Rovio to Give Keynote Address at BLE 2013:

LONDON, Sept. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Brand Licensing Europe, the Advanstar organised exhibition, has announced that Rovio will give the Keynote Address at BLE 2013 on Tuesday 15^th October at 13:00.

The speakers will be Rovio's Jami Laes, EVP Gaming, and Naz Cuevas, SVP Licensing and the Keynote is titled Angry Birds– How Rovio Disrupted the Entertainment Industry.

Angry Birds was the 52^nd game released by the small Finnish gaming company Rovio. That was just three years ago. Now Angry Birds is the number one paid app of all time and, with 250 million players every month, the biggest game in the world. It has taken the consumer products market by storm with books in 40 countries, theme parks, plush toys and collaborations with some of the biggest entertainment brands on the planet. A series of animations and the announcement of a feature film cement its place in mainstream entertainment.

Naz Cuevas, Rovio's SVP Licensing, said: "Jami and I are delighted to have been asked to give the keynote at this BLE this year. It's the perfect forum in which to share stories and lessons learned about the past, present and future of Angry Birds and to talk about how it is re-shaping the entertainment industry. We are preparing something we hope will be full of special insights, humour and expertise we have learned along the way."  

Visitors to BLE 2013 will be able to hear what lies behind the brand, what keeps its heart beating, what adventures there have been along the way and the vision is for its future.

BLE event director Darren Brechin said: "We're thrilled to welcome Rovio to the show floor this year and delighted that Naz and Jami will be giving the keynote and sharing some of the magic of the Angry Birds brand with our visitors. I am looking forward to hearing how Rovio created, built and extended a mobile IP into one of the most sought-after brands of all time."

The Keynote forms part of the Licensing Academy programme of talks and seminars which are held during BLE 2013. They are free to attend and the programme can be found at www.brandlicensing.eu

Brand Licensing Europe 2013 takes place from 15 – 17 October 2013 at London's Olympia. Registration is now open.

Notes to editors:

About Brand Licensing Europe

Brand Licensing Europe 2013 (www.brandlicensing.eu) takes place from 15-17 October 2013 at Olympia, London. It is the only pan-European event dedicated to licensing and brand extension. Now in its 15^th successful year, Brand Licensing Europe 2012 hosted 284 exhibitors and 6,875 visitors from 73 countries.

About Advanstar Licensing Group

Advanstar Communications Inc. (www.advanstar.com), producer of Licensing Expo and Brand Licensing Europe, is a leading worldwide media company providing integrated marketing solutions for fashion, life sciences and power sports industries. Advanstar serves business professionals and consumers in these industries with its portfolio of 147 events, 68 publications and directories, 267 electronic products and web sites, as well as educational and direct marketing products and services. Market leading brands and a commitment to delivering innovation, quality products and services enable Advanstar to "connect our customers with theirs". Advanstar has approximately 1,000 employees and currently operates from multiple offices in North America and Europe.

SOURCE Advanstar Communications Inc.