Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit North America Agenda
November 8-9, 2022 - Convene New York
DAY ONE
Tuesday, November 8
8:00 - Registration opens
8:55 – 9:00 - GLG Welcome
GLG Welcome opener from host and overview of the day
- Amanda Cioletti, VP, Content & Strategy, Global Licensing Group, Informa Markets
- Introduction from Patrick McLain, CEO, BoredJobs NFT Licensing Marketplace
9:00 – 9:45 - Changing Retail Landscape: Retailers’ Evolving Strategies
A panel of varied retailers from brick-and-mortar and e-commerce will discuss how they have adapted their strategies to the succeed in the rapidly changing retail environment and examine the external forces reshaping the retail industry. With shrinking space in stores, what will be the new channels of distribution for licensed products? Gain an understanding of how retailers prioritize shelf space and display products from pop culture to evergreen brands? In an intensely competitive market what hybrid retail models will win consumers or will physical stores become the critical channel for product discovery?
Moderator: Maura Regan, President, Licensing International
Panelists:
- Robin Motts, Vice President/GMM - Merchandising, Hot Topic
- Jamie Uitdenhowen, EVP/GM of Toys "R" Us, WHP Global
9:50 – 10:20 - Trends: the changing consumer and product trends set to dominate in the year ahead
WGSN will set the scene using key trend insights to help brands and licensees keep pace with today's fast-changing consumer behaviors and preferences, offer insights on how to reach these consumers, lay out how the brand landscape looks across the different licensing categories, predict the pace of change and identify the emerging categories to watch.
- Erin Rechner, Head of Kidswear, WGSN
10:20 – 11:00 - Break, coffee and discussion
11:00 – 11:45 - Exit Through the Gift Shop: Location-based Experiences as Retailtainment
A new generation of location-based experiences are popping up around the world, enabling consumers to show up, share and engage. Understanding how to make products a seamless part of a location-based experience is an art that is tough to master. Learn about the innovative approaches being taken that are making viral waves in the LBE space with the following two case studies:
1. CAMP will discuss their experiential retail model that combines play and product to delight and engage customers, showcasing CAMP's newest licensed experience: Disney Encanto x CAMP.
2. Fever will show what a data-driven and experiential approach to retail looks like as part of a location-based experience, focusing on how to incorporate the "gift shop" into the flow while giving brands an opportunity to activate within the experience world"
Moderator:
- Robert Oberschelp – SVP Global Franchise & Brand Product, Warner Bros.
Panelists:
- Michael Abata – Director Growth Partnerships, CAMP
- Mariano Otero – VP of the Americas, Fever
11:50 – 12:20 - How NFTs achieve differentiation at the point of sale: license customer-validated NFT IP at an affordable price that drives revenue
BoredJobs NFT Licensing Marketplace will cover how to authentically bring your company into Web3 and NFTs by licensing popular NFT characters directly from thousands of existing NFT owners. The topics covered will include; legal concerns, the profile of who NFT owners are, how to not be seen as an “NFT tourist,” and pricing.
- Patrick McLain, CEO, BoredJobs NFT Licensing Marketplace
12:20 – 1:30 - Lunch & Networking
Lunch sponsored by Spaceport. Go talk to Le, Brett, and Chewy!
1:30 – 1:55 - Metaverse in Action: Converting entertainment and fans into consumers
The concept of the metaverse is only just beginning to make sense to brands, but some have cracked the code. In this fireside chat with the Virtual Brand Group and ITV Studios who just announced a global partnership they will break down the ways in which entering the metaverse can create new audiences, new consumers, new revenues and completely new businesses.
Fireside chat:
- Justin W.Hochberg – CEO & Founder, Virtual Brand Group
- Lucie Stoffers – Head of Brand Licensing, Global Entertainment, ITV Studios
2:00 – 2:25 - From NFT to Dollars: How NFTs can Actually Make Sense
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are a seeming must-have for any licensed product program now, but how do they make you money on consumer product extensions really? This session will breakdown the buzzy rhetoric and cogently explain how one collective – the Bored of Directors – has brought together multiple individual owners of Bored Ape NFTs and successfully transitioned this collection into a winning consumer products program.
