Special Bonus Episode: Inside Licensing Expo 2025 – Tips, Insights & What First-Timers Need to Know

Licensing Expo is the biggest event in the global licensing calendar - an unmissable opportunity for brands, licensees, and retailers to connect, discover new IP, and strike game-changing deals.

In this special bonus episode of Born to License, I’m pressing pause on Season 1 to bring you everything you need to know about Licensing Expo 2025. Whether you’re attending for the first time or returning for your tenth, this episode will help you make the most of your time in Vegas.

I’m joined by Anna Clarke, SVP of the Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets, who shares what to expect this year and how to prepare. I also speak with Alyssa Clark, our Product Development Coordinator at Born to License, who is attending for the very first time and shares how she’s getting ready.

We’ll cover:

• What Licensing Expo is and why it’s so important

• How to navigate the show like a pro

• What first-time attendees should (and shouldn’t) do

• My personal top 5 tips from over a decade of attending

🎟️ Whether you’ve registered already or are still on the fence, this episode will leave you informed, inspired, and ready to make Licensing Expo 2025 your best event yet.

🎙 Born to License – Hosted by David Born

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to the Special Licensing Expo Episode
• 1:48 Meet Anna Clarke from Informa Market
• 4:15 What to Expect at Licensing Expo
• 9:15 Planning Your Time & Booking Meetings
• 20:50 How should you be preparing for Licensing Expo 2025
• 26:09 If You're on the Fence - Why you Should Attend
• 28:37 Meet Alyssa Clark from Born to License
• 34:30 What Alyssa is expecting from Licensing Expo
• 40:51 David’s Top 5 Tips for Licensing Expo Success

Transcript

If you are serious about brand licensing, extensions, collaborations or partnerships, this is the only place to go in the year. It's the largest global showcase of the most important brands and IPs there is in the world. 

 Welcome back to Born to License. I'm interrupting season one with a special episode, one that's all about Licensing Expo 2025. This this year it's taking place from May 20th to May 22nd at the Mandalay Bay Convention center in Las Vegas. If you're in the licensing industry, you already know this is the biggest event of the year, bringing together brands, manufacturers, retailers to network, strike deals and spot the next big trends. But if you've never attended before, it can feel a bit overwhelming. That's why in this episode, I've prepared everything that you need to decide whether or not you'll attend this year and how you can prepare to give us an inside look at the event. 

 I'll be speaking with Anna Clarke, SVP of Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets, the company behind Licensing Expo, to hear what attendees can expect this year and how to maximize their time at the event. It's a must listen to chat with a lot of excellent advice. I'll also be joined by Alyssa Clark, Born to License's very own Product Development Coordinator, who will be attending Licensing Expo for the very first time this year. She'll share what she is most excited about and what she's doing to prepare. And lastly, I'll be sharing my top five tips for Licensing Expo, the ones that I've collected from attending the show many times over the last decade and a half. So let's get started. Thanks Anna for joining me today. 

 So Licensing Expo is the biggest event in our industry, the licensing industry, and I have no doubt that an enormous amount of work goes into making it a success each year. This year the doors will open on 20th of May until 22nd of May and will be taking place again at Manderley Bay Convention center in Las Vegas. I'm really excited to hear about how planning is going for this year considering we're only two months away. It's come up very quickly. But first I'd love for you to introduce yourself to the Born to Licensed listeners and tell us a bit more about your role in the show coming together. 

 Sure. Well, thanks for having me on first of all. So my name's Anna Clarke. People might know me as Anna Knight from before and I run the global licensing group at Informa and we cover lots of events around the world, plus media brand and our new training brand which might come up later. But my role with Licensing Expo is essentially to drive the team to make it the best event possible. But most importantly, an event that meets the needs of those who attend, meets the needs of those that exhibit and stays kind of ahead of trends in the market and really make sure it's the most inclusive event we can make it, but also the most fun event and an event that really delivers return on investment and return on time. 

 Because we know that people that attend and people that exhibit do spend a lot of time there. And so we need to make sure that it's definitely worth their while in all regards. 

 Absolutely. And we're a very busy industry. Like I know a lot of people in the world are busy regardless of industry, but the licensing industry are busy and they're not going to go to event unless they know for sure they're going to get a good return on investment. I know for sure that this is the event of the year for the licensing industry. If anyone in the industry is going to go, they make sure to set aside time to go here. I do find that the licensing industry kind of grinds to a halt as far as the normal typical work. Everybody blocks off Licensing Expo and says, okay, the week before I need to prepare, like really prepare. The week after I need to sort of like recover and play catch up. 

