Page 9 - Toy&Hobby Magazine Aug-Oct 2020

event, exciting new trends that emerged that will shape the industry’s landscape from
the growth in popularity for nostalgia with brands consumers grew up with, brands with a defined purpose, streaming and video games, the rise of e-commerce, to sparked interest in home décor, and much more.
IMOGEN: How do you feel this event impacted the licensing industry as a whole?
ANNA: The renewed sense of electricity and urgency for deal-making is apparent. Licensing Week Virtual came at a time when the world was, and still is, facing
a difficult chapter and spurred licensees and licensors to lean on one another to
adapt. Consumers are not only engaging with products and content through digital platforms, but their loyalty and connections to brands has changed as a result of the pandemic. We’re going to see more brand ingenuity than ever before as the result of collaborative thinking on a global scale.
IMOGEN: How do you perceive virtual events in the wider exhibition industry? What part do virtual events play?
ANNA: While virtual offerings are a result of adaptation to the current in-person restrictions in place, they are not going anywhere even after live events return—digital events are not intended to replace in-person gatherings, but to
ABOVE: Digital connections in the licensing industry are foundational to its success.
serve as a resource to connect the industry
on a year-long basis. I believe we’ll see variations of a hybrid approach across the wider exhibition industry.
IMOGEN: How are events looking for 2021 at the moment?
ANNA: With the hopeful return to in-person events in 2021, in the case that organised gatherings are safe for all customers, attendees, and staff, we will see an imaginative year of digital and in-person events working in concert to better support their respective industries. ❉
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2020 TOY&HOBBYRETAILER9