Fireside chat:
- Alex Locke, Founder & Managing Member, Bored of Directors & IP/Technology Associate, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
- Ross Misher, CEO, Brand Central
2:30 – 2:55 - Understanding what the metaverse opportunity means for licensing
The Metaverse is projected to grow into a multi-trillion dollar market over the next decade. With so much at stake it's important to understand how the ecosystem is evolving. This session will get into trends in the space, the potential opportunities for generating revenue, where things could be headed, and the ways for brands to get involved to have a lasting impact.
Fireside chat:
- Jon Margolis – Head of Corporate Development and Business Development, The Sandbox US
2:55 – 3:40 - Break, coffee and discussion
3:40 – 4:10 - How the booming $10B K-Pop industry is fighting the rise in IP infringements
Over the past few years, there's been a boom in the global popularity of K-Pop. However, the rise in K-Pop has also left these groups and their idols vulnerable to increased violations to their intellectual property rights. This session will discuss how counterfeit merch, and IP infringements, including deep fakes of artists' likenesses, have negatively impacted global K-Pop fandoms and how they are fighting back.
- DK Lee, Co-Founder & CBO, MarqVision
4:15 – 4:25 - Embracing sustainability: what are the factors driving change
Just as our industry collectively adopted factory and social compliance, we can and must join together to advance a sustainable path forward through Community, Communication and Commitment. Products of Change’s Andrea Green will outline the factors acting as catalysts for change in the licensing sector.
- Andrea Green – Advisor & US Ambassador, Products of Change & Principal, Globally Green Consulting
4:25 – 5:10 - A Sustainable Vision for the Licensing Industry
For consumers and retailers around the world, it is no longer enough for businesses to simply ‘do less harm’ to the environment. Increasingly, companies are expected to actively work towards and support improving the state of the planet. How are these businesses putting their talk into practice? And how is corporate sustainability evolving with each step? A panel of industry leaders already on their own journey to offer practical examples of the steps they are taking towards a future of regenerative business.
Moderator:
- Andrea Green – Advisor & US Ambassador, Products of Change & Principal, Globally Green Consulting
Panelists: - Linda Morgenstern - Vice President, Brand Management, Beanstalk
- Jeremy Smith - Manager of Licensing and Partnerships, Casely
- Ovie Mughelli - Former NFL Player; EcoAthlete & Founder of Ovie Mughelli Foundation
5:10 – 7:00 - Networking Drinks
DAY TWO
Wednesday, November 9
8:55 – 9:00 - Welcome
- Welcome from Amanda Cioletti, VP, Content & Strategy, Global Licensing Group, Informa Markets
- Introduction from: Patrick McLain, CEO, BoredJobs NFT Licensing Marketplace
9:00 – 9:30 - Economic overview: What Challenges are Forecast for 2023?
Based on the latest intelligence, this session will provide an overview on the economic impact looking ahead to 2023 and into 2024. How is this affecting the licensing sector, particularly the supply chain, stockpiles of goods, rising inflation and more? Will economies unpick fragile supply chains and embrace near-shoring? How long is the current situation likely to continue?
- Interviewer: Maura Regan, President, Licensing International
- Speaker: Simeon Siegel - CFA, Managing Director, BMO Capital Markets
9:35 – 10:20 - Think Tank: Can the Licensing Process be Rebuilt?
From supply chain challenges to the need for faster speed to market, does the licensing process need to be reviewed? Have your say and submit answers that will influence our panel of speakers as they debate some of the key pain-points in the licensing journey.
This session will include a constructive debate with a cross-industry panel who, alongside the audience, will aim to drive actionable outcomes on improvements that can be carried forwards towards getting meaningful products to consumers at the right time.
