Licensing Expo 2027 – Las Vegas, United States

• May 25, 2027
  Event date:
• May 27, 2027
  Event end:

Overview

The Licensing Expo stands as the definitive global marketplace for brand extension, intellectual property rights, and consumer product collaborations. Held annually in the entertainment capital of the world, this massive trade show brings together thousands of retailers, manufacturers, and promotional agencies looking to leverage consumer fandom. The event provides a centralized commercial engine where physical products are matched with iconic intellectual properties to establish next-generation retail trends.

Across an expansive convention floor, attendees can explore a vast matrix of major entertainment franchises, corporate trademarks, sports properties, and digital gaming brands. The exhibition layout allows consumer packaged goods companies and product designers to meet face-to-face with premier intellectual property owners and licensing agents from over seventy countries. It serves as the primary meeting ground for securing rights to iconic characters, corporate logos, and artistic properties that drive retail sales worldwide.

Beyond the bustling trade floor, the convention functions as an educational hub providing critical insights into contract negotiation, royalty structures, and brand strategy. Industry veterans deliver targeted presentations detailing contemporary shifts in consumer behaviors, streaming media landscapes, and global retail distributions. It remains an essential corporate destination designed to accelerate manufacturing partnerships and maximize retail product margins on a global scale.

Event Highlights

• Massive Intellectual Property Showcase: Over five thousand iconic brands across entertainment, sports, fashion, gaming, and publishing display their property portfolios to potential manufacturing partners.
• Pre-Qualified Business Matchmaking: A dedicated online event planner tool facilitates the scheduling of thousands of highly targeted business meetings before the exhibition floor opens.
• Specialized Newcomer Guidance: Dedicated educational paths and onboarding modules are provided specifically to help emerging businesses navigate initial brand extension agreements.
• Industry Collaboration Zones: Specialized presentation theaters and corporate lounges provide space for immediate retail contract discussions and intellectual property strategy evaluations.

Why Attend

Attending this exposition provides consumer product manufacturers and retail buyers with an elite platform to spot upcoming merchandise trends before they dominate store shelves. Securing the rights to globally recognized properties allows manufacturers to differentiate their merchandise portfolios and command significantly higher retail profit margins. It provides a highly efficient environment where professionals can accomplish months of brand research and partner outreach in just three days.

The exhibition is perfectly tailored for product designers, toy manufacturers, apparel merchandisers, promotional marketing agencies, and corporate brand managers looking to expand their intellectual property portfolios. Participants benefit from direct access to legal and creative decision-makers from top-tier entertainment studios and international sports leagues. The strategic commercial partnerships and licensing frameworks established here help businesses diversify their product lines and capture new consumer market segments.

Date & Duration

• Event Date: May 25th to May 27th 2027
• Event Duration: Three action-packed days of intensive corporate deal-making, trend presentation sessions, and strategic business networking

Visiting this event? Don’t miss out on these amazing activities and local experiences while you’re here.

Ticket Information

• How Tickets Are Sold: Registration badges must be requested through the official online corporate portal, and applicants undergo strict credential verification to maintain a business-to-business environment.
• Admission Type: Badges are issued as complimentary retail passes for verified direct-to-consumer store buyers or as standard commercial industry attendee passes.
• Ticket Pricing: Qualified retail product buyers can secure entry passes for free admission, while standard badges for non-exhibiting brand agents, manufacturers, or service providers require paid registration options.
• Special Seating Options: Keynote seminar stages and educational theaters utilize open, unreserved seating structures available on a first-come, first-served basis for all badged trade attendees.
• VIP Options: Upgraded premium pass tiers are available to secure specialized educational platform access along with entry passes to the official opening night networking party.

Venue / Location

• City and Country: Las Vegas, United States
• Venue Name: Mandalay Bay Convention Center
• Google Maps Address: 3950 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89119, United States

Contact Information

• Email: cs@licensingexpo.com
• Phone Number: 866-221-3662
• Official Website: https://www.licensingexpo.com/en/home.html

Accommodation Options

The convention center is situated directly inside a world-class integrated resort complex that features thousands of luxury hotel rooms, suites, and business amenities right on-site. Traveling corporate delegations can access the exhibition floors directly from their hotel towers without ever needing to step outside into the desert heat. Utilizing the official event housing portal allows attending companies to book preferred room blocks with flexible reservation parameters.

Alternative lodging includes neighboring mega-resorts and sleek boutique towers located along the main resort corridor just minutes away from the south convention complex. The immediate area provides vast dining choices ranging from casual food courts to award-winning restaurants ideal for hosting formal client dinners. Excellent regional transit options make traveling between various properties along the strip exceptionally fast and efficient.

Getting There

• Nearest Airport: Harry Reid International Airport is located approximately 3 miles east of the central convention facility.
• Nearest Train/Metro Station: The MGM Grand Monorail Station is the closest major transit rail connection located roughly 1.5 miles north of the property.
• Bus Routes or Public Transport Options: The Deuce bus transit line runs continuous twenty-four-hour routes along the main boulevard stopping directly outside the resort complex.
• Parking Availability: Expansive multi-level self-parking structures and secure valet parking garages are accessible directly from the main resort entry roads.
• Directions by Car: The venue is easily accessed via Interstate 15 taking exit 36 for Russell Road or exit 37 for Tropicana Avenue directly into the resort lanes.

What is this event?

This event is the largest and most influential international trade exhibition dedicated exclusively to the commercial realms of brand licensing, character merchandising, and corporate brand extension. It serves as a secure business-to-business marketplace where intellectual property owners lease their rights to third-party manufacturers for consumer product integration.

The exposition covers every major retail consumer category including entertainment franchises, sports teams, fashion labels, and digital gaming assets. It acts as the central catalyst for global product collaborations, determining what merchandise will appear on physical and digital retail shelves in the coming fiscal years.

Why is it popular?

The event is immensely popular because it consolidates hundreds of billions of dollars worth of global licensing opportunities into a single highly active trade floor. It offers a concentrated gathering of corporate decision-makers, allowing product manufacturers to bypass traditional corporate gatekeepers and present product concepts directly to major brand executives.

Its position as a multi-industry convergence point makes it highly attractive to global retailers who want to evaluate the long-term pop-culture trends driving consumer fandom. The dynamic exhibition space filled with costume character appearances, immersive studio booths, and high-profile product reveals creates an inspiring commercial environment that guarantees strong international attendance.

Tips before you go

• Submit your retail or corporate credentials online months in advance to ensure your business badge is fully approved before arriving at the venue.
• Utilize the digital event planner application weeks before the expo opening day to pre-schedule specific appointment times with high-priority brand owners.
• Wear exceptionally supportive business footwear because walking across the massive multi-hall layout of the convention floors requires miles of daily movement.
• Bring a digital portfolio or tablet device pre-loaded with your manufacturing capabilities and product concepts to easily pitch to prospective intellectual property partners.
• Review the legal terminology and basic structures of licensing agreements beforehand if you are a newcomer preparing to enter your first contract negotiation.

Attendee Experiences

• The ability to pitch our product designs directly to major entertainment studio executives in a single afternoon completely accelerated our corporate timeline.
• Securing the manufacturing rights to an iconic gaming franchise during the show will allow our company to expand into brand-new retail markets.
• The educational presentations regarding modern digital character extensions provided our marketing team with clear frameworks for building our next merchandise collection.

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