Launching Minions, the new Doctor Who and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, building a Scalextric track into a stand, initiating collabs between Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum and Paddington x Jo Malone London collab and – err – dressing as a giant can of Pringles and ending up on the BLE TV screen.

These are just a few of the fabulous recollections of BLE attendees from the last 25 years, some of whom have attended the event since day one in 1999. Others – as known as the BLE Legends – even agreed to be filmed reminiscing about their favourite moments.

That video can be found here BLE Legend Memories Sept 24.mp4 and features the following licensing greats:

Steve Manners, Licensing International

• Claire Piggott, Larkshead Licensing
• Charlie Donaldson and Rob Wijeratna, Rocket Licensing
• Richard Hollis, HTI Toys

And plenty of others were kind enough to share their comments with us, too:

Maria Strid, art ask agency (Spain)
“One year we organised a flamenco evening for our clients with a dance performance and Spanish tapas. I’ve also celebrated my birthdays during BLE for the past 20+ years, even the 5.0 version! BLE is our most important show every year and a lot of new business is initiated in our booth.”

Françoise Guyonnet, CEO of Copyrights and EVP of Kids Brands at STUDIOCANAL. (France)
“BLE has been a cornerstone event for us for many years, providing an invaluable platform to forge significant partnerships and launch major licensing programmes. A particular highlight for us was the launch of our global partnership with Jo Malone London, which originated from conversations at BLE. This collaboration resonated deeply with consumers and was a tremendous success internationally especially in Asia and Japan. BLE has also been instrumental in expanding Paddington’s presence in new markets.”

Valentin Ortiz, Stor (Spain)
“What is my favourite BLE memory? Hahahahaha! I am that old that I do not even remember!” 

Tetiana Ruban, CEO, Nerd Agency (Ukraine)
“For me, the most heartfelt memory is BLE 2022. It was our first international event since the war started, and we received so much sincere support from the licensing community, especially from Licensing International. I’ve never had more hugs. At that BLE, I realised we were not alone, and the licensing community is truly amazing.”

Marijn Veraart, Head of Global partnerships & Licensing, Van Gogh Museum (Netherlands)
“Our collaboration with Pokémon started at BLE in 2019. The aim was to attract a new generation (children and their parents) to the museum and introduce them to Van Gogh and his art. Our 50th anniversary was a great occasion, and Van Gogh and Pokémon share a link with Japan. During the collaboration, we saw a significant increase in the number of visitors visiting the museum for the first time.”

Mark Kingston, CEO, Libertas Brands
“My first memory: attending when I was at BBC Worldwide, walking in, seeing a giant Disney Princess castle and thinking ‘wow what’s going on here!’ Since then, I oversaw the launch of numerous brands, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Shimmer & Shine and Paw Patrol.”  

Richard Hollis, consultant, HTI Toys
“I firmly believe there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings and direct conversation, and physical trade shows absolutely deserve to retain their place in business. I also love the immediacy of BLE – you can pitch an idea, bring two licensees together to develop a theme, get the trade press to promote it and then discuss it with a retail buyer all within three days.  If that works you can then take the rest of the year off… “

 Flavio Cortes, Franchise Development for Moonbug's Consumer Products & Experiences International, Moonbug
“One of my personal favourite memories was seeing all the Barbie creative being featured heavily two years ago and thinking: this will be BIG. And, of course, it was. A massive tentpole event anchored by a theatrical release that showed just how hungry consumers can be when a great licensing programme comes along.”

 Richard Pink, MD, Pink Key Licensing
“Being interviewed for the big BLE screen dressed as a can of Pringles.”