With its focus this year and next on ‘shaping the future of licensing’, Licensing Expo 2024 has unveiled its first preview of conscientious content to be taking place across this year’s impactful agenda for the show’s final day – including a special focus on Diversity and Inclusion in the recruitment space.
Licensing Expo will be making its return this May 21 to 23 when it will transform the Mandalay Bay Convention Centre in Las Vegas into the dedicated home for brand licensing, IP extension, partnerships, and collaborations.
However, with an emphasis on reinvention, this year the closing day content will take on a life of its own. Not least when AI Futurists, Zack Kass, former head of go-to-market for OpenAI, the developers behind the ChatGPT chatbot (and former advisor for the likes of Coca-Cola and Morgan Stanley) delivers the closing day’s keynote.
Zack will talk attendees through the complexities of artificial intelligence, aiding senior leaders to provide foresight and direction to help businesses adapt and thrive alongside the rapid advancements in AI.
Diversity in the Licensing Sector
Continuing to ‘shape the next generation of the industry’, the spotlight will be thrown on diversity and inclusion with special panel sessions focused on ‘Building Teams’ and ‘How Diversity and Inclusion Needs to Start at Recruitment.’ Each will detail the perspectives and practical solutions to foster and attract unique and diverse talent as the industry looks towards the next generation of licensing professionals.
“We have invested resources to comprehensively research how we can continue to evolve and offer even more value to our Licensing Expo community and the resounding theme that emerged was the importance on the power of connection and the future of the industry,” said Anna Clarke, senior vice president of Global Licensing Group.
“Licensing Expo is known as the tentpole destination to secure the biggest and most exciting licensing deals but this year we also place emphasis on the trajectory of the business by crafting this special must-attend closing programme for the first time.”
Making history with empowerment
The closing day will go on to make industry history by teaming up with Women in Toys, Licensing, and Entertainment to welcome the first WIT Empowerment Day. Throughout the day, WIT will present women inventors, creators, and entrepreneurs a forum to pitch products or ideas to top companies and buyers exclusively from Walmart, while offering Mentor Roundtable discussions to provide learnings from the best in the business.
Ahead of Licensing Expo, there will also be a specialised WIT Empowerment Day Pitch Prep Programme, led by Azhelle Wade, known as The Toy Coach. This programme will include everything from preparing product pitches to on-demand video lessons, digital workbooks, and a virtual Prep Session to help Empowerment Day participants feel confident and ready for meetings.
“Licensing Expo is about making the most of the entire industry being in Las Vegas at the same time. We want to accentuate all the spaces and places across our whole Mandalay Bay Campus and the intentional touchpoints created to maximise all the chances available to serendipitously meet contacts that could ultimately lead to your next big partnership,” said Ella Haynes, event director at Licensing Expo.
