Brand Licensing Europe 2026: See You There...?
Brand Licensing Europe 2026: See You There...?
The Toys & Licensing team will be at BLE 2026, if you want to meet, please just reach out and subject to time availability we can fix a meeting.
Walk around Brand Licensing Europe and you could find yourself moving from a conversation about preschool characters to one about football clubs, video games, museum collections or a much-loved brand from your childhood. There is a lot to take in, and plenty that will be familiar. But the reason everyone is there is fairly straightforward: somebody owns a brand that people care about, and somebody else thinks they could build a good business selling products associated with it.
That is the basic appeal of Brand Licensing Europe (widely referred to as BLE). This annual London trade show brings brand owners and licensing agents together with manufacturers, retailers and other potential partners. For the toy and games industry, it is a place to explore new licences, catch up with existing partners and get a feel for which properties might matter over the next few years. The next edition takes place at Excel London from 6–8 October 2026, organised by Informa Markets’ Global Licensing Group.Toys and children’s entertainment are a big part of the picture, but the show reaches much further. Fashion, food and drink, sport, publishing, heritage, art and video games all feature. That breadth is part of what makes BLE interesting. You might arrive looking for a character licence and leave thinking about a museum partnership, a sporting brand or something entirely different that would suit your products. Sometimes these leftfield partnerships are highly successful.
From a London Hotel to a Global Industry Gathering
BLE has grown a fair bit since its early days. Its first event took place in 1999 at the Landmark Hotel in Marylebone, under the name Brand and License London. It moved to the Business Design Centre the following year, subsequently became a familiar fixture at Olympia, and eventually moved to Excel. By its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2024, it had developed into a substantial international gathering. That is quite a journey from a hotel-based event, and it reflects how widely licensing has spread across the consumer products business.The organiser’s current website gives headline figures of more than 11,500 attendees, over 300 exhibiting companies and representation from more than 70 countries. Those are published indicators of the show’s scale, rather than guaranteed figures for the forthcoming 2026 event. But the real attraction is who you can meet. Having a substantial number of relevant people in one building can save weeks of emails, calls and separate trips—provided you have done enough preparation to get in front of them. Like all trade shows, the keys to success are in the pre-show prep and in the follow up after the show.
What Actually Happens at BLE?
For anyone unfamiliar with brand licensing, the basic arrangement is simple enough. A company that owns a brand gives another business permission to use it for an agreed purpose, in return for payment. The detail is where things get more involved: which products, which countries, how long the agreement lasts, what approvals are required and what the financial commitments look like. BLE is where many of those conversations can begin, or where an existing discussion starts to become a workable proposition.This gives it a different feel from a show focused on selling finished products. There are products to look at, but the conversation often centres on what could be developed next. A brand owner might be presenting plans for a forthcoming entertainment release, looking to fill a gap in its merchandise range or seeking partners in a new territory. A manufacturer might be trying to find something that will give its next range a stronger identity and a better chance of getting retailers interested.
From Pokémon to Museum Collections
The names showcased on BLE’s website give a sense of the mix: Pokémon, Warner Bros. Discovery, SEGA, Aardman, Hasbro and Mattel sit alongside organisations such as the Natural History Museum and the British Museum, as well as major football clubs and licensing agencies. These businesses have very different things to offer. Some bring characters and stories, some bring specialist knowledge, and others bring decades of loyalty from fans.
For a visitor, the useful question is what any of those connections could do for a particular product. A familiar character might make a young child immediately interested in a toy. A museum partnership could help a science kit feel more credible and provide material that makes the product better. A football club’s badge might turn a fairly ordinary gift into something a supporter would be pleased to receive. The name matters, but so does the reason it belongs on the product.
Why Toy Companies Come Looking for Licences
This is where BLE can be particularly useful for Toy companies. Building awareness for a new brand takes time and money, and neither guarantees that consumers will notice it. An established licence can give a product and a company a head start. Retail buyers already know what it is, consumers may already have an emotional connection with it with high degrees of affinity and trust, and there may be entertainment or marketing activity helping to keep it visible. That can be a compelling package when you are trying to launch something into a crowded market.
Of course, the licence still has to earn its keep. A famous character will not automatically rescue a Toy that is too expensive, badly designed or simply not much fun. Nor does a large audience mean there is demand for every imaginable product carrying the brand. People can love watching something without wanting to own merchandise based on it. One of the most valuable things a manufacturer can do at BLE is get beyond the impressive audience numbers and ask what people are actually buying.
Board Games, Adult Fans and Getting the Product Right
The same applies to Board Games, where there can be a big difference between a property that looks good on the box and one that makes a good Game. A licence might help a family understand the theme immediately, make a Game easier to give as a present or draw in fans who would otherwise walk past it. But the experience still needs to deliver. If the gameplay captures something people enjoy about the original property, the connection is much stronger than simply adding familiar pictures to a generic Game.
