TOTAL LICENSING
LAS VEGAS: THE RIGHT MOVE
As you probably know by now, the li- conducive to attracting important will all be under one roof, as well as
censing industry’s major annual trade new manufacturers and retailers from a wide array of dining options. In ad-
event, the Licensing International Show, emerging Asian markets. In addition, dition, the Mandalay Bay facilities are
By Charles M. Riotto,
will be moving from New York to Las Las Vegas has a proven history of at- large enough to offer sufficient space
President
Vegas beginning in June, 2009. tracting larger crowds to trade events for growth of the exhibit area into the
International Licensing
The announcement on February 11 than any other destination. foreseeable future, offering the oppor-
Industry Merchandisers’
Association (LIMA)
was met with both happiness and con- For the European attendees, it is unde- tunity to attract exhibitors in licensing
www.licensing.org
sternation from various segments of niable that the trip to Licensing Inter- categories that, up until now, have been
the industry, largely along geographical national will now be longer, but there under-represented at the show.
lines. will be measures taken to make non- We will also have an abundance of first-
The decision, which came from show stop air transportation available from class conference facilities to greatly ex-
organizer Advanstar with the support major European cities to Las Vegas at pand our educational program.
of the LIMA Board of Directors, puts rates that are comparable to flying to Exhibitors can expect to experience
to rest the rumors that have been New York. And once you arrive in Las significant on-site savings due to more
swirling around the industry for the Vegas, you are literally just minutes favorable rates for exhibit hall labor
past several months, but also opens up from most major hotels and attrac- and services, and exhibitors and at-
a variety of questions relative to the tions. Las Vegas research shows that tendees alike will benefit from a wider
prospects for continuing the show’s the UK is currently the biggest source selection of hotel accommodations at
history of success in the new venue. of international visitors, with other very reasonable rates.
countries such as France and Germany I assure you that the decision to move
Since the announcement was made, high on the list. Licensing International out of New
the three major concerns that I am Regarding the lack of media coverage York was not taken lightly.
hearing are: in Las Vegas, this is a common miscon- As the major trade association for the
• The fear of possible attendance ception not supported by the facts. worldwide licensing industry, LIMA
erosion -- specifically that there Most major media outlets have offices takes its responsibility for offering the
will be less walk-in traffic from and/or correspondents in Las Vegas industry an effective and viable trade
local companies than normally and are very accustomed to covering event very seriously.
would attend in New York trade shows there, especially consider- Staying in New York, where the show
• That fewer Europeans will ing that a high percentage of America’s has enjoyed great success, would have
attend because it is more largest trade shows are held in LV. As been the easy decision but not nec-
time-consuming and difficult with buyer attendance, show manage- essarily the best and safest decision.
to get to Las Vegas than ment will devote significant efforts and Moving to a venue that offers a greater
New York resources to maintain media contacts opportunity to grow, more affordable
• That the show will not get as and cultivate new ones, assuring that attendance and great networking and
much media coverage in Licensing International stays in the me- entertainment options will enable us
The industry
Las Vegas dia spotlight. to keep moving the scope of the show
It is important to note that Las Vegas in a positive direction.
speaks out....
While these concerns are understand- offers the licensing community a num- For those of you who wanted the show
able, they can also be effectively ad- ber of major benefits that we would to remain in New York, I hope that you
See pages 34/35 for
dressed to assure that the show main- not realize if the show were to stay will embrace this new opportunity as
comments by the
tains its standing as the global meeting in its current location. Perhaps most a positive change for our industry and
industry on the move
and market place for all things licensing. notable is the ease and convenience of a sign of how strong we are and how
to Las Vegas.
Plans are already in place to devote sig- working the show. For one, all conven- much growth is still possible. With
nificant additional resources (both hu- tion functions will be held in one lo- your support, we will continue to be
man and financial) to reach prospective cation – the Mandalay Bay Resort and an industry on the rise.
new visitors while making every effort Convention Center – including over
to maintain the existing attendee base. 4,000 hotel rooms. This means that
This will consist of, among other things, most show attendees will not have to
For more information on
researching and developing new data- experience the hassle of shuttle buses
licensing issues and news,
bases that identify potential new com- or having to search for hard-to-find
industry contacts, and licensing
panies and product categories, and an taxis. Several thousand additional ho-
events around the world, please
extensive personal outreach to the tel rooms are within walking distance
visit LIMA at
manufacturing and retail communities. of the Mandalay Bay. Exhibits, seminars,
www.licensing.org
The new location will also be more networking events and the LIMA Gala
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