Moderator:
- Amanda Cioletti, VP, Content & Strategy, Global Licensing Group, Informa Markets
Speakers:
- Michelle McLaughlin - CEO, Brand Activation Consulting
- Sam Hafif - CEO, Concept One Accessories
- Maya Assis - VP of Licensing, KOMAR
- Winnie Jaing - Vice President, Licensing Strategy & Partnerships, Hot Topic, Inc.
10:25 – 11:10 - Speed Networking
Rooms: Hub 1 & Hub 2
11:10 – 11:40 - Break, coffee and discussion
11:40 –12:10 - Diversity & Inclusion: Walking the Talk
We are all aware of how important diversity and inclusion is to the workplace – plenty of conversations have been had. Now is the time to action. This session explores practically how companies are approaching D&I through external programs, internal change and across consumer products. It’s time to showcase how brands have successfully implemented education/professional development programs from start to finish, rather than a just as a plan under discussion.
Moderator:
- Anna Knight – SVP, Global Licensing Group, Informa Markets
Speakers:
- Cory Moss – CEO, CLC
- Dalila Shannon – Divisional Merchandise Manager & Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Urban Outfitters
12:15 – 1:00 - Marketing 2.0: How to Reach Gen Z and Alpha
Brands – whether evergreen or emerging – are being tasked with looking at the newest generations in a whole new way. With hyper-fragmentation at the fore, how are brands making an impact? How are franchises meeting these demographics where they are and what are the tactics they are taking to cut through the clutter? What is the secret formula they are tapping into, or is the secret there is no secret? Hear from our experts as they contemplate this very idea.
Moderator:
- Todd Kaufman – VP, Strategy & Partnerships, Beanstalk
Panelists:
- Philippe Guinaudeau – CEO, BrandTrends
- Caryn Sterling – JoJo Siwa's Manager, Brand Development & Strategy, Executive Producer, Sterling Worldwide Entertainment
- David Lee – Senior Director of Global Licensing & Culture, Kellogg Company
- Debra Joester – President & CEO at The Joester Loria Group
- Veronica Hart – Executive Vice President, Global Franchise Planning & CP Marketing, Paramount
1:00 – 2:00 - Lunch & Networking
Lunch sponsored by Spaceport. Go talk to Le, Brett, and Chewy!
2:00 – 2:45 - Future gazing: The next big category
Keeping pace with today's fast-changing consumer behaviors and preferences means always have an eye on the new emerging category opportunities. What are the gaps in the market, what do customers need or not yet realize they need. Take a deeper dive into the market opportunities worth exploring and learn about what you can exploit these categories.
Moderator:
- Debra Joester, President & CEO, The Joester Loria Group
Speakers:
- April Heeren, General Manager, Outbound Licensing, Crayola
- Menal McGrath, Vice President, Global Licensing, Moose Toys
- Claire Gilchrist, Vice President The America’s & Pacific, Hasbro Licensed Consumer Products
- Denise Gomez, Director of Licensing – The Americas, Boat Rocker Media
2:45 – 3:15 - Market Forces Impacting U.S. Entertainment Licensing
The U.S. entertainment licensing market has experienced many of the rapidly shifting forces affecting the overall economy and consumer experiences. Entertainment Analyst, Kristen McLean shares insight on the state of the evolving licensing market using our latest data across books, toys, media, and video games. Understand streaming content’s impact on licensing strategies, challenges to discovery, and the wave of global content shrinking the licensing world. Gain perspective on sources and influences, types of content consumption and audience engagement, and market forces IP holders need to watch.
- Kristen McLean, Executive Director, Industry Analyst, NPD
3:05 – Event Ends
Why is the summit an important event for the licensing industry?
"We as businesses and consumers have undergone over a year of constant change. Its been harder than ever to unlock opportunities through our core shoppers – as behaviour is changing constantly to adapt to new rules. This event will give you better clarity on the latest industry trends to provide you with actionable insight to allow you to plan with confidence."
Claire McClelland, Client Executive, Kantar
Official Organizer
