Event Overview:

The Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show is the premier event for brand owners, licensors, licensees and retailers interested in sports licensed products. 

Attendees will have the chance to see nearly 400 exhibiting companies, representing every possible product category. All of the professional leagues and collegiate teams will be represented. Licensors returning will be CLC, Learfield Licensing Partners, National Hockey League and NBA Properties Inc. among others. Click here to view the current exhibitor list. 

The show attracts buyers from all types of retailers: specialty shops, fan shops, department stores, sporting goods stores, online retailers, collectibles and gift stores. Retailers that attended in 2017 include: Academy Sports & Outdoors, Amazon.com, Belk Inc., Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dunham’s Sports, Fanatics, Hibbett Sports, JC Penney, Kohl’s Corp, Lids, Maurice Sporting Goods, Modell’s Sporting Goods, Pottery Barn Teen, Rally House, Staples, Wal-Mart, Zulily and many more. Click here to view the 2017 store list. 

The Sports Licensing & Tailgate Show is produced by Emerald Expositions. Formerly Nielsen Expositions, Emerald Expositions is a leading operator of business-to-business tradeshows in the United States, producing over 85 tradeshows and conference events per year connecting buyers and sellers across nine diversified markets, including general merchandise, sports, hospitality and retail design, jewelry, photography, decorated apparel, building, healthcare and military.

Attendee Information:

More products, more innovation, more opportunity!

If your store sells sports-related licensed products or tailgating supplies, the Sports Licensing & Tailgate Show is where you should be to shop more than 380 exhibitors with products licensed by over two dozen sports leagues and licensors. Countless items are available across all categories – from apparel and accessories to toys and souvenirs.

All of the major leagues and collegiate teams are represented here. This is your chance to see what your customers are going to want next season!

Numerous networking events allow you to see what your peers are up to and gain ideas that you can take home and implement in your own store right away.

Plus, the License to Buy discount program offers incentives for buyers to place orders right on the show floor! You can’t get this kind of deal anywhere else.

Thousands of key retailers and universities attended last year. Check out the company you’ll keep.

Who Should Attend?

Any retailer that sells licensed products or tailgating supplies in their stores:

• Independent & Chain Sporting Goods Stores
• Mass Market
• Warehouse/Wholesale Clubs
• Licensed Specialty Shops
• Concessionaires
• Drug & Convenience Stores
• College Book Stores
• Professional & Collegiate Teams and Leagues
• Department Stores
• Collectibles/Gift Stores
• Discount Stores
• Mail Order/Catalog Houses
• Grocery Stores
• Hardware Stores
• Sporting Venues
• Online Retailers
• And More

Exhibitor Information:

Expose your products to more than 4,500 attendees from across the country and beyond. Nearly 2,000 buyers are here from independent & chain sporting goods stores, suppliers, mass market retailers, general merchandise and specialty stores and fan shops. More than 90 individuals from 60 different schools came to the show – licensing departments, book store buyers, alumni associations and more! See the full store list here.

This is truly a deal-making show. Retailers are here and they are ready to buy. Over $3.8 million in orders were written in 2017 through the License to Buy program alone! This is your chance to show off your latest products and licenses and write orders right on the show floor.

Who Should Exhibit?

Exhibitors are manufacturers that hold licenses for any professional or collegiate sports teams. Products from all categories are represented:

• Accessories
• Apparel
• Collectibles & Trading Cards
• Footwear
• Gifts & Novelties
• Headwear
• Home Furnishings & Housewares
• Imprinted/Embroidered Items
• Picnic/Tailgating Products
• Sports Equipment
• Stationery & School Supplies
• Toys & games