Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) opens its Matchmaking Service today following huge success in 2018, when more than 2,800 meetings were pre-arranged using the service and average attendance rose from 71 to 85 per cent.

Over 1,400 licensors wereconnected with licensees and 12,800 contacts were made available for meetingsacross a wide range of sectors and interests.

“Sponsored by Flowhaven, the BLE Matchmaking Service is a free online tool that exhibitors and visitors can use to pre-book meetings, helping them make the best use of their time at the show,” explained event director Anna Knight.

“BLE is a meetings event; people come hereto do business. Exhibitors’ and visitors’ diaries are jam-packed from thesecond the show opens for three solid days and the Matchmaking Service helpsthem to maximise their time at the show and meet people they may have otherwisemissed. We’re delighted to see its use – and popularity – rise exponentially yearon year.”

Visitors can use the Matchmaking Service to:

• Search by region, company name, property name, category and moreto ensure they meet the most relevant exhibitors for their needs
• Discover new properties by using the search tool to narrow downexhibitors by property type
• Introduce themselves pre-show to increase meeting efficiency

It allows exhibitors to:

• Search for pre-registered visitors and fellow exhibitors by type,region, category, company name and more
• Message anyone requesting a meeting to ensure they are relevant
• Access a dedicated meetings space in the Matchmaking Lounge ifneeded
• Manage their stand team and oversee meetings schedules
• Populate their diary with meetings by syncing the MatchmakingService to ical, Outlook or Google Calendar

New exhibitors, retailers and global partners (companies whoexhibit at BLE and Licensing Expo in the same calendar year) can also takeadvantage of a free VIP concierge service, which offers support in setting upand building online profiles as well as booking meetings with a tailored wishlist of relevant visitors.

BLE 2019 takes place at ExCeLLondon from 1-3 October 2019. Register for free at www.brandlicensing.eu/register