How Can Brand Licensors Best Leverage Resources and Participate in the Licensing Show?

Another Trade Show Decision

       When Licensing 2006 International wrapped up at New York’s Javits Center in late June, the licensing world breathed a year-long sigh of relief.  It’s a busy show for exhibitors like us; when we do find time to step out of our booth and talk to our trademark/brand licensing colleagues, one topic dominates: “Do you think it’s worth exhibiting at the Licensing Show?” 

       In the world of trademark/brand licensing, there are several reasons to consider not spending $100,000 or more (sometimes much more) to exhibit at the Show: entertainment companies dominate the floor, seeming to dwarf the presence of trademark/brand licensing, while visitors often get confused by exhibitors from multiple different industries.

       At IMC Licensing, we believe a presence at the Show is an efficient way to meet licensees, and almost always turns up opportunities we might not have found otherwise.  In our experience, foot traffic is up not just quantitatively but on a qualitative basis as well: our meetings each year are with increasingly important contacts and companies.

       While exhibiting at the Show may not be worth its cost for an individual brand, a presence at the Show remains a good idea for brands that are actively licensed.  That’s where your agent can help.  We believe it makes sense for licensing agencies to exhibit, and it makes sense for major brands to let an agency do this work for them.

       And this is just how most actively licensed brands are participating.  Fewer than 10 major corporate brands represented themselves in independent booths at the Show; and most of those booths were tiny footholds, usually to explore the potential of licensing their brand.  But over 200 of the world’s largest consumer brands were represented at the Show by the top 10 brand licensing agents; and only one of the largest U.S. licensing agencies failed to exhibit.   

An Outsourcing Decision

       Exhibiting at the Licensing Show is just one way in which using an agent represents a great example of outsourcing: using an third party to do something you could do – but not as well – by yourself. 

       Most brand licensors know how to develop and staff trade - show booths, but they usually spend that time and those resources on trade shows that promote their core industry; the benefits at such shows clearly outweigh the costs.  For the average corporate brand licensing department – usually staffed by only 2-3 people – to plan for, pay for and attend the Licensing Show could easily take a month out of a year in which they already have too little time to accomplish their work.

       For an agency, however, the Licensing Show is the trade show that promotes their core industry.  It is the only trade show at which they will themselves exhibit.  An agent never regrets investing time, people and money to a trade show that supports its core business.  At IMC Licensing, we have even started publishing Trade Show Trend Reports (hotlink) on our web site to share our insights on the latest trends, the biggest brands and the best new licensed products from a variety of the nation’s biggest trade shows which we have attended.  If you can’t get there yourself, or want a licensing insider’s perspective, we welcome you to check out these reports about recent shows.

      A presence at the Licensing Show is just one of the many ways in which a licensing agent will always focus its energies and resources on the task of licensing more effectively than its client ever can.  Many corporate brands fail to participate in the Licensing Show either on their own or through an agent.  They will never know what they are missing – and they will never know what their licensing program is missing without an agent devoted to advancing their goals.