TOTAL LICENSING
China Licensing Expo boosts licensing industry in China By Alice Yang Licensing Project Manager China Toy & Juvenile Products Assocation alice_yang@tjpa-china.org
86
The twelfth edition of the China Licensing Expo (CLE) was held from October 16th to 18th, 2018 in Shanghai, China. China Licensing Expo is the largest and most effective licensing event in Asia and is widely recognized as the most effective channel to understand the licensing market, promote brands, and expand licensing activities in China and Asia. The Expo was organized by the China Toy & Juvenile Products Association (CTJPA) and sponsored by China Licensing Federation (CLF). For over a decade, China Licensing Expo has witnessed the developing in licensing industry in China. “This year, the exhibition space at CLE expanded by 52 percent, reaching 35,000 sqm, with 304 exhibitors presenting over 1,200 brands of which
international brands occupy over 80 percent, ranging from top-notch global licensors to fresh properties. In addition, 47 percent of them are new exhibitors this year.” explained May Liang, president of CTJPA. Licensing Matters Global was one of new exhibitors this year. “Our focus at the China Licensing Expo was to connect with potential licensees that may want to use the Shell, Yale and Harvard Universities’ logos or brands to grow their businesses,” said Mark Matheny, founder of Licensing Matters Global. China Licensing Expo was held concurrently with the China Toy Expo, China Kids Expo and China Preschool Expo. “According to the data from CTJPA, 68,787 professionals attended the 12th session of CLE 2018, which was a record again in its history.” Liang added. “The Chinese market is full of opportunities and challenges. Turner pays high attention and efforts in China market. We have witnessed the change in Chinese young generations’ consuming habits. They are more willing to spend their money on what they like. Based on this background, fan economy has a bigger say than ever before in today’s business. “ remarked Lisa Li, General Manager of Turner China. Turner joined China Licensing Expo for the first time two years ago and
Lisa Li continued, “the Expo gave us very good support to expand our licensing business in China.” This year, more and more records were made at CLE and many new things happened in the expo that are worth highlighting. International properties giants. After over a decade of development, more and more international companies recognize the potential of the Chinese licensing market. International giants choose the China Licensing Expo exclusively as their ideal option when exploring licensing business in China. CLE 2018 hosted new international exhibitors, such as Warner Brothers, Blizzard, and Dark Horse Comics, meanwhile many famous international brand owners including Universal, Hasbro and Turner have been regular exhibitors for years. NBC Universal established a licensing team for the China market in 2016, which was also the first time that Universal joined the China Licensing Expo. “Three years since they first exhibited, Universal now is a regular exhibitor at CLE, and now has over 100 licensee companies in China. The China Licensing Expo has offered us a perfect chance to meet potential licensing partners and establish a very positive image in the industry,“ said Allen Wang, Vice President, Greater China Consumer Products at NBC Universal.