China Licensing Expo (CLE) is a global professional licensing exhibition with 18 successful editions held to date. It serves as a premier choice for domestic and international licensors to expand into the Chinese and even Asian markets. Boasting over 2,600 global authentic IP resources, CLE builds a precise matchmaking platform for cross-industry cooperation between IP licensors and licensees, facilitating mutual empowerment of cultural creativity and the real economy.
65,000㎡
Exhibition area566
Exhibitor2,600+
IP99,030
Professional audienceFrom October 15 to 17, the 18th China Licensing Expo (CLE for short) was successfully held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC for short) in Pudong. This year’s expo reached new heights in scale and influence, boasting an exhibition area of 65,000 square meters, gathering 566 exhibitors, and showcasing over 2,600 full-category IPs from home and abroad. It attracted 99,030 professional visitors, representing a year-on-year growth of 14.9%, among whom 5,653 were overseas visitors, a remarkable year-on-year increase of 186.1%. Nearly 100 events were held during the expo, bringing together industry professionals such as licensors, licensees, distributors, manufacturers, and retailers from around the world to explore cross-border resource integration and advance cooperation negotiations efficiently.
A Gathering of World-Class International IPs
Well-known international IPs made their appearances, including Mickey and Friends, My Little Pony, Minions, Transformers, Barbie, SpongeBob SquarePants, Hearthstone, Assassin’s Creed, Smiley, Peanuts, Miffy, tokidoki, the British Museum, LMCA, GTL, Sanrio Characters, Pokémon, the Gundam Series, Ultraman, Chiikawa, Detective Conan, Pac-Man, Doraemon, Crayon Shin-chan, LINE FRIENDS, Kakao Friends, and ICONIX.
Domestic Leading IPs Make a Concentrated Appearance
Leading domestic IPs also showcased their strengths at the expo, such as those from the Palace Museum, National Museum of China, Art Exhibitions China, Dunhuang Academy, Sanxingdui Museum, POP MART, 52TOYS, tnt, Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, GG Bond, Boonie Bears, Super Wings, The Monkey King: Havoc in Heaven, Little Monsters from Langlang Mountain, The Founder of Diabolism, Soul Land, Eggy Party, The Legend of Sword and Fairy, The King’s Avatar, Three-Body.
As a unique feature of CLE, international and China Macao, and China Taiwan pavilions made a strong presence, demonstrating a global perspective and cross-regional cooperation potential, and jointly promoting exchanges, cooperation, and development in the global licensing industry. The participating pavilions included the Character Brand Licensing Association (CBLA) Pavilion from Japan, the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) Pavilion, the Korea Content Licensing Association (KOCLA) Pavilion, the Gwangju Information & Culture Industry Promotion Institute Pavilion, the Russian Content Worldwide Pavilion, the Moscow Department of Culture Pavilion, the European Pavilion, the Taiwan Character Brand Licensing Association (TCBLA) Pavilion from China, and the Macao Animation, Toy, Culture and Art Exchange Promotion Association Pavilion from China. These pavilions brought numerous international IPs to the expo, connecting the global IP licensing market and facilitating the exchange, cooperation, and development of the global licensing industry.
The expo site set up seven themed IP zones, namely the Art & Museum Zone, Emerging IP + Art Toy Zone, Game & Sports Zone, IP x Original Creation Zone, IP x Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Zone, Corporate Brand Zone, and New IP Force Zone. These zones covered diverse scenarios and segmented fields, creating immersive experiences to help licensor better showcase their advantages and characteristics.
During the expo, the "2025 CLE China Licensing Week" series of events have been successfully held. These events focus on the new trends in the IP licensing industry, gathering senior executives from global well - known full-category authentic IP licensors, licensees, retailers, and licensing industry institutions. They will share cross-industry resources, gain insights into cutting-edge trends, and promote precise matchmaking and cooperation between IP suppliers and demanders.
