In light of the recent announcement of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral taking place on Monday 19 September 2022, and the confirmation that this date is also a UK Bank Holiday, there will be changes to this year’s Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) show hours.
The attendee opening hours for BLE 2022 are now:
- Tuesday 20 September: 12:00pm – 6:00pm (was 9am-5pm originally)
- Wednesday 21 September: 8:00am – 6:00pm (was 9am-5pm originally)
- Thursday 22 September: 9:00am – 4:00pm (no change)
Exhibitor and contractor hours will be changed and communicated directly to allow for everyone to pay their respects to Her Majesty the Queen on Monday 19 September.
“We have done everything possible to reduce disruption to our visitors, exhibitors and contractors, while also taking into account that many people in the UK do not wish to work on Monday 19 September in order to pay their respects to Her Majesty and be with their families on such a momentous occasion,” commented Anna Knight, svp licensing at Informa Markets. “Monday is the busiest day for the set-up of the event, and we therefore need a few additional hours on Tuesday morning to enable exhibitors enough time to complete set-up of their stands and to welcome visitors to the event.”
The changes will impact a number of timed events that were due to take place on the morning of Tuesday 20 September. These have now been rescheduled as follows:
- Orientation Session: 12-12.20pm (License Global Theatre)
- Show Tour:20 – 12.40pm (departing from the License Global Theatre; various locations)
- Speed Networking for Licensing U delegates:45-3.15pm (Wellness Lounge)
- French Community Drinks:30-6pm (BLE Bar)
- BLE Opening Night Drinks: 6-8pm (BLE Bar and Motul Cafe)
- A couple of changes to catwalk shows are also expected, which will be communicated later in the week.
Anna continued: “We understand that the adjusted hours will require attendees and exhibitors to reschedule meetings on Tuesday morning and we apologise for the inconvenience this will cause. We very much appreciate everyone’s flexibility and understanding as we navigate these unprecedented times.
“We would like to stress the venue will remain open as usual on Tuesday morning for those with pre-booked travel – there are plenty of seating areas and cafes for those wishing to work or take meetings before the show opens at 12pm.”
With less than a week to go until doors open, retailers, manufacturers, product designers and other brand licensing professionals are invited to secure their free ticket on the BLE website. FAQs can be found on the BLE website to help with any questions or expect impact on travel click here to read.
