Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products is responsible for licensing not only Nickelodeon brands and characters, but also the properties of Paramount Pictures, Comedy Central, Spike TV and MTV International. Its key properties for Brand Licensing 2006 are Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants, Avatar, Backyardigans and Go Diego Go.

Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products senior UK licensing director Trudi Hayward says, “As one of the leading global licensors, we fully support Brand Licensing as a staple industry event able to attract a growing number of licensees and retailers.

"We have supported Brand Licensing for the past few years in a sponsorship capacity but this year we decided to exhibit for the first time on the show floor to reflect our growing business in the UK and Europe and high profile portfolio of properties such as Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants.”

The event which is in its eight year will see over 160 exhibitors, 2500 properties and brands available for licensing. Thousands of manufacturers, retailers and marketers attend the event each year.

There will also be seminars at Brand Licensing 2006. One session is called Mysteries of royalties revealed. This will be moderated by representatives from PwC.

Up to 95 per cent of royalty examinations reveal mis-reported royalties. In this seminar, attendees will find out why this happens and what one can do to prevent it. Through case studies and practical advice, one will gain an overview of:

Royalty basis and calculation
Reporting requirements
Royalty auditing provisions

Those targetting kids can attend Developing age appropriate branded solutions for children. Too many products are designed for children without clarity as to the developmental abilities of the target age. This reduces the play and identification patterns which ultimately damage the brand. This interactive and participative session gives participants some of the tools one needs to make product and programs that resonate with children in a developmentally and age appropriate way.

With new media growing in importance one session looks at Licensing lessons in the mobile content market. This session will help those who want to get involved in licensing for mobile but are not sure where to begin. The panel of speakers will demystify the jargon and guide attendees through the complexities of this new and evolving platform for licensed content. Topics to be covered include:

-Definition of the mobile platform worldwide
-Explanation of the value chain and route to market
-How to bring original properties to market through mobile
-Case studies of revenue earning mobile solutions
-Finding the right partner for mobile content