欧美文化:Chinese companies explore opportunities at world's leading licensing expo

LAS VEGAS, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese brands are participating in a world's leading licensing expo this week in Las Vegas, U.S. state of Nevada, exploring opportunities to expand overseas markets and build up influence of Chinese intellectual property (IP) in the global licensing industry.

Thousands of leading retailers, manufacturers and licensees from around the globe gathered at Licensing Expo 2024 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

The show, running from Tuesday to Thursday, provides opportunities for retailers, licensees, and manufacturers to identify future trends, and connect with the world's most influential entertainment, character, art, and corporate brand owners, and secure deals.

Over 5,000 brands showcased at the expo, including Hasbro, Paramount and Crayola, and new exhibitors like Liquid Death, Fandom and LEGO.

Chinese brands are on the show floor with their licensed products, programs and characters, including ROBBiART, JAST Company Limited, Semk Products Limited, and Smart Zone Limited.

The importance of IP has drawn increasing attention in China and globally, Rhea He, CEO of ROBBiART, told Xinhua. "It's the first time ROBBiART taking part in Licensing Expo. We hope to take the opportunity to reach out to more potential customers and designers in the global markets, to explore cooperation and introduce Chinese brands, Chinese designs and the charm of Chinese IP to the world," she said.

ROBBi, the iconic IP character of ROBBiART, is popular among Chinese millennials and Generation Z with their rabbit-like appearance and enigmatic, space-faring persona.

The character attracted lots of visitors on the show floor.

"Space is a big concept. Like this with the bunny, I think it's cute. Kids would like it...It's like a rabbit inside the space suit. Nobody has done that. That's a good concept," a show visitor whose first name is Shawn, told Xinhua.

He said he has been working a lot with Chinese companies. "I think the design is the concept behind it (IP character)...The artist is taking the time and he has looked at every specific thing, and he's taken very good care on doing something in design. That's the most important thing."

B. Duck, an iconic IP toy of Semk Products Limited, a product design company headquartered in Shenzhen, China, also caught lots of attentions at the show.

Lynn Li, the company's licensing director, said it takes time for Chinese original IP from debut on global stages to building up their influence.

"Licensing Expo is a great opportunity for us to expand overseas markets, especially North American and South American markets," Li told Xinhua.

Since last year's expo, Semk Products Limited has seen growth in its overseas businesses, and secured new agents for markets such as Brazil, Russia and South Africa, according to Li.

JAST Company Limited, a Chinese gift and toy manufacturer, presented a series of IP products at the show, including musical birthday gift bags, push-code musical jewelry boxes, light-up musical books and musical pens.

The company's iconic paper gift bag can create magical moments - when opened, the bag has music playing and fireworks lighting up simultaneously for a magical surprise.

"The embedded button on the gift bag - a triggering device - is the key for our IP to attract overseas customers. This small switch device helped us to sell eight to nine millions of gift bags," Steve Chen, managing director of JAST Company Limited, told Xinhua.

Lots of show visitors showed great interest in the Chinese licensing market, and plan to participate in the upcoming Licensing Expo China 2024, to be held from July 17 to 19 in Shanghai.

"Many exhibitors we reached out at the expo are interested in exploring the huge potential of China's licensing market," Blues Chen, project manager of Licensing Expo Shanghai, told Xinhua.

For more than 40 years, Licensing Expo has connected the world's most influential entertainment, character, art, and corporate brand owners and agents with consumer goods manufacturers, licensees and retailers.