Brands In’s Sue Stanley on how being active on Zoom has helped the company secure new retail partners and fast-forward parts of its business.
The traditional start to the year is looking significantly different in 2021, with none of the usual trade shows – including London’s Toy Fair, Nuremberg and Spring Fair – going ahead in-person.
So, what are licensees across a range of categories doing to fill the gap?
LicensingSource.net catches up with a selection to find out their plans and why it’s key for the industry to make the most of Q1 despite the calendar changes.
Today: Sue Stanley, licensing director, Brands In
“As a licensee specialising in jersey apparel, the key ‘must attend’ trade shows in our calendar will always be those in licensing, namely Licensing Expo and BLE.
However, we have always attended the annual Q1 trade shows in the UK including London Toy Fair, Spring Fair and Top Drawer. Attending these markets connects us with industry contacts who we won’t have likely seen since BLE; this can include both licensors and retailers where we have an opportunity for face-to-face updates and forward planning. The shows, and most specifically London Toy Fair, also give us the opportunity to see new IP filtering through the industry which will transition into licensing.
Licensing is such a connected industry that it’s been vital for us to remain engaged via Zoom ever since the pandemic took us into Lockdown 1 last March. It has helped us secure new retail partners and fast-forward our ecommerce, drop-ship and print on demand business in a way we could never have foreseen.”
This feature originally appeared in the spring 2021 edition of Licensing Source Book. To read the full publication, click on this link.
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