Well, Day 2 at Licensing Expo was a big success. Savvy Strategy met with an array of current and potential clients in the Licensing Industry. The great thing about this Industry is that it has been a stable for over 20+ years and continues to grow — although is still experiencing a challenging time right now. Kudos to LIMA and to Advanstar for a great coordinated effort at Mandalay Bay. A couple of things worth noting about the show when talking to our friends:
-The “glitz” and the “glamour” of it is more subdued
-The amount of attendees seems to be down. But, we think there may be more of the “right” people here.
-Clearly the recession has influenced the decision on what to spend in terms of budget at the show. Many of our friends from various Brands, Manufacturer and Licensing Agents opted for Suites (which I found to be great for meetings) instead of the usual promotional booth.
-Social Media, as a marketing tool, is still very unknown, and quite underutilized in this industry — which is a real plus. People are open and willing to listen to how they could be entering the space to support their: Brand, Licensees and Retail partners.
As a photo recap to the show, we’ve included the Twitter kiosk that was set up that we spoke about yesterday, and will post some more fun pictures including the Boy Scouts of America‘s Twitter sign (@DaveHarkins) — they were one of the only brands truly taking on Social Media at the show.
We’re off to Day 3, then heading home to get the proposal machine running in NYC. Follow us on Twitter at @MktgMavn and @Population10. Would love to hear your comments on the show as well.