We find out why Royal Armouries is making its debut at this year’s BLE.
The Source highlights a selection of the first time exhibitors and newcomers who will be on the show floor at this year’s Brand Licensing Europe.
Today: Royal Armouries (P741)
Can you sum up your company and what you do in a handy paragraph?
The Royal Armouries is the UK’s national collection of arms and armour, and one of the most important museums of its type in the world. Its origins lie in the Middle Ages: its celebrated core collection originating in the nation’s working arsenal, assembled over many centuries at the Tower of London. In the reign of Elizabeth I, selected items began to be arranged for display to visitors, making the Royal Armouries heir to one of the oldest deliberately created visitor attractions in the country. The collection of about 75,000 items – excluding approximately 2,700 loans to other bodies – is now displayed and housed not only in the Tower of London but also at our purpose-built museum in Leeds, and at Fort Nelson near Portsmouth.
Why did you decide to exhibit at BLE this year?
Brand Licensing Europe is the definitive event for the licensing industry. We are excited to be exhibiting for the first time as Brand Licensing Europe offers a fantastic opportunity to increase market knowledge of our collection and the opportunities it offers for brand licensing.
What properties will you be showcasing?
Our current brand licensing portfolio is still in its infancy, but there is huge untapped potential housed within the collection, which spans several thousand years across 75,000 items. Our unique selection of objects, which demonstrates craftsmanship and design at its finest, has already inspired several successful collaborations. We hope to enhance our existing profile with new and exciting brand licensing projects inspired by the history and beauty of our collection.
What are you most looking forward to about BLE?
Not only are we delighted about showcasing our own collection at BLE this year, we are also excited about interacting with a wide variety of other brands. We are looking forward to the learning opportunities presented by the BLE Seminar Programme, and to developing conversations with our peers and potential licensors. We are confident that others will see the opportunity presented by the fabulous items in our collection and BLE presents a unique opportunity to connect with a host of these like-minded people under one roof.
What would you most like to achieve by exhibiting at BLE this year?
Our principle objective for exhibiting at BLE this year is to raise awareness of our collection, which is one of the finest collections of arms and armour in the world and to highlight the hidden gems of the Royal Armouries. We hope to encourage potential licensors to think about creative and interesting ways in which our pieces can inspire development of their brand licensing portfolios.
Brand Licensing Europe runs from October 11-13 at London’s Olympia. Head to the official website – www.brandlicensing.eu – to find out more and to register to attend.
