Hearst Magazines in the Chancellor Room of the newly expanded show venue, will offer a taste of lifestyle licensing. Also, The Royal Touch created by Carolyn Robb, former Executive Chef to Prince Charles and Princess Diana and world-famous food critic together with Dining Plus, a premier business food and beverage platform, will present Food and Beverage Licensing.
Sales of licensed merchandise of animation and characters such as Astro Boy, Doraemon, Hello Kitty, Kumamon, Transformers, Ultraman, Mr Men and Little Miss, Sesame Street and Minions have expanded quickly via the Internet. Visitors to the Licensing Show will be able to learn more about how new media can help them capitalise on licensing opportunities.
Hong Kong Creative Gallery, promoting home-grown creativity, will return with around 60 original characters created by young Hong Kong designers and illustrators. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present cross-over merchandise from Hong Kong museums and local designers under the theme “Bring Me Home – the Story of Hong Kong Culture, Art & Design”. Hong Kong Creative Gallery will also feature award-winning brands from the inaugural Hong Kong Licensing Awards 2015, organised by the Asian Licensing Association.
China’s Ministry of Culture brings a large delegation
There will be eight international pavilions at this year’s show. While the Chinese mainland pavilion remains the largest, the other Asian participations including Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia have also expanded the size of their pavilions. Together with the Australian and United Kingdom pavilions, the show is enriched with more region-specific content.
China’s Ministry of Culture returns to the show leading a delegation of more than 60 companies, including over 30 from Guangdong, Zhejiang and Szechuan. Together they will exhibit at the largest Chinese Mainland Pavilion in the Licensing Show’s history. Among the cultural, art and animation brands and companies taking part will be the Palace Museum, China National Silk Museum and Zhejiang Art Museum and Chengdu Huazhen Tibetan and Qiang Culture Museum, as well as Ali-the-Fox and the Legend of Little Monk.
Interactive events to generate business exchange
The Licensing Show will present interactive events to create more business matching opportunities for visitors. They include “Kumamon Exercise” organised by Kumamoto Prefectural Government of Japan, “Jim Chim x PLAYCORNER x dr jim jim: Reaching out to the world of licensing”, “Junior Chef Go! Go! Go!” delivered by Dining Plus and art demonstrations by ink colour painting Master Lam Tian Xing as well as a series of activities presented by Warner Bros.
A dedicated business matching session will be run in collaboration with Hong Kong’s industry associations, covering different sectors including toys, garment, watch and clock, publish, retail and travel. It is expected that more than 500 business matching meetings would be arranged this year.
More than 30 global licensing experts to examine licensing opportunities
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Held alongside the Licensing Show, the Asian Licensing Conference will take place from 11 to 12 January. More than 30 global licensing experts will speak at the conference, including senior executives from BBC Worldwide, Michelin Lifestyle and Sesame Workshop as well as the Vice Governor of Japan’s Kumamoto Prefectural Government. On the first day of the conference, speakers will examine licensing opportunities and strategies in Asia. Meanwhile, three Breakout Sessions will explore brand extension through licensing in areas of “entertainment and new media”, “fashion, lifestyle and branded services” as well as “art, culture and tourism”. Speakers will include representatives from Disney, Harley Davidson, Hearst Magazines, Kodak Worldwide, Taiwan’s Jimmy S.P.A., The British Library, Palace Museum, The Wiggles and Tezuka Productions. The second day of the conference will focus on the mainland market, with senior executives from Hasbro, JD.com, Guangzhou’s HccartoonAnimationTechnology (GZ) Company Limited and Alpha Animation Brand Management Company Limited discussing how licensing can help companies tap into the mainland market. Meanwhile, two workshops will introduce the basics of licensing and hear from experts on legal and intellectual property (IP) issues related to licensing. The Intellectual Property Department is a strategic partner of the IP and legal workshop |
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High-five
Taking place in parallel with the Licensing Show and the Asian Licensing Conference will be the Hong Kong Toys and Games Fair, Hong Kong Baby Products Fair and Hong Kong International Stationery Fair. Together the five events, which each have significant licensing elements, will generate new business opportunities and attract more industry professionals and buyers to the fairs.