TOTAL LICENSING
Anna Knight: Licensing Expo to make its triumphant return to Vegas in May
Total Licensing caught up with Anna Knight, SVP Licensing, Informa Markets about the upcoming Expo - the first in-person since 2019. It’s nearly time for the industry to head to Vegas for Licensing Expo in person, which is very exciting, especially after the last two years. Do you predict this international show as a starting point of the ‘return to normality’? It’s really exciting. We’ve already travelled to Vegas this year to aid with event planning, and that’s made the prospect of an Expo return very real, which is wonderful. I think, for us, BLE in London was the first step on our journey to a ‘return to normality’ in terms of bringing in-person events back to the global licensing industry. Expo will be another important milestone in getting there. Compared to where we were two years ago and what I’ve experienced myself in California and through colleagues and customers in other parts of the US, I think we are in a much better place with regard to ‘living with Covid’ and getting back to
business despite it. I genuinely feel that we – as individuals, as event organisers and as an industry – have never been better prepared to be unprepared; we expect uncertainty, and we know how to deal with it. Following on from last year’s successful BLE, what feedback did you receive from attendees and exhibitors about being back face-to-face?
The feedback was amazing; really fantastic. We had comments about what ‘a triumphant return’ it was, also about the volume and quality of retailers present, how everybody just loved being able to get together in a live environment, and how important trade shows are as a critical business driver for the industry. I was so proud of the job the team
“I genuinely feel that we – as individuals, as event organisers and as an industry – have never been better prepared to be unprepared; we expect uncertainty, and we know how to deal with it.” 21
