Spring Fair is expanding its licensing sector for 2027 in partnership with Total Licensing, following the success of the Licensing Lab at this year’s show.
The sector will expand to more than 800 sq m in Hall 5 – representing over 900% year-on-year growth. It will sit alongside the brand-new Gift Edit, The Gift of the Year Showcase, and the Kids, Toy & Play and Food & Drink sectors, creating even greater opportunities for product discovery and collaboration.
The dedicated space will bring designers, artists, brand owners, licensing agents, licensees, museums and manufacturers together with retail buyers, licensing managers and product development teams.
The area will include a dedicated Licensing Lounge, Licensing Studio and co-branded content stage, with daily industry insight sessions.
Confirmed for Spring Fair 2027 are designers including Kate Merritt, Emma Lawrence, Everyday Womtras and Nicole Elders; agents Jehane and Tantau Studio; and licensees including Bluesky Studios, Difuzed and Widdop & Co.
With more than 40,000 retail buyers attending Spring Fair and over 4,000 identifying licensing as a core area of interest, the expansion reflects the growing role of licensed products and brand collaborations in retail.
Fay Tranter, event director at Spring Fair, said: “Partnering with Total Licensing is a natural next step in that journey. Their expertise, industry relationships and global reach will help us elevate the licensing sector even further.”
Becky Ash, editorial director at Total Licensing, added: “We want to make licensing more visible, accessible and commercially relevant, while showcasing the breadth of brands, properties and partnerships available across the industry. We look forward to building an even stronger platform for collaboration, education, discovery and business development, creating meaningful new opportunities for the licensing and retail communities.”
Spring Fair takes place at the NEC Birmingham from 7–10 February 2027. www.springfair.com