A Day in the Life: Behind the Scenes at Brand Licensing Europe
Who says business can't be fun? Our whirlwind day at Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) at London's ExCeL proved that when you love what you do, even a 4am start and midnight finish can't dampen your spirits!
Making the journey from Moray to Canary Wharf and back in a day might sound ambitious, but when there's this much excitement packed into every hour, who needs sleep? Here's what a day at Europe's largest licensing show really looks like:
First stop: breakfast at "The Duck Shed" to fuel up for the day ahead. Then it was straight to the heart of the action at the This is Iris stand, where our incredible licensing agent Sarah Lawrence had already created a buzz around Brilliantly Brave. Sarah's energy and enthusiasm for our brand is infectious - she doesn't just represent us, she truly "gets" what we're trying to achieve.
The show itself? Imagine a playground for brands where you might:
- Find yourself photo-bombed by the Gruffalo attempting bunny ears
- Strike a pose next to a monster JCB digger
- Watch Dragons' Den star Sara Davies share licensing wisdom close up
- Bump into old friends like Dan and Alex from Stickers4
- Get surprise hugs from industry legends like Jakki from Progressive Greetings
One of the day's highlights was catching up with Adriana from the Greeting Card Association and the wonderful Tracey from Ginger Betty Cards. The licensing world might be big business, but it's the personal connections that make it special.
Between meetings with potential licensees (so many exciting possibilities!) and catching up with industry friends, the day flew by in a blur of creativity, laughter, and possibility. Even EasyJet's creative interpretation of our schedule ("Midnight home time? Perfect!") couldn't dent our enthusiasm.
The biggest thank you has to go to Sarah Lawrence and the This is Iris team. Having an agent who combines incredible industry expertise with genuine kindness and purpose is worth every minute of that early morning start.
Watch this space - if our day at BLE is anything to go by, the future of Brilliantly Brave is looking very exciting indeed. We're already counting down to next year!
About Brilliantly Brave
Brilliantly Brave is a purpose-driven greeting card publisher based in Moray, Scotland. Founded in 2024, the business creates beautifully designed cards that celebrate diversity, promote mental wellbeing, and directly fund community mental health initiatives. By channelling 100% of profits into local support services, we're pioneering a new model of social enterprise that proves commercial success and social impact can go hand in hand.
