The Very Hungry Caterpillar at the RHS also honoured at last night’s virtual awards ceremony.
A host of UK-based companies are celebrating this morning after picking up accolades at last night’s 2020 Licensing International Excellence Awards.
Hosted as a live virtual event for the first time – due to the restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic – almost 1,000 industry executives from around the world tuned in to find out the winners of the 23 awards.
The event – which was hosted by Marshall Mizrahi, vp of Handcraft and stand-up comedian – also saw Martha Stewart inducted into the Licensing Hall of Fame and showcased this year’s six international Rising Stars including Hannah Stevens from The Point.1888.
The accolades were unveiled by ten leading licensing executives – including Mark Kingston, svp international consumer products at ViacomCBS and Vickie O’Malley, md of Rockpool Licensing, who donned their gladrags to visit some rather exotic ‘places’.
Textiles licensee Dreamtex was awarded the Home Décor accolade for its National Geographic Recycled Bedding, ‘accepted’ by the company’s Jo Duckworth, Anthony Duckworth and Andy Downie.
V&A scooped the Art/Design/Celebrity/Fashion Brand, with the museum’s Lauren Sizeland thanking Licensing International for the honour.
The teams from Rocket Licensing and The Joester Loria Group were on hand to accept the Best Experiential or Location-based Initiative for The Very Hungry Caterpillar at the Royal Horticultural Society.
A clearly delighted Harrogate Tipple team also scooped The Newcomer Award for its Downton Abbey gin and whiskey (a deal brokered by Asgard Media).
Other big winners included WildBrain CPLG which ‘took home’ the Best Licensing Agency accolade, while The Coca-Cola Company and Sesame Workshop each scooped multiple trophies.
You can read the full list of winners by clicking on this link.
“This year marks the 35th anniversary of the International Licensing Awards, and while we had of course looked forward to celebrating in person, this virtual gathering was an amazing event,” commented Maura Regan, president of Licensing International. “Perhaps more than ever it was important to celebrate the incredible creativity and innovation of our industry.
“Seeing the very best work of this industry on display, alongside some of the dynamic executives who drive it, was a powerful reminder that, in the wake of uncertainty, the power of trusted brands and well-known licences is more critical than ever before.”
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