 So there's almost like this blackout period for typical business in the licensing business because of that event. 

 Absolutely. 

 I have no doubt that there'll be many people listening to this podcast who have never been to Licensing Expo before. So for someone attending Licensing Expo for the very first time, what should they expect when they walk through those doors? 

 I love this question because I get asked it a lot, both within my business actually and with first time attendees. I would say be prepared for a shock on your sensations when those doors open, you're going to get hit with noise, buzz, color, every brand under the sun that you could possibly see. There'll be gigantic characters walking around, there'll be activations that surprise you that come out of nowhere. There'll be aisles full of people and you'll be trying to figure out kind of where you go. So I'd prepare yourself for a little bit of a kind of, I guess an intake of breath when you first go in and then when you kind of settle down, you realize just quite how amazing it is. It's kind of almost an attack on all senses in a really good way. That's what I would prepare for. 

 I think if you don't think that's coming. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming, but if you actually embrace what you're walking into, it's an amazing picture. Whatever door you go into, you have such a great view ahead of you. 

 I think it's so interesting that it's in Vegas as well, because what you just said about sensory overload and shock actually applies to Las Vegas as a city as well. When you get to Las Vegas, you're like, oh, my gosh, I don't know where to look, there's so much happening. But the truth is you get that experience all over again when you walk into the convention center because you're like, goodness me. Sensory overload, as you mentioned, Anna, is exactly what I experienced in 2013 when I went to my very first licensing expo. I remember it being a lot bigger than I expected, a lot more people than I expected. The show floor for me was very overwhelming at that time. I just didn't know where to look. 

 What do you think is the best way for first timers to plan their time and prioritize who to meet? 

 So there's quite a few answers to this question, so I'll give a few different answers. And depending on who you are, you might kind of choose a different one. So I think the first thing that I would recommend that people do is either look at the floor plan, the map, whatever you want to call it, which is available on our website, and also in the event planner, which I'll talk a bit more about. And really familiarize yourself with two things, the list of people exhibiting, but also the brands they represent. I'm not sure everyone always thinks about the fact that we have a lot of licensing agents that participate in as much as we have the IP owners themselves. 

 But the real magic behind the show is the brands that they are either representing or the brands that some of those bigger brands are showcasing. And so it's. It's not okay to just be familiar with the fact that there's an agent there. You need to know exactly who the agent has on their roster or, you know, if one of the big entertainment studios are showing, like, what brands are they actually concentrating on, what brands are they bringing to the table? And you can find all of that information in the event planner, which is something you get access to once you've registered. So within that you have the directory of all the exhibitors, but you also have the directory of the IPs and all the brands of which there are thousands on show at the event. 

 So really understand who's there and who might meet your kind of Category needs, your aspirational needs. I would then really think about your schedule and this is really important. If you're going to go to Licensing Expo. Walking on to a booth and expecting to get a meeting without any pre planning is very unlikely, particularly if you are going after some of the bigger brands there they will have pre scheduled meetings already in place and their open windows will be quite short and more likely to be towards the end of the event rather than the beginning. But if you use the event planner and you reach out to the brands ahead of time, you can request meetings with them and get on their schedules before you get there. 

 So the second bit of advice is pre plan your meetings, make sure that you don't turn up with an empty schedule and you expect to just fill it. It won't happen. And then I also think the other thing to think about is if it's your first time there, a lot of other attendees will just be in back to back meetings or back to back education sessions, or they'll have a breakfast meeting followed by meetings, followed by a showcase, followed by a dinner, followed by a party. And if you're used to that's okay, but if you're not, that's overwhelming. It's a lot of scheduling. 

 And so I'd advise that you put breaks in your schedule where you can to have time just to kind of decompress, you know, to use the bathroom, to go and grab something to eat, or simply to just think about what you've heard, what you've experienced and what other questions that you might want to ask. So I'd say those are the areas to start with. 

 Yeah. And all of that is great advice. Booking early. Some people might say, well, what is booking early? You know, is that a week in advance or two weeks in advance? No, you need to be booking right now. So as of now of the recording, it's March, you should be booking now, essentially. I know that my team, we've got six people from Born to License that are attending this year. We're booking, we're filling our calendars up now and it's filling up really quickly. The most in demand people at Licensing Expo, they are filling their schedules now for the next couple of weeks and then they probably won't have availability a month out from the event. You also want to make sure you're blocking off time for the summits. 

