2025 Licensing Expo: Born Licensing's Takeaways

Held from May 20–22 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, this year's expo brought together over 250 exhibitors and more than 5,000 brands across diverse sectors, including entertainment, gaming, fashion, and consumer goods.

Our agenda was packed, featuring over 130 meetings and attendance at six major showcases. We engaged with leading licensors such as Disney, Hasbro, Netflix, Mattel, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal Studios, Penguin Ventures, ZAG, Moonbug, Cloudco, SEGA, The Roald Dahl Story Company, Atari, Tetris, Sesame Workshop, Angry Birds, Peanuts, and King Features… and many more.

Discussions centered around some of the world’s most iconic properties, including Hello Kitty, Barbie, Shrek and Jurassic Park. The six major showcases we attended (Hasbro, Warner Bros., Mattel, Universal, Paramount, Netflix) provided invaluable insights into licensors’ strategies for the remainder of 2025 and beyond, highlighting the dynamic nature of the licensing landscape… and their upcoming plans and slates got us very excited!

The expo also offered a prime opportunity to showcase some of the best advertising campaigns we've worked on over the years to key industry players. We presented summary decks and discussed potential collaborations, receiving enthusiastic responses from licensors. This reaffirmed the strength of licensed characters in advertising and marketing, and the exciting partnership opportunities that lie ahead.

Licensing Expo 2025 was more than just an event: it was a catalyst for innovation and collaboration in the licensing industry. We're energised by the connections made and the insights gained, and we're eager to translate these into successful ventures for the advertising agencies that come to us and their brands.

We've now had the time to take in all the learnings from the 2025 Licensing Expo, and our team reflected on the main takeaways they gained from the event...

David Born, our CEO, commented: "Licensors are actively exploring non-traditional ways to activate their IP, and advertising campaigns are a standout example. By licensing characters and IP for brand campaigns, they unlock new revenue streams while connecting with fans in unexpected, exciting ways. It’s a chance to surprise and delight audiences, boost visibility, and reinforce brand relevance - all without creating physical products."

Alberto Massaro, our Licensing Executive, thought: "Licensors are more open than ever to bold, unconventional uses of their characters in advertising. They're actively encouraging campaigns that place familiar icons in unexpected settings - as long as the core DNA of the brand remains intact. There's a clear shift toward flexibility and creative collaboration, with a strong appetite for fresh, attention-grabbing storytelling that keeps beloved IP culturally relevant."