With Brand Licensing Europe taking place next week, PartyWorldwide.net spoke to Dominique Peckett, Smiffys’ director, to find out more about the party company’s approach to the show.
Why do you believe BLE is so important to the party industry?
“BLE is an exciting event for the business as an opportunity to network with new and existing licensors. Events like this forge new partnerships and interaction with colleagues and friends.”
How important is it that you are able to keep up with the changes and trends in the licensing industry?
“Extremely. The show always has exciting announcements, such as anniversary celebrations, film releases and beneficiary feedback from product reviews. It allows us to remain current and at the forefront of design. We are committed to keeping up with the latest trends and BLE ensures exposure to innovation and inspiration for our continued product development.”
Has licensing within the party industry changed much over the last few years?
“The children’s market grows continually year-on-year, particularly as World Book Day has become a fundamental part of the school calendar. Parents’ desire to have their child’s favourite book in costume form has led to us partnering with licences of many popular children’s classics, such as Wind in the Willows and Roald Dahl. More modern authors like World of Walliams and Horrible Histories have remained firm favourites with parents and have also driven the need for more extensive collections.
In addition to bestselling adult lines such as Grease, Top Gun and Baywatch, We have recently licensed The Original Smiley Brand and Parental Advisory lines, symbolising efforts to appeal to the more fashion-conscious. We are continually developing innovative and exciting lines to make sure we have the best selection available for our customers and BLE helps with that.”
Is there anything you are looking forward to at this year’s show?
“We’re excited to meet potential new partners to work alongside and successfully launch to market. BLE allows us to maintain our position as the market leader of dress-up, with vital feedback received from licensors.”