 So our team have been invited to the Warner Brothers Summit, the Netflix Summit, the Universal Summit, all of those big summits. We'll be going to those. Those are Usually an hour and a half, but it actually takes a little while to get there depending on where they're hosting them. So you've got to allow a little bit of time for that as well. So we find that we're blocking out these big chunks for the summits as well. There's always lots happening. 

 That's a really good point. So I think two things on that, the summits that you might also hear references, showcases, keynotes, entertainment things, as many words people use to describe them, they tend to take place the day before and they are invite only. So they're exclusive upfronts or previews of content generally from studios and they're invite only kind of exclusive showcases. But a lot of people do get invited. And so if you are, you'll need to make sure that you are arriving on the Sunday, not the Monday. So you have plenty of time generally speaking. And I can tell you for sure because I know the schedule this year's summit, there's a little bit of a. 

 Some of them on the third floor and some of them on the ground floor, so be prepared for lots of elevator, escalator, stairs, movement, but there's plenty of time to get between them. But the point I was going to talk about in terms of time is when you're planning your schedule, that's also something to be aware of. If you are on the show floor and you have back to back meetings and one of your meetings is one end of the floor and the other meeting is on the other end of the floor, it could take you five minutes to get from one to the other. So if you're back to back, you're going to be late, so think about where you can. And I know this is hard, grouping meetings in areas that are close to each other. 

 If you are having a meeting and you have meetings that take place on the campus, so still in the convention centre, but in rooms outside of the show floor, it's kind of, it might be private showings of things. They could be a 10 minute walk depending on where you are. And so just make sure that you understand how long it is to take you to get somewhere. And if you can maybe walk around the venue on the Monday before you come in on the Tuesday, just to familiarize yourself with where things are and start to understand the best route to get from A to B and be. 

 Prepared to have a huge step count at the end of every day if you're visiting, if you're not exhibiting, you're visiting, you are going to be doing A lot of steps. So, you know, maybe make sure you've got some more comfortable shoes and just to make a life a little bit easier. So I know those that are attending for the first time this year. Can you take me through some common mistakes that they should be avoiding? 

 Yeah, so we've touched one already. So a common mistake would be no planning, just turning up and expecting to meet who. Who you want. And so first of all, definitely invest some time in planning and reaching out to try and book meetings. The second one would be underestimating the size and scale of the event, the campus, everything going on. And so you could go early and familiarize yourself. You can also talk to us. We're all around. There's many. Ask me people, many people you can go to and just ask where you are or where things are. Not wearing comfortable shoes is a very common one. This industry is absolutely built on people who are friendly, encouraging, want to invite you in. And we don't have this formal dress code like some other industries do. 

 Obviously, people are dressing, you know, to make the best of themselves, but certainly sneakers are fine, trainers are fine, like being in that kind of level. And then the other thing I would say is if. If you are in meetings a lot or you have a packed schedule, it's really worth making sure that you have healthy snacks and water and kind of enough refreshments on your person so that you're not reliant on having to go in and jump in a line or a queue for a coffee, because that can slow you down and cause you schedule issues. 

 Something that I learned on my very first licensing expo was don't go out and drink a lot just during the event, in the evening. I mean, you're in Vegas, it can be very tempting. But if you have one night where you drink a bit too much, you don't get a good sleep, you have to wake up super early the next morning, got breakfast, meetings, and you've got to walk around all day, and you've got to be on the ball. You'll never catch up. So as tempting as it can be in a place like Vegas to go out and party and have a few drinks and so forth, for me, anyway, I'm being on early nights and not drinking much at all. 

 Yeah. And I think you also gotta remember you're in the desert, right? So it's humid, it's hot. Staying hydrated is a lot harder than it would be normally. And so all of those factors play in. So anything you can do to increase your hydration levels is really important and so absolutely tempting though it is, and sociable though it is. I guarantee you, though, that there will be one or two nights where people really lean in to that experience. But we're also there to do business, so that's just something to remember. 

 Of course, it's all about a balance at Licensing Expo and it's not all about the meetings. There are a lot of meetings that take place, but there are a lot of events and information sessions to attend as well. So can you tell me, are there any master 10 sessions that are specifically beneficial for newcomers to the industry? 

