The start of new collaborations and licensing deals: second BRANDmate is ready to go

• Innovative networking event with speed-dating, showrooms and speaker stages
• Festival elements such as branded food trucks and live concert
• Broad programme including stimulating presentations, masterclasses and show-kitchens

Anyone seeking to keep their brand successful in an ever-changing business world, and to benefit from the latest trends in collaborations and licensing, will be in just the right place here: on 21 and 22 June, Fredenhagen near Offenbach plays host to BRANDmate. Representing a whole new scale in the field of licensing and collaboration, it is the result of cooperation with Spielwarenmesse eG – cooperation that has existed for many years but was intensified last autumn for this event.

BRANDmate goes way beyond the traditional trade fair. Against the 4,900 m² backdrop of the disused Fredenhagen steel plant, the organising team has put together an unconventional symbiosis of trade fair, conference and festival. To Managing Director Eva Stemmer, this is exactly the right concept for the licensing business: “What we’re after is a brand experience area with showrooms, themed cafés, food trucks and lots more. A wonderland of brands that alerts its audience to new possibilities and invites them to think up new ideas for collaborations.” Christian Ulrich, Spokesperson of the Executive Board at Spielwarenmesse eG, adds: “We are very much looking forward to injecting our many years of experience, together with our contacts, into BRANDmate and revealing some pioneering formats to the sector.

Last year, with 190 businesses and 450 participants, the event celebrated its successful premiere. This year BRANDmate once again promises two days of concentrated networking in an enlarged setting. Alongside companies from the fields of entertainment, toys and stationery, there will also be a focus on the sectors of gaming & e-sport, food & beverage, home & living, mobility & travel, and sport & fashion. Licensing International, the world’s most important association for the sector, brings in its expertise to round off the event as its education partner.

The programme is a wide-ranging one: BRANDS on Stage invites visitors to come and discover relevant IPs (intellectual properties) for the coming year. With a good 30% growth in exhibitors, a colourful mix of national and international entertainment businesses including Warner Bros., NBCU, SuperRTL, WDR mediagroup and Paramount will be presenting, along with sports clubs such as BVB (Borussia Dortmund) and Eintracht Frankfurt. Publishing houses such as Jahreszeiten Verlag and Carlsen, food brands including Jokolade, and Home & Living brands such as Koziol, IBENA Textile and Carrera complete the event. And in addition, on the speaker stage a number of inspiring talks will be lining up. In 30-minute slots they will tackle topics such as target group market research, AI, future consumer behaviour, the influence of Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and Twitch, and the emotionalisation of brands.

This time there will also be a focus on the all-inclusive package of food, drinks and entertainment. Axel Schmitt, Baker of the Year and known in Germany as the ‘Wacken-Bäcker’, will be there in his own show-kitchen, as will star chef Johann Lafer. Brands such as Gustavo Gusto, Bruno Gelato and Traeger will be keeping visitors supplied with pizza, ice cream and food from the grill. And alongside all of this there will again be an exhibition area where brands and businesses can present, and an evening event with a live concert. The full programme can be downloaded at www.brandmate.events.

An innovative networking tool will allow participants to get networking even before the start. On the BRANDmate website, they can make contact with exhibitors, arrange appointments in advance and generate new business opportunities. What is special about this is that two weeks before the event, all contacts will be available so that everyone can write to everyone else. BRANDmate will thus once again be offering its own particular festival-like spirit, and a communication of equals with well-known brands.