An Introduction into Licensing for the True Novice (Novice Level)
This session will introduce the absolute basics of licensing to those brand new to the business, and will serve as a foundation for those going on to Licensing 101. Subjects will be covered in an easy-to-understand manner within the framework of an informal and fast paced format: the fundamentals of licensing, basic definitions, simple explanation of how a typical deal is structured, tips for seminar selection and educational resources.

The ABCs of Licensing (Basic Level)
This introductory course on licensing will present the fundamentals and best practices of licensing on a variety of fronts from experts in their fields. Find out what licensing is, how and when to use it to grow your business, basic licensing terminology, roles and responsibilities of licensors and licensees, the role of a licensing agent, risks and how to minimize them, how licensees evaluate properties, how licensors evaluate licensees, protecting your rights, selling your property or licensed products to retail, how to present your ideas to a potential licensing partner, and much more.

How to Maximize Your Exhibiting & Attendance (Basic Level)
This seminar will help you squeeze the greatest benefit out of your time and investment in the show, whether you are a first time attendee or a seasoned veteran. If you wish to acquire properties, you will learn what is necessary for property success and how to pitch a property owner at a trade show. If you wish to pitch your property to agents, you will learn the attributes of a good agent and what they are seeking.

Understanding the Legal Side of Licensing (Basic Level)
This hands-on course will cover the key legal issues that impact licensing. Issues covered include licensing agreements, protection of properties under trademarks and copyright laws, intellectual property basics, what to look for in an agent agreement, enforcement of rights, international considerations, and more. A question-and-answer session will follow this discussion.

Licensing Valuation & Royalty Rate Trends (Basic Level)
Royalties and other compensation issues are constantly moving targets. This session will help you zero in on the current benchmarks relevant to your business, especially in these licensing categories: Celebrity, Art, Entertainment, Corporate and Sports.

Licensing 201 — Case Studies of Successful Licensing Programs (Intermediate Level)
Building upon the Licensing 101 basis class, this seminar will explore some of the different strategies utilized by licensors, licensees and retailers to grow their businesses. Explore current trends and discuss why some of the old licensing strategies are not very effective today. Discuss the new retail landscape and the various methods to maximize your sales or brand presence within retail. Examine best practices from some of the leading companies in the licensing industry. The expert panel will discuss strategic approaches to licensing and share many ideas that are sure to make your licensing endeavors more lucrative.

How to Maximize Your Brand Presence and Penetrate the Potential Chinese Market via Hong Kong (Advanced Level)
This session will analyze the recent consumer and market trends in the Chinese mainland and explore the best way to get access to the immense Chinese market. Speakers will share their insights and best practices in exploring this vast potential market and examine different strategies to maximize your brand presence in the region.

Basic Training for First Time Licensees (Basic Level)
The purpose of this program is to outline to individuals, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, or service companies (licensees) new to the licensing business the basic things they need to know about licensing.
Learn the lingo of the business, the licensee/licensor relationship, and the different types of licenses, determining the most appropriate licensing for your company, what you need to do to prepare your company to enter the licensing business, and how to secure your first license.

INNOVATIVE Promotions and CREATIVE Public Relations (Advanced Level)
Learn how to combine these tools into the one-two punch that extends a licensed brand’s power and visibility in the consumer marketplace.

Working with Licensing Agents and Consultants (Basic Level)
Licensing agents and consultants can play a central role in the development of an effective licensing program. This seminar will aid participants in defining respective roles, key into the pertinent questions they should be asking if considering an agent or consultant, and learn how the best relationships work. Panelists will include executives who work with corporate trademarks, entertainment and character properties, literary and art properties.

Getting Your Licensed Products on the Retailer’s Shelf (Intermediate Level)
Learn how retail analysis and research can be used in an innovative way to create more powerful brand and product presentations to the retailer. By understanding buyers’ perspectives, and speaking their
language, learn what motivates their buying decisions.

Extending your Brand Globally (Advanced Level)
Once your brand has proven success in its home territory, how can you strategically leverage that brand for growth in overseas markets? This seminar will help you employ the “Think global, act local” strategy for developing and executing an international licensing program. Through case studies, learn how to determine which markets hold the greatest potential, how to identify the best categories for licensing, and how to tailor the program to the local retail environment and consumer tastes.

Key Trends in Corporate Brand Licensing (Intermediate Level)
Licensing executives, brand managers, business development executives and others interested in starting a corporate licensing program or boosting the effectiveness of their current program will review the key trends affecting corporate programs and what they need to know to stay ahead of the curve, in command and successful. Speakers come from marketing, finance, law and international brand owners, licensees and agents.

Branding With Character (Intermediate Level)
Communicating from the true character of your brand is the most direct, honest and effective way to reach your target market. Every brand is as unique as its own character. This presentation will show how to identify and utilize your brand’s own unique character, how to market your brand through its character, and how to build equity in and increased market share to your brand, by bringing its character to life through licensing. Whether or not you envision marketing your brand with a physical character, this will teach you the essence of marketing from the character of your business.