 Absolutely. So on the first two days of the show, so the 20th and the 21st, we have two really important sessions for those who are new to the industry or new to the show. And so they kind of take the form of almost an introduction to the show itself, what to expect, what's going on for the next few days, and then they segue into an explanation of brand licensing, what is it? Kind of, I guess debunking some of the terminology, helping you make the most of the visit. And then after that we do a show floor tour where we literally will walk you around, help you get your bearings, explain the difference between the zones, who's where, et cetera. They Both start at 10:30am on the Tuesday and on the Wednesday. And the starting point is in the licensed global theatre. 

 So if you can find your way there, you'll hear from Licensing International and you'll also hear from Stu Salzer, who we all know has a wealth of knowledge in this area. So there are two really must attend sessions. We have our keynote on the first day at 2:00 and this year's keynote is very different to ones we've done before because it takes the perspective of the retailer. So we have three really amazing retailers. We have Walmart, we have Primark and we have Mediso, all of which are going to talk about their views of the consumer brand and extension and licensing landscape. And they're kind of the end of the chain, so really important to hear from and I think that will give a really interesting perspective. 

 And then we also have a couple of sessions that are going to give you more of an idea into the sort of state of the nation, like what's happening in the categories, how is the industry growing? So on the first day we have the reveal of the Licensing International Global study, which is a must attend for anyone in licensing. And Maura Ragan, who's the president, will walk you through that. And that is at 12:00. And then on the Wednesday we have Ben Roberts from our own License Global who does A State of the Nation and digs a little bit more into some of the categories, how they're performing, which categories you might want to lean into, et cetera. 

 So a mixture of guides around introduction to the show in the industry and then some really good kind of data led sessions that I highly recommend. 

 So lots for those that are new to licensing, it's not all for the veterans in the licensing industry. There's a lot of really exciting stuff. 

 Absolutely. And also this year we're really excited because for a number of years we've been doing a lot of work and research with those who come to the show for the first time or who are new to the industry to try and make sure that we give them an experience that works. And it isn't just a show that meets the needs of those who've been for many years. And so this year you're going to see a new theatre on the show floor. It's right next to the main stage and it's very near both the Licensing international booth and our own global licensing group hub. And it's called the Networking hub. But within that you're going to have sessions around ask the experts anything you want to ask about, anything to do with the industry. 

 You'll have kind of small, happy hours, which would be a really good place to go to meet some new people in a kind of less overwhelming environment. You'll also have sessions around asking licensing agents, like how you sign a brand, how you get a brand, how you work with agents. There'll be sessions around different territories around the world and they are very much designed for those who are new to the show and new to the industry. And it's a kind of smaller, more intimate environment that's designed to be much more interactive and enable a lot more Q and A. So definitely check out the whole program on the networking hub too. 

 And what would you say is the best way for first time attendees to introduce themselves to potential partners and start those meaningful conversations? Because you mentioned that it is difficult to walk up and request a meeting, we should definitely be booking those in advance. What do you think is the best way to tackle that? 

 I think that, and we hear this a lot from the exhibitors themselves, so this is coming from their words, not mine. Firstly, make sure that you know who you are and what you want. And so it's really interesting how many people go onto a booth and can't give an elevator pitch about their business or can't say what they're looking to license or the categories they're interested in or things like that. So get very prepared to give that elevator pitch lots and lots of times, but make it as specific as possible. And then I'd also say think about what they want from you. You know, if you are a retailer, you're more likely to get a meeting anyway. But which kind of regions are you representing? What are you buying in? Like what are you interested in? 

 Do a bit of research, if you can, on those companies to kind of make sure that you're not immediately walking into a company where there is no fit. But also just be prepared to kind of have a conversation and know what you know. Don't be intimidated, know who you are, kind of, you know the questions that you need to ask. But we do have lots of guides on questions that we might kind of recommend that you ask on the website. So if you look at anywhere on the website, we have certain areas where you can go. These are the top 10 questions to ask in meetings and things like that. But definitely be prepared to talk about who you are, what you bring, who you serve, kind of the markets that you're in, Very important. 

 Yeah, that's great advice. And we're two months to go. How can first time attendees prepare before they even arrive at the expo? So we've talked about booking the meetings, everyone listening to that, we've been beating that drum. You should be doing that right now. What else should they do be doing right now to prepare for what's to come in two months time? 

