Licensing Takes Center Stage at Spielwarenmesse 2020

There will be a major focus on licensing at the 71st Spielwarenmesse international toy fair, held from Jan. 29-Feb. 2 in Nuremberg, Germany. Ahead of the show, the Spielwarenmesse LicenseGuide will be available online, beginning on Dec. 12, to offer attendees an overview of the licensed products set to be shown at the fair.

Licensing International (formerly LIMA), will be present in Hall 12.0 alongside a showcase of products from international exhibitors. Members of Licensing International are invited to a Thursday happy hour, while LicensePreview will offer association members the opportunity to visit with participants including NBC Universal, Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products, WildBrain CPLG, Sony Pictures, Sanrio and others.

“The key players in the licensing industry are all appearing at the Spielwarenmesse. By offering a selection of targeted features, we’re encouraging an intensive dialogue between licensors and licensees, agencies, trade and industry,” says Ernst Kick, CEO of Spielwarenmesse eG.

The annual series of LicenseTalks will expand to a daily schedule for the first time with conversations taking place in the Business Forum in Hall 3A from 10:30-11:30 a.m, Wednesday to Saturday.

LicenseTalks 2020

“Sustainability and Licensing”
“Digital Native Brands: Gaming as Content Originator” with Jennifer Coleman (Konami Cross Media NY), Steven Ekstract (Global Licensing Group), and Sam Ferguson (Jazwares)
“Sequels & Co. — How to plan your business for sequels, spinoffs, and remakes” with Werner Lenzner (Simba Dickie Group)
“Licensing Market Trends”

Full details on attending and exhibiting at Spielwarenmesse can be found on the official fair website.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.