The Art of Licensing (Basic Level)
Learn the basics of art and design licensing. Decide whether you need an agent; get your foot in the door with licensees; negotiate agreements; and navigate the legal terrain, from copyrights to contracts; and more.

Food for Thought: Opportunities in Food Licensing (Intermediate Level)
Food and beverage products remain the largest segment of brand licensing and its brands among the world’s biggest licensors and licensees. This panel will explore the food and beverage segment of the licensing industry and the special considerations that are relevant to the sector. Using real- life examples of food and beverage strategies at work, this talk will help attendees understand how food and beverage licensing can help grow brands and support core business objectives.

Legal 201 — Pitfalls & Protections (Advanced Level)
Licensor and licensee representatives will make expert presentations, providing arguments supporting differing viewpoints on central licensing issues.

Getting Your Brand Ready for Licensing (Basic Level)
Brand licensing can be a powerful tool that enhances the brand value and profitability of a property. But not all brands are sufficiently developed for licensing, nor are all organizations structured to support a licensing program. Learn how to evaluate whether a brand is ready for licensing, Build structures and processes to support the licensing program, and explore the overall benefits and risks of licensing for the brand.

Art Licensing & Brand Building (Intermediate Level)
Manufacturers worldwide are always looking for talented artists — and artists need to find the right business partners. Build a new plan of action and forge a niche in the global art licensing marketplace. Learn how to create art collections and professional presentations that generate deals, researching and selling the right manufacturers for art and product lines, and developing brand building strategies and leveraging techniques that will take business to the next level.

Working with International Licensing Agents (Advanced Level)
Handing responsibility for valuable IPs to an overseas agent can be worrying. Despite overall control, what goes on in a market thousands of miles away can’t be watched. Agents may present opportunities that look odd or even controversial, but are assured to be culturally sound in the agent’s country. Learn how these relationships work in practice in licensing today.

Licensing Into and Out of the Toy Industry (Basic Level)
This session is a primer on negotiating a merchandise license agreement. It will be presented in layman’s terms by an attorney who has also served as a vice president of merchandise licensing at a major motion picture studio and two manufacturing companies. Included will be a discussion of the key terms of an agreement, and the negotiations from both the licensor’s and licensee’s perspective.

Auditing & Policing Royalty Agreements (Intermediate Level)
This session covers the intricacies of proper royalty contract management, touching on key terminology in the license agreement and focusing on the obligations for both licensor and licensees in order to get the most out of licensed property. Setting up and actively managing royalty programs will allow for greater financial success in the long run.

Brand Management for Licensees (Advanced Level)
Does your organization have the brand management experience and/or personnel to manage a brand, as compared to simply manufacturing products or retailing products manufactured by others? A panel will discuss the brand management challenge retailers and manufacturers face when they license a brand, and the brand management solutions that bring success. The panel will include vice presidents of marketing from major brand licensors, and marketing managers from licensees.

The New Media Licensing Revolution (Intermediate Level)
There seems no limit to the number of ways consumers can interact with new media. But how can a strategy be adapted to take advantage of these new opportunities? How can new properties be launched by using the internet, mobile phones and interactive television? How can consumers be reached without relying entirely upon traditional TV broadcasters? Discover how to entertain age groups other than pre-school children and make money from merchandise without relying entirely upon retailers.

An Introduction into Collegiate Licensing (Intermediate Level)
This session will explore opportunities for growth in the $3.5 billion market for U.S. collegiate merchandise. A leading agency will reveal the opportunities in this market segment, both domestically and internationally. Derek Eiler, the SVP and Managing Director for The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), and Chris Prindiville, the VP of CLC International will present an overview of the market, current trends, and challenges of entering this space.

Ethics in Licensing (Basic Level)
This seminar will cover legal ethics that affect license negotiations. It will survey the basic rules that apply, from the beginning of a representation through the end, including relating to litigation that may arise concerning licensing agreements and licensing negotiations.

Protecting Licensors from Product Safety Concerns & Recalls (Intermediate Level)
Recalls impact licensed products, too. A panel of licensors, licensees and quality experts will discuss the effects of product safety on the licensing industry and how to mitigate recall risk. Explore key licensing agreement provisions and processes that licensors can utilize to ensure that safe products reach the marketplace when licensing their brands. Gain a better understanding of how to reduce and manage risk from the agreement phase through the life of the licensed product.

Trends in Lifestyle, Homestyle and Fashion Licensing (Intermediate Level)
With industry experts in lifestyle, home, and fashion licensing, this seminar will review evolving strategies in trademark licensing. Each panelist will give an overview of their area of expertise and provide insights and advice for prospective licensees and licensors. Panelists will present brand case studies which illustrate successful approaches that leverage brands in the global marketplace. Learn how marketplace changes (“being green,” quality assurance demands, and social responsibility) are impacting lifestyle, home, and fashion licensing.