 So definitely make sure. And this sounds so ridiculous, but not everyone has yet. Get your accommodation booked because if you don't get that book soon, you're not going to be staying in the best location. Definitely reserve if you don't have party invites or you don't have kind of dinner invites, have reservations secured even if you don't use them. It's very difficult to get a food and drink reservation unless you do it now. Then moving on to the event. Yes, it's about the meetings, but once you've registered, you will get access to the event planner. And in the event planner you have the list of exhibitors, the map, the brand directory, the ability to book meetings, but also the ability to look at all of the content, all of the scheduling, all of the kind of social events that happen. 

 And so just make sure you're aware of everything that is there and start to build your schedule. From now it doesn't matter if you don't Start booking meetings immediately, although we would advise it at least start to build kind of the, I guess, the framework of your schedule and start to really think about where you're going to go. The other thing I would recommend to all first timers is you'll be able to print your badge from Sunday. You'll also be able to print your badge on Monday. And so most people do tend to arrive over the weekend or on the Monday. So my biggest plea is don't leave it till Tuesday. First thing to go and print your badge because you are going to run into people who are slightly more last minute, potentially. 

 And what we don't want you to do is end up in a line and miss your first meeting and get your day off to a bad start. So go and print your badge from the lobby just outside the show hall kind of on Sunday and Monday and that's really going to help you be prepared and ready for the show itself. 

 That's awesome advice. I make sure that myself, along with my team, we actually do it as a group. It's my way of making sure that everyone has their badges before Tuesday opens because I cannot be late. If you're late for one meeting, there is a domino effect throughout the entire day. And so we make sure that before the sun sets on the Monday night, we have got our badges ready to go to hit the ground running the next day. So, Anna, you've been working on a special project that has launched now, which is very exciting, called Licensing Unlocked. Can you tell us a bit more about what that entails? 

 Of course. For a long time we've had a lot of people talk to us about the fact that there isn't kind of a single place they can go to learn about the industry onboard, get familiar with the terminology and kind of really understand the ecosystem of brand licensing. So we've created Licensing Unlocked, which is on demand training for those who have either just started in licensing or are evaluating whether or not it's a business model that could be interested in. And it's eight modules, fully on demand, all video, and led by some amazing experts from the industry. And so we cover everything from what it is to the legal process, the creative process, and then we have some panels talking about the best way to partner, kind of how to choose a brand, those sorts of things. 

 And so it's a really good thing to do before you go to Licensing Expo if you're new to the industry, because it's going to really prepare you for the types of conversations that you're going to have there and the types of people that you're going to meet. 

 Yeah, I mean, I find, you know, the thing I hear all the time from people that are interested in licensing is I don't know where to start. This is a mysterious industry. Where do I learn more about it? And to have this course that's just ready to go for people to do, I think is really exciting. So congrats on pulling that together and looking forward to hearing how it goes. 

 Thank you. And I'd always say, when you're at the show, don't forget about the resources that are available to you there. So we have our global licensing group hub where you can meet any of our team who can try and introduce you to people or show you around. We have Licensing International, who's our amazing partner, who can give you everything you want to know about the industry, amazing resources, and talk to you about becoming a member. But everywhere around the show, in the lobby, on the show floor, you're going to find people that just have asked me more or asked me for help and that can do anything from I don't know where the bathroom is, all the way through to, I need to find this booth number really quickly, where's the party, all sorts of things. So please ask us. 

 We are there to help you. We don't want everyone wandering around lost or not sure where they are. So please take use of those resources. 

 Yeah. Your team is always super helpful and there's always lots of them, particularly at the door, particularly at opening day or, you know, the first moment of the morning, there's always an army of people at the front, making sure they're ticking people off, scanning their codes, getting them through very quickly, which is much appreciated. Ana, I have one last question for you. If someone is listening to this episode right now and they're on the fence about attending Licensing Expo for the first time, what can you say to them that would make them feel like it's something that they have to do? 

 If you are serious about brand licensing, extensions, collaborations or partnerships, this is the only place to go in the year. It's the largest global showcase of the most important brands and IPs there is in the world. But it's also going to be the beginning of so many cycles. So it's the place where everyone launches their upcoming slate, everyone launches their upcoming IPs, and it's the perfect time to start planning your kind of 18, 24, 36 month roster. It's also where you're going to hear so much information about what's trending what people are thinking about, kind of what their concerns are. And so if you're going to go to any event in the kind of licensing calendar, it needs to be this one. 

