Franchise Opportunities Live is back on 6 & 7 Septemeber

“There is a very co-operative attitude and not a hard-sell.” Many of the visitors to
Franchise Opportunities Live agreed with the view of Jimil Shah, a CAD Designer in the civil engineering industry from Stanmore. His feedback was just one of many positive reviews after the launch event last year.

This unique event, which offers a ‘matchmaking service’ of pre-booked meetings between visitors and franchisors, takes place at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel at Heathrow on September 6 and 7.

The innovative booking system enables visitors, as well as the franchisors, to spend their day in the most efficient way possible, by speaking in detail with the businesses that most appeal to them and fit their criteria. Franchise Opportunities Live is an event for those who are serious about a career in franchising, giving both parties an ideal platform to discuss opportunities available, in a comfortable atmosphere.

Franchises on offer at Franchise Opportunities Live span sectors including property, food and drink, finance, home care, travel sectors and many others. Some of the companies taking part include: Cañas y Tapas, Cook & Go, Kare Plus, Ecocleen Services, La Pataterie, Mail Boxes Etc, McDonald’s, Pinnacle Travel Network, Sandler Training, The Christmas Decorators and many others.

As well as meeting with franchise businesses, visitors can extend their research by attending a range of seminars throughout both days, hosted by successful franchise businesses and the British Franchise Association (bfa). The programme covers topics such as how to choose the right franchise, as well as important legal and financial advice. There will also be the bfa Franchising Panel Seminars on buying a franchise.

Speaking at some of the franchise talks will be experts from Caremark, TheBestOf, Platinum Property Partners and Franchise Finance.For those with a bigger budget, the High Investment Franchise Panel, taking place throughout both days, will include headline sponsors Platinum Property Partners as well as SIGNARAMA, Mail Boxes Etc and Papa John’s.

Franchise Finance will facilitate the Finance Clinic, a designated space which allows visitors to find solutions to their financial queries in private. Real Franchise Stories is a chance each day to hear first hand, personal experiences from existing franchise owners about how they achieved their success. The Franchise Hub will once again be available for an abundance of networking opportunities.

Many of the visitors last year commented on how they preferred to be able to go through all their questions in a private and comfortable setting. Estate agency director, Kashish Hashimi, from Birmingham said: “It’s a pleasant way to find out more. It’s very helpful to have appointments and one-to-one meetings – much better than telephone conversations or web contact. The seminars are also a good way to learn more.”

The event format worked well for exhibitors as well. sKids Managing Director, Vicki Prout, said about the visitors to the event last year: “Many of our meetings had a good sense of purpose. The planned one-on-one meetings were with relevant, interested parties seeking business opportunities in the right sector. We were pleasantly surprised by how much homework or pre-work on the brand had been done prior to the meeting – this is exceptional and allowed the first meeting to be of a much higher quality for both parties.”

Adrian Goodsell, Franchise Exhibitions Manager at Venture Marketing Group, the organisers, comments: “This targeted event is of real benefit for those seriously considering a career in franchising – the proof was in last year’s success. We are hoping to repeat the success again this year, and we have really made sure that both days run as efficiently as possible to make this second year a memorable and worthwhile journey for everyone involved.”

The bfa supports the event, which means all the franchise businesses have met the bfa’s code of ethics, and so visitors can have full confidence in all the businesses taking part at Franchise Opportunities Live.

Franchise Opportunities Live takes place on September 6 and 7 at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, Heathrow. To book into the exhibition, call the number below or visit franchiseinfo.co.uk