This week’s Brand Licensing Europe saw a 20% uplift in exhibitor numbers, 6% growth in international attendees and a 14% increase in pre-booked meetings.
325 exhibitors – the highest ever in the event’s history – were on the show floor at Excel this week (6-8 October) including 85 which were new for 2026.
Together, they showcased thousands of license-ready brands that will inform the retail landscape of the next two to three years. Around two thirds of this year’s exhibitors have already confirmed they will return to exhibit at BLE in 2027, indicating the strength of confidence across the industry.
“What an amazing show this has been,” commented Ella Haynes, BLE event director. “Everyone is talking about how busy and buzzy it has been and – more importantly – how everything feels elevated – from the volume and diversity of the brands, to the quality of the visitors and the meetings they are having and our incredible content programme curated by License Global. All of this has truly cemented BLE’s position as the place where the future of brands, retail and fandom happens in Europe.”
Noa Raz, global licensing director at first time exhibitor Pazu Games, said: “Avatar World is a global game and BLE is at the forefront for us when it comes to doing business in Europe. We will definitely be back next year.”
2026 BLE attendee numbers and quality were on par with 2025’s record breaking levels and international attendees rose by 6%. 7,200 meetings were prebooked using BLE’s online event planner – up 14% increase on 2025.
Ella continued: “I’m ecstatic we have maintained the incredible levels of attendee numbers we achieved last year. It’s important for me to stress, we don’t chase volume for volume’s sake at BLE – our focus is always on quality and ensuring that every single visitor that walks through the door is relevant and qualified. We are here to provide a platform to bring potential partners together, and that means making sure our visitors and exhibitors are only meeting people who are 100% relevant to their business.
“This year we introduced a small onsite fee to dissuade members of the public from coming into the show from the Excel Boulevard. The fact we did that and still maintained the record attendee levels we achieved in 2025 and such a significant uplift in meetings is incredible, and testament to the role BLE plays at the heart of the European licensing industry. In real terms, that’s almost 1,000 more meetings that were pre-booked, showing the industry turned up ready to do business.”
Gracie Owens, marketing manager at licensee Monmore Confectionery, offered: “Attending BLE for the first time was a game changer for us. From the insightful beginner talks to making meaningful connections with licensors and licensees, we left energised and equipped with an exciting network of new contacts to pursue.”
Over 1,000 retailers were among this year’s attendees including Aldi, Argos, Bershka, Boots, Debenhams, Decathlon, DeichmannSE, Dunelm, El Corte Inglés, Fortnum & Mason, Gymshark, Hamleys, Iceland Foods, Liberty, Urban Outfitters, Miniso, Primark, Selfridges, Nobody’s Child, Temu, The Entertainer and Zara, plus first timers Decathlon, Carrefour, Auchan and Stella McCartney.
Laura Freedman-Dagg, director of retail at BLE, commented: “We are delighted with the quality and diversity of retailers attending BLE this year. We’ve seen groups from all over Europe coming to us with very specific objectives as well as more speculative attendees who value the trend insight they get at BLE. It’s this breadth which makes this event such an exciting and dynamic place to be – there really is a brand for every fan, which means a wealth of options and opportunity for retailers of all shapes and sizes.”
The content programme was deeper and bigger than ever before, with three keynotes drawing packed audiences. Notably, session attendance rose by 8%.
Laura added: “More and more retailers attend BLE to enjoy the conference content for inspiration and insight, as much as they are here to meet brands and hold meetings.”
Next year, Brand Licensing Europe will take place from 28-30 September 2027 at Excel London.
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