 Absolutely. And look, if you're on the fence, my advice is do it. You will not regret it. You know, I've been 10 or 11 times now, for me, it's the biggest event of the year. It's something for me when I walk away from Expo each year, it's a reminder of how much I love the industry, the people that we work with, how talented the industry is, how creative it is. You know, it's just annual reminder of why we do what we do and we love the licensing industry. So, Anna, for anyone that wants to know more, where can they go? 

 So the first place you absolutely should go is licensingexpo.com and another place I would advise that you go is a recently launched platform which is licensingunlocked.com, which gives you some training around being new to the industry and understanding it. LicensingExpo.com is your first port of call though, and that's where you can register, find out everything there is about the show and it links to kind of everything you would hope around. Hotels, travel, food and beverage. Everything you need. 

 Amazing. Well, thanks, Anna. It's been an absolute joy. Thank you for taking the time and look forward to another licensing expo this year. Thank you for all the work that you and the team do to make it a successful event for our industry. It's so important that the event is strong every year and every year it gets bigger, better and better. So I look forward to seeing you in Vegas in a few months time. 

 You too. Thank you for having me. 

 After that brilliant insight from Anna Clarke, who knows licensing Expo inside and out, I thought it would be great to flip perspectives. What's it like preparing for your first licensing expo? I sat down with Alyssa Clark, our product development coordinator at Born to License, who's heading to Vegas for the first time this year. Here is how she's getting ready, what she's expecting and what she's most excited about. All right, well, Alyssa, thanks for joining me to talk all things Licensing Expo. And this year we have six members of the Born to License team will be heading to Vegas for the event. Some of us have been many times and others only once or twice, but you're the team member I've been most excited to talk to about licensing Exo because you haven't been before. 

 So I'm very curious to hear what You've heard about the event and what you're expecting. But before we get into that, why don't we get started by you telling us a little about yourself, your background, and what you do at Born To License. 

 Of course. Well, first of all, thank you for having me on the Born To License podcast. My name is Alyssa Clark and I am the Product development Coordinator at Born To License. My role involves managing product approvals and communicating license or feedback to our clients to ensure a successful product launch. I also manage Born to Licenses social media platforms that include LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. So, a little bit about myself. I actually have a bachelor's degree in journalism and public relations, but I started working in the licensing industry straight out of college. That was two years ago. My previous role was at a company that produced replica diecast vehicles and accessories, and I was their licensing coordinator. So I managed the licensing for hundreds of products every year. 

 And I worked with brands like Ford, Volkswagen, Goodyear Tires, and a lot of Hollywood IPs like John Wick, Yellowstone, and Grease. 

 Awesome. And now working for Born to License, you get the opportunity to work with more licenses, but a whole bunch of different kinds of licenses, I suppose. 

 Oh, yeah. A whole bunch of different products, different experience, for sure. 

 Very good. Well, let's talk about Licensing Expo now. Expo is in Las Vegas. Have you been there before? 

 I have been to Las Vegas. I have not been to the Licensing Expo, though, so I'm very excited. I'm really looking forward to experiencing it firsthand because I know it's one of the biggest events in the licensing industry. I'm excited to see all the major brands connect with industry leaders and overall just get a better understanding of the licensing industry. I'm also super excited to get a few pictures for the characters roaming the floor. I always see that on their social media and I just really hope that cinnamoroll is there because he's actually my favorite Sanrio character and it would make all my friends jealous. 

 Yeah, you'll have to hunt down that character. I make a real effort to get as many photos as possible with characters. I think I've probably got over 100 photos now. Anybody that follows me on social media will see, you know, every week or so I'm posting, oh, here's me with Cookie Monster. Here's me with spongebob. Here's me with Homer Simpson. So, yeah, it's certainly good to kind of gather a bank of photos with the characters. I remember when I first went to Vegas for Licensing Expo, it was my first experience in Vegas. And I was really surprised the moment I kind of walked off the plane. There were slot machines and it was just like a really strange experience for me. 

 The other thing that I remember being in Vegas is that I tend to like to go to the gym, like quite early in the morning. It has to be quite early in Vegas because usually you have breakfast meetings with people. So usually like 5, 5:30, I would get up and I'd go to the gym. And what's interesting in Vegas is that there's still people out late at night partying. And so it's a really interesting mix of early risers coexisting in the casino lobbies with party animals. But I'm curious to know, Alyssa, when you went to Vegas previously, was that for a social event? Was it for a party? Was it for a girls trip? What did you get up to? 