There is plenty to consider for businesses targeting adult fans as well. With gaming, entertainment, sport and heritage brands all represented, BLE encourages a broader view of who might buy toys, games and collectibles. Adults buying for themselves can have quite specific expectations. They may care deeply about how a character looks, whether the references are accurate, or whether a product feels worthy of being displayed. A fond childhood memory can get their attention, but it does not mean they will buy whatever is put in front of them.
Could Your Own Brands Have Licensing Potential?
It is also worth remembering that toy and games companies can sit on both sides of the licensing table. A business may come to BLE looking for brands to use, while owning characters, artwork or game properties that could interest other manufacturers. An established game might have potential in gifting or publishing; a distinctive character might work in categories its creator has never considered. The challenge is showing that people care enough about the underlying brand for that interest to carry into another product.Licensing agencies can be especially helpful when exploring these possibilities.
They may represent several properties, giving a manufacturer access to a range of options through one conversation. They should also know where their clients want to grow and which opportunities are actually available. For a business that can clearly explain its strengths, this can be a productive starting point. “We sell this type of product, through these retailers, in these countries” gives an agent much more to work with than “We’re looking for an interesting licence.”
Great Idea—But Who Will Stock It?
Retailers are another important part of the mix. It is possible for a brand owner and manufacturer to get very excited about an idea without anybody having properly established how it will reach shoppers. Retail involvement brings the discussion closer to shelf space, price points, launch timing and what buyers believe their customers want. BLE also supports the wider business conversation through conference sessions, networking and meeting-planning tools; its published programme from last year included these alongside the exhibition itself.
A Big Brand in One Country Isn’t Necessarily Big Everywhere
The European aspect deserves some thought, too. A brand that is well known in one country may have a much smaller following elsewhere. Television exposure, retail distribution and buying habits vary, and the rights available may not cover every market a manufacturer serves. It is easy to talk enthusiastically about “European potential”; it takes a little more work to establish where the sales are likely to come from. Those country-by-country questions are well worth asking while the relevant people are sitting across the table. It’s normally best not to presume that a brand which is super strong and hot in your country has reached the same heights across Europe or even further beyond.
Getting the Timing and the Numbers Right
Timing can be just as decisive. A presentation might centre on a forthcoming film, series or anniversary, but a manufacturer still needs enough time to design, approve, produce and sell its range. Retailers have their own deadlines, which may arrive rather sooner than anyone would like. An exciting property with an unrealistic development window can become a frustrating project. Sometimes the sensible outcome of a meeting is to look at a later launch, or accept that the opportunity does not fit your business this time. Walking away from opportunitie with potential which don’t fit your company, strategy or financial parameters is one of the hardest things to do, but sometimes it’s necessary.
Then there are the numbers. The royalty is only part of what a prospective licensee needs to understand. Minimum commitments, development work, approval requirements and the effect on margins all deserve attention. The commercial test is whether the brand will generate enough additional business to justify the cost and effort. That sounds obvious, but it is easier to stay disciplined over a spreadsheet in the office than immediately after a very persuasive presentation about the next big thing. There are obviously some sensitivities around key commercial terms, and sometimes a softer, more informal conversation to ‘test the waters’ at events like BLE can bear fruit.
Plan Your Meetings, but Leave Room for Surprises
Preparation helps keep those conversations grounded. Before attending, it pays to know what you want a licence to achieve. Are you trying to enter a new category, give an existing range a boost, reach adult collectors or open doors with particular retailers? Having an answer makes it easier to choose meetings and explain why you would be a worthwhile partner. It also helps you recognise when an attractive brand is taking you away from your actual business priorities.
At the same time, there is a good argument for leaving gaps in the diary. Part of the value of a trade show is coming across something you would not have searched for yourself. Smaller exhibitors and specialist properties can be worth a proper look, especially where they have a committed audience and a natural fit with your products. The biggest name in the hall is not automatically the best commercial opportunity for every company.
The Real Work Starts When You Get Home
The work after BLE matters just as much as the meetings themselves. A positive conversation needs to turn into something specific: confirmation of available rights, a concept brief, further audience information, a commercial proposal or a decision to move on. Otherwise, it is all too easy to return with a bag full of possibilities that slowly disappear beneath the day-to-day workload. A good show should leave a business with a clearer set of opportunities and a realistic idea of what to do next, along with a good string of new opportunities to pursue.
That is the lasting appeal of Brand Licensing Europe. It brings a lot of imagination and commercial experience into the same building, with people looking at familiar brands and asking what else they could become. For Toy and Games businesses, there is plenty to get excited about. The trick is to enjoy that excitement while keeping a firm grasp on who will buy the product, why they will want it and whether there is a worthwhile business in making it happen.
The Toys & Licensing team will be at BLE 2026, if you want to meet, please just reach out and subject to time availability we can fix a meeting.
