On track to triumph
\"Franchise exhibitions are an excellent way to bring businesses and potential franchise owners together, as meeting face-to-face is crucial in helping both sides judge whether the relationship is right for them.\"
Adrian Goodsell, Franchise Exhibitions Manager, VMG
Many thousands of people who made such a pledge will be looking for opportunities to put it into action by visiting The National Franchise Exhibition in Birmingham on 22 and 23 February 2013. The event, taking place at The NEC, offers the chance for visitors to meet face-to-face with franchise businesses to discuss ideas and acquire all the information they need to progress a career in the industry.
The National Franchise Exhibition helps visitors on the path to become successful franchise owners by enabling them to meet with many businesses from a variety of sectors all under one roof including automotive, computing, travel, retail and food and drink. There will be franchise opportunities available with businesses including Auditel, Chemex International, Plug and Play Designs and Value Doors, and with more big names to be announced in the coming months.
February’s event will be exclusively supported by the British Franchise Association (bfa), meaning all companies exhibiting have met the association’s Code of Ethics, so visitors can have full confidence in the franchise packages on offer.
A pre-booking appointment system has been launched for the event, allowing visitors to arrange meetings in advance via the website, to talk to selected exhibitors. This helps budding franchise owners to ensure they can speak to all the companies that interest them during their visit and plan their day accordingly and effectively.
Alongside the wide range of exhibitors, the event boasts a renowned conference programme. This proved very popular with visitors to the show in February 2012, and next year’s comprehensive conference is set cover all the key topics of interest to prospective franchise owners at all stages in the planning process. One of the visitors, Andy Moore from Sheffield who works in the media, commented that: “The event was great and the seminars were really helpful as they gave me plenty of useful tips to take away. I attended the exhibition to gather information as I am new to the franchising industry.”
There will be a great opportunity to gain free advice on preparing a business plan from finance experts at the Business Plan Clinic, the essential document for applying for a business loan. Career consultants will also be available to advise visitors on how to choose a franchise that suits their talents and ambitions at the Careers Clinic.
The exhibition also offers the chance to learn from the experiences of people who have already taken up franchises. Real Franchise Stories will present a panel of current franchise owners, who will explain the realities of making the transition from being employed to becoming self-employed and share anecdotes and advice – information that no handbook can offer!
The Children’s Activity Centre is also back again to welcome visitors bringing their families to the event. Run by the award-winning Creation Station, it entertains children and their parents with craft activities allowing the partner to explore the rest of the exhibition.
Visitors coming to this event are able to gain an in-depth insight into each franchise business as Ian Ballinger, Franchise Manager at The Creation Station explained after exhibiting at The National Franchise Exhibition in February 2012: “We were really busy and enjoyed meeting people with a real interest in us as a business. People also love the opportunity to engage with existing franchisees as it puts the business into context.”
Adrian Goodsell, Franchise Exhibitions Manager at Venture Marketing Group, organisers of The National Franchise Exhibition comments: “Franchise exhibitions are an excellent way to bring businesses and potential franchise owners together, as meeting face-to-face is crucial in helping both sides judge whether the relationship is right for them.
“2012 was the first year we had held a National Franchise Exhibition in February and it was a real success with both visitors and exhibitors. We’re expecting another busy event in 2013!”
The National Franchise Exhibition is open from 10am each day, closing at 5pm on Friday, February 22 and 4pm on Saturday, February 23 2013.