 Yeah, so my first time in Vegas was actually about a year ago for San Diego Comic Con, so it was still business travel. That was my first experience being in Vegas. But yeah, it was definitely fun. You know, in Vegas you work hard, but you play hard too. 

 Exactly, exactly. I'm a bit of a boring person in Vegas, to be honest. I do go to bed quite early because, you know, we have a pretty busy schedule and I don't really like to wake up hungover or lack of sleep. So I'm usually the boring person in Vegas that's like in bed by 10 o'clock. I'm sure the only person in the hotel that's actually sleeping at that time. The other thing that I realized when I went to Vegas the first time was how hot it was there. And Licensing Expo has sometimes it's been in June, sometimes it's been May, it's in May this year. But I noticed how hot it was. It can often get hotter than 105 degrees Fahrenheit, which is over 40 degrees Celsius. But I was very happy with how much air conditioning there was. 

 So there's air conditioning in the hotels, there's air conditioning in the taxis and the Ubers. Did you, when you were there last at this business event, did you step outside or did you tend to stay in the casinos where it was cool? 

 So actually I traveled like all down the Strip, going through every hotel. So it was inside and outside. And it was in July, so it was pretty hot. But luckily there's not a lot of humidity in Vegas, so it didn't feel as hot as it actually was. 

 True. I think it's probably hotter in July than it is in May, June. So we're probably lucky that we're going to be there in May rather than the peak of the summer. So let's talk about the Licensing Expo. And so you've previously been to a business event. I'm guessing it was, you know, possibly had some similarities to Licensing Expo. But what is it that you're expecting to see when you're there? 

 I am expecting, first of all, a packed schedule with brands that I currently work with just to get to know their product development team a little more personally, you know, because in the licensing industry, it's all about the connections and the relationships you've developed over time. So I think prioritizing the opportunity to meet face to face will definitely help strengthen those relationships. I'm also expecting to see really big, incredible booths from some of the top licensors like Disney, Paramount, just so that they can build the excitement about their brand and that their booth leaves a lasting impression to the licensing professionals that they want to work with. 

 Yeah, it certainly is a bit of a competitive environment on the floor of the showroom where you have a big Paramount booth, for example, and there's a big spongebob and big Ninja Turtles van and things like that. And then go over to Hasbro and they have big Peppa Pig, big Transformers. I think they all try and outdo each other every year. One of the things that I noticed when I was there for the first time, and it's something that, you know, I think about every time I'm there, is that it feels like a very consumer focused event because you go in and everything's on display and everything's really incredible. And like last year, for example, Hasbro, out the front of their booth, they had some games you could play, like a big version of operation and Connect 4 and things like that. 

 And it feels very consumer friendly, but it's very B2B, business to business kind of trade show. And it's a nice reminder as to how fun our industry is. And it's nice to get a reminder every now and then that what we do is really fun. You know, we don't really ever have to grow up. We get to work with amazing brands and characters all the time. And that's something that really stood out to me. So something that you can expect when you're there is you won't know where to look on the first day. You'll be looking all over the place. There'll be shiny, colorful things to look at. There'll be lots of photos to be taken. As you mentioned before, Alyssa There will be characters walking the floor that you'll have to grab and make sure you get your photo as well. 

 So I've been to Licensing Expo more than 10 times now and I'm just curious to know from someone that hasn't been before, someone that has been before many times, do you have any questions for me? 

 Yeah, I have some questions for you, sure. So what preparation should attendees do before the show to maximize their time there? 

 Well, I think one of the things that they need to do is look at the map and familiarise yourself with that. See who's exhibiting, who's actually going to be there and plan who. Your priority is to see if there's specific licensors or exhibitors that you want to see. Make sure that you're allowing plenty of time to get on their calendar. It is day of recording. It's in March right now, we're already starting to fill our schedules. Our schedules will probably be full in three or four weeks time. So don't wait until a week before the event to book the meetings that you want to book. You have to be doing it now. So the key is to identify who do you want to meet with, start reaching out to them right now. 

 Thank you for that advice. And has there been a panel or summit that really stuck with you and changed the way you view the licensing industry? 

