Starting off with the big news of the week, the Las Vegas Licensing Expo has announced that it will be changing its dates for next year. Arguably the only downside is that Licensing Expo will now clash with both gaming show E3 and the US specialist toy event Astra, which is held in Ohio. The fact that the last day held up so well is particularly encouraging: as a long-term visitor to Vegas Licensing Expo, the sharp drop-off there on day three has often been a frustrating experience. In contrast, my schedule for the final day at BLE was packed through to 2.00, when I had to leave to write the Friday Blog. Mattel isn’t the only toy company ramping up its efforts in the licensing space.