Goodbye heatwave?

As the heatwave in the UK appears to be dwindling away, it seems apt that the process of putting together everything for our Autumn/Fall issue of Total Licensing is well underway. The Brand Licensing preview, like the show, could prove to be bigger than ever this year due to numerous factors including the fact that some people did not exhibit at Vegas for various reasons, and that some people really feel that Europe is ‘where it’s at’ right now. We’re putting together a Sports Update, and the volume of contributions as always has amazed us. Sports is a huge sector of the licensing industry, and the end of summer really feels a perfect time to run such a feature – with events such as Wimbledon still fresh in people’s minds, and so many other sporting activities that take place in the nicer weather of the Northern hemisphere, such as the Ashes.
We’re also running a Pre-School feature, and as we all know, this part of the industry is enormous, and just so very varied.
Territory spotlights for the issue include a UK special, China and Hong Kong, Benelux and Japan – all very different places with fascinating stories and trends emerging.
On the subject of trends, a very interesting one that seems to be ever-growing is the worldwide obsession with online networking sites, blogging etc. It will be very interesting to see what merchandise and deals are struck in the next few months and years.