 Great question. I typically don't attend the panels or the sessions because my schedule doesn't allow for that, because I've got meetings. I did go to a panel once where I was speaking on the panel. So if there was any panel that I could mention, it was certainly that. It was quite a number of years ago and I don't even remember what it was about, but I do remember that I enjoyed it. 

 Oh, that's awesome. Was it for Born Licensing? 

 Yes. Yeah. So it was something about. I think it was related to the innovation of the industry, the licensing industry innovating. And so I was very lucky to be asked to be on that panel, which was great. 

 Yeah, for sure. And just one more question. Is there anything you should bring as an attendee? Maybe a bag for merch, an extra wallet to store business cards or any physical paperwork? 

 I don't think that you need any physical paperwork. Definitely bring a notepad and pen because you'll. You'll need to frantically write notes when you're having your meetings. And if you have a really packed schedule in reality, by the end of day three, you're not gonna remember the meetings that you had in day one. So, you know, don't trust that you'll remember everything. Make sure to write notes. They do have sponsors there that typically hand out bag carry bags. So if you don't wanna bring your own, you should be able to be given one when you arrive. Certainly bring business cards. You know, I know that business cards are kind of feeling a bit old school these days, but at events like this, it's really easy. Just give you a card with your details on it. Make sure that you don't get forgotten. 

 Those are the things that I would encourage bringing. The other thing that I would really encourage you to have on hand is water. Make sure that you've got plenty of water, but don't drink too much water because then you'll be going to the bathroom a lot. So it's a bit of a balance. You've got to stay hydrated, but don't drink too much. So you have to keep going to the bathroom because the bathroom is out of the exhibition area. So it does take 5, 10 minutes to go to the bathroom. So I'll be talking more about that a bit later in the episode about some tips very much around taking bathroom breaks and staying hydrated and things like that. 

 Yeah, no, that's good for me to know too. 

 Yeah, absolutely. It needs to be a bit of a strategy. There's only so much prep you can do with things like that. And because we've got six of us attending this year, which is great, it means that maybe someone can go and attend a meeting while others can rush off to the bathroom and be there a little late. Does make things a bit more flexible, but it's. Yeah, certainly something to be mindful of. Well, thanks, Alyssa, for chatting with us. I have no doubt that you'll enjoy your first licensing expo and looking forward to being there with you. 

 All right, thank you so much, David. 

 To wrap up this episode, I wanted to give you my top five tips for licensing expo based on what I've learned from attending more than 10 times since 2013. Number one, stay hydrated, but not too hydrated. This will apply to those of you who have back to back meetings at the show. You, of course, need to make sure you're drinking enough to get you through the day, but not too much that you'll be running to the bathroom every few meetings. Drink only what you feel you need. And if you can block out some time on your schedule to go to the bathroom. Number two, think about eating lunch early. The most popular place to eat near the convention center is the food court right outside the doors between midday and 2pm it is heaving with people. 

 I remember that I once had a meeting with somebody in line at Subway. We finished our 30 minute meeting just as we got to the front of the line. If you go to the food court at around 11:30, you're much more likely to get your food quickly and find a table to eat it at. Number three. We've talked about this a few times today and I'm going to mention it again. Book meetings now. Don't wait until a few weeks out from the event to book your meetings. My team are filling up their schedules as we speak and our schedules will be full by mid April. If there are people you want to meet while there, start booking now. Number four Wear comfortable shoes. The convention center is huge and you'll be racking up a lot of steps throughout the week. 

 You can still dress to impress, but it's not worth wearing those shoes that look amazing but they're really uncomfortable. And lastly, leave room for spontaneity. It can be tempting to book back to back meetings for all three days, but some of the best conversations at Licensing Expo happen in the hallways, in line for coffee, and when you're introduced to somebody unexpectedly, I always recommend leaving at least a few gaps in your schedule. You never know who you'll bump into and if you're arriving the day before or leaving the day after. You may find opportunities to socialise with key contacts then too. That's it for this special episode of Born to License all about Licensing Expo 2025. I can't tell you how excited I am for this year's show. 

 It's such a unique opportunity to bring the entire licensing industry together under one roof and there's really nothing else like it. Whether it's your first time attending or you've been coming for years, I hope this episode has helped you feel a bit more prepared, more confident, and maybe even more inspired about what's possible through licensing. If you happen to see me on the show floor, please don't be shy. Come and say hi. Tell me you've been listening. I always love meeting people who are as passionate about licensing as I am, so I'd love to see you. Thanks for tuning in and I hope to see you in.