VEGAS 2010: Day one - the show gets underway
So, after months and months of careful planning, Licensing Expo 2010 is finally here.
Today was the first of three days of meetings and briefings which provide the movers and shakers of the licensing community with the opportunity to get together, hammer out deals and put together propositions for the coming months.
And wasn't everyone keen to get going! The show's new 10am start (which actually LTW was quite glad of - after waking up to some overly complicated technical issues, those extra few minutes made all the difference) meant that even rolling up around 15 minutes early we were faced with a packed entrance hall as attendees queued for their badges - some even tried to sneak into the halls early! And once those doors were open? Well - just, wow. LTW has never seen a show floor fill up so fast - it couldn't have got busy any faster if the hall had been full of naked models handing out free champagne and cigars. (Which may still be the case, LTW hasn't quite walked all the aisles just yet...) For that reason alone, the 10am start makes perfect sense - there's no waiting around for the show to get going as people turn up in stages that is usual for trade shows. Whether this will hold true for tomorrow and Thursday as well, we will have to wait and see.
The show itself is straightforward to navigate, and the huge signs hanging from the ceiling have certainly addressed the concerns that were raised about that particular issue last year. On the whole people generally seem happier with the layout and structure this time around, although the L-shape of the hall is always going to cause problems to a certain extent. A huge plus is the amount of seating that is available throughout the show - providing somewhere for people to sit down and check emails as they wait for appointments or have a spare five minutes works extremely well, and creates a real 'working show' atmosphere.
LTW's day started off at the Paramount stand, where we spoke to Darren Kyman, executive director of marketing and retail development. The big focus for Paramount at the moment is the new TinTin movie, which will be hitting UK cinema screens in October and the US in time for Christmas, but LTW also got a sneak preview of the fantastically unusual Rango artwork. Although it's primarily aimed at kids (boys between eight and 12) LTW will go out on a limb and predict that the edgy 3D movie will be a big hit with adults as well - there's a certain darkess to the animation which is likely to appeal to a much wider audience than is usual for animated movies. We also discussed the Footloose remake (at which point LTW had to admit to having never seen the original - so much for being a child of the 80s!) and the Grease singalong which are both scheduled for release next year - 2011 is clearly going to be a retro songfest!
Following on from yesterday's In the Night Garden announcement, LTW went on to meet with Tom Keefer (SVP, global licensed consumer products) and Neil Ross Russell (managing director) of BBC Worldwide to find out a little more about their plans for the future. The pair are really excited about the coming months, as the newly-established North American team is now at the stage where it can: "finally go to market with our properties!" (Carla Peyton was recently appointed SVP, licensed consumer products, BBC Worldwide Americas, while Ian Wickham has been taken on as head of retail development, Licensed Consumer Products for UK, Ireland and EMEA.)
It's an exciting time for BBCWW, as the company acquired the North American distribution rights to Ragdoll's In the Night Garden and Teletubbies, and its solidly tried and tested approach to these much-loved pre-school brands means the team can be pretty confident of success. BBC's adult brands are also in line for a big push - the new Doctor Who has been extremely well-received, while the BBC Earth brand (covering Planet Earth and Life, among others) looks set to be a huge success. LTW was particularly impressed with the dedication which goes into the natural history programming - each one takes around five years to produce. That's a lot of planning ahead - some of us find it difficult to think as far as next week! The guys were keen to push home their key message though - that their current focus is on getting the new US team in place and adding value to the basic business model that is already in place. Tom emphasised this, saying: "We will continue to have a strong portfolio, with quality programming and brands that retailers can rely upon. We intend to back that up by focusing on a strong retail initiative across the US, concentrating on innovative solutions and getting product onto shelves."
The rest of the day was an actual blur of appointments. A few key points: CBS wins today's award for most creative product - the Starship Enterprise pizza cutter is a work of pure genius. Seaworld gets a gold star for bringing an otter, lema and baby kangaroo into the show - LTW guesses that a dolphin might have proved a little tricky. Sesame Street was the most surreal meeting, as LTW scheduled an interview with Elmo for the end of the month, while Universal's Hop sounds like the most exciting film about a rabbit since Watership Down - and much less likely to give you nightmares.
The first day ended in a genuine blaze of glory, as LTW was invited to see the Viva Elvis Cirque de Soliel show by Elvis Presley Enterprises. The show was utterly breathtaking and great fun - a wonderful way to end day one, and a real inspiration to all the frustrated acrobats out there. No? Just us then...
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