|
Now that you have learned how to license your music through the last three issues of this ezine, remember that you may need licenses for other types of event entertainment. Various types of costumed characters are often featured at events and are very popular with children and adults. They can be seen at many different types of events, including fairs and festivals and at various venues such as malls, parades and meetings. Adding the likeness of a super hero to your event's entertainment is not as simple as renting a costume for a volunteer or staff member to wear during the event. The event entertainment planners who utilize these costumed characters at their events have to obtain written permission from the character's owners or representatives before including them in their event. Because the characters are trademarked, unlawful use represents a trademark violation which is punishable under law.
Obtaining permission to use a trademarked character can be a lengthy process and should be started at least two months prior to the event. For more popular costumed characters, the lead-time should be longer. The owners of the characters rent the character costumes to approved users and have a limited supply available, so providing them with adequate lead-time to fulfill your request, often up to a year in advance, is important. Do not assume that just because you asked for permission that it will be automatically granted. The owners have an interest in protecting their trademark and the character's image, so they will request detailed information about the event, venue, sponsors and other vendors who will be at the event, to ensure that the event meets their criteria. Some characters are not available for certain types of events because they do not fit the owners' marketing or promotional strategy, so you should have alternative options in the event your first character choice is not available.
Who do you call to book a costumed character? Most are owned by large entertainment companies and have offices that take care of licensing requests. Others use licensees to handle the marketing and promotions of the characters. Costumed characters can be an attention-getter at your event, attracting larger audiences and creating a special mood and fun for everyone. Remember to ensure adequate lead-time for the fulfillment of your request for a particular costumed character and if your request is denied, have alternative choices available. Most importantly, be sure to obtain the proper permission to use costumed characters at your event, to protect your reputation and your event
Cheryl Rubin, Vice President Licensing & Merchandising for DC Comics, a division of Warner Bros. has worked in the licensing industry for over a quarter of a century. She is responsible for the worldwide licensing and merchandising of world famous super heroes Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. She wrote this case study below.
Costumed characters are effective draws for many types of meetings and events. From kids to adults, everyone enjoys seeing their favorite characters brought to life and the opportunity to interact with them. Costume characters are most often booked for malls, fairs, festivals, special events, meetings, zoos, theme parks, fundraisers, parades, trade shows, and retailers. Some of the more famous characters appear in traveling shows, while the majority are available for meet and greet appearances.
Since all characters are owned and trademarked by some entity (the licensor), it is critical to obtain permission from the owners or representatives before proceeding any further in planning the meeting or event. If you don’t get written permission to use the character in your meeting or event, you and your client could be held liable for unfair use of a trademark with remedies due as provided by the law.
Allow a minimum of four weeks to obtain permission, ideally 6-8 weeks, depending on the popularity of the character. In fact, the more popular a character is, the further in advance you should contact the licensor for permission. Most companies have a very limited number of costumes available, which can be booked up to one year in advance. Be prepared to provide details on the event and your client, as the licensor will factor in the client as much as the event itself in making their decision.
Some characters are simply not available for general usage in public events as that may not fit into the marketing strategy for the character. For example, Batman, a world renown super hero, and owned by DC Comics, a division of Warner Bros., is available for malls, retailers where Batman merchandise is sold, fairs, festivals, zoos, and parades but only under certain conditions. Batman makes both meet and greet appearances (simple appearances where he greets kids and signs autographs) to a staged twenty- minute stunt show, with the fees commensurate with the type of booking. Batman would not be available for an appearance related to a company that is not a licensee (a company licensed by DC Comics to create Batman merchandise or use Batman in a promotion) such as a trade show or sales meeting. Nor is Batman available for Bar Mitzvahs!
Every licensor has different guidelines for booking their costumed character. Some companies have in-house departments that handle these requests, other license character appearances out to an authorized licensee. Some companies only book their characters at major events with marketing support. Others use character appearances as brand builders and are more flexible about how and where the characters appear. You can always call the owner of the character to find out what kind of appearances the character is most likely to be booked at or to learn the name of the authorized licensee.
Trademarked characters can be great attention getters, audience builders, and can help add to a fun environment for a meeting or event. Just start the proposal process far in advance, be patient, have a back-up plan if the character isn’t available and stay away from using unauthorized characters to keep your reputation and that of your client intact.
Click here for this issue's
Industry News: Not Just Background Music by Michael Harrelson
Click here for this issue's
featured artist: Malo featuring Jorge Santana
 Mark
Sonder, CSEP is the Chief Entertainment Officer of Mark Sonder
Productions, an award-winning entertainment producer, Mark Sonder Productions, Inc. is the national leader in designing event marketing solutions through headline entertainment and production services for facilities, corporations and associations, since 1985.
In addition, Sonder sits on
the faculty of the University
of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV), The George Washington University, Stratford
University, and Northern Virginia Community College.
Event
Entertainment and Production is the book published by
Wiley authored by Sonder.
|
