Franchise Arabia is set to hold the Franchise Arabia Conference and Exhibition later this year. The Exhibition will be held at the ADNEC in Abu Dhabi on the 4-6 October 2009.

'The region's key investors and business operators have long recognised the benefits of the franchise business model, in fact the regions extraordinary and accelerated development may not have been achieved without the establishment of franchise relationships,' says Tracy Furey, Franchise Arabia's Conference Director.

Franchise in its various forms touches every aspect of our daily existence; the coffee we buy on the way to work, our children's education and development, where we dine-out, how we use our leisure time and the way we spend our disposable income, are just a few examples of its impact.

Perhaps it's most visible influence has been the general retail, food and beverage offering. Furey adds: 'Take a look at any one of the region's premier malls and you will find that more than 90 per cent of the outlets are international franchise concepts.'

In this sector, there is a cluster of major players including the M.H. Al Shaya Company; the Azadea Group; and the Jawad Business Group, among others, who between them manage hundreds of franchises and thousands of outlets, and there are smaller operators too managing innovative and exciting retail concepts.

However, the regions' franchise footprint is not solely retail driven. Furey says: 'It is important that we do not underestimate the impact of franchise on the region's broader business sectors. The hospitality sector, training and education, media and publications and health and wellbeing, are also sectors that are imbued with franchise relationships.'

The conference will feature some of the best-in-field international and regional business leaders and will debate areas such as brand management, legal, regulatory and IPR issues, franchise selection and acquisition, negotiation, re-negotiation and arbitration, franchise financial management, market entry strategies, case studies of international success stories and insight into the emerging brands that will be the success stories of tomorrow.

The three day conference programme will feature more than 30 speakers, over two streams and will be complemented by practical workshops for both existing and prospective franchisees and franchisors.

Dominie McGill, Chairman of Nexus Holdings & Associates Ltd, organiser of the Franchise Arabia Conference and Exhibition says: 'We have been thrilled by the initial response to the event profile at both an international and regional level.

'There is no existing platform for franchise investors and senior executives to debate relevant and meaningful franchise related topics and to network with industry professionals. The Franchise Arabia formula has been carefully constructed and will set new benchmarks in the region's franchise events calendar.'

The event will take place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) McGill says: 'ADNEC provides truly world-class facilities and its positioning is perfectly aligned for the Franchise Arabia event. Abu Dhabi itself, a significant regional economic hub with excellent transport connections and a superb infrastructure is fast on the way to becoming the regions undisputed first choice MICE destination for both hosts and visitors.'

Published: 11 February 2009

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