Birmingham's NEC to host prestigious Franchise Exhibition

This February will welcome back the highly anticipated National Franchise Exhibition 2015. The two-day event will take place at the NEC in Birmingham and will give aspiring business owners an exclusive insight into the franchise industry. The event will bring together national business opportunities as well as invaluable advice from franchise professionals, offering an essential stepping stone to setting up and growing a franchise.

With well over 500,000 Brits now employed in franchising across the UK and with an industry turnover amounting to £13.7 billion, there has never been a better time to adopt one of the UK’s most successful business models. At the centre of the UK’s franchise industry, the upcoming National Franchise Exhibition will showcase a diverse range of franchise concepts to suit everyone, from sectors including food and drink, property, retail, homecare and many more.

The only franchise event this February supported by the British Franchise Association (bfa), visitors have the peace of mind to openly discuss their next possible business venture with well-established businesses. The bfa govern franchising in the UK and extensively check the exhibiting franchises against their ethical guidelines.

Businesses’ exhibiting at Birmingham this year includes, McDonalds, Dream Doors, Mac Tools, Anytime Fitness, Platinum Property Partners, Yo Yo Noodle, Esquires Coffee and more. Together, these exhibitors offer visitors a wealth and variety of both regional and national career opportunities.

One couple who found the event invaluable was Michelle and Gavin from Stockton on Tees who became part of the Home Instead Senior Care team just five months after the exhibition.

With Michelle’s parents both falling ill over the last year, the care industry is one that is close to her heart. Living far away and having her own family priorities, Michelle felt torn between work and family life, “When we met with Home Instead, we realised we could satisfy both these needs.”

The couple commented on their experience at the event, “It was very worthwhile and is now changing our lives for the better. The experience helped to confirm our belief that we would have what it takes to run our own business. The seminars provided a lot of information and answers to questions we didn’t know we needed to ask.” Gavin added: “The beauty of franchising is that there is minimal trial and error – it’s a proven concept if you follow the model.”

A variety of free informative features will also be provided at the exhibition including an extensive seminar programme. Here, the bfa, business advisers, legal and financial professionals, franchisors and franchisees will offer attendees first hand advice of what is required to set up and manage a successful franchise business. In addition, visitors can immerse themselves in open-floor discussions at the Real Franchise Stories Panels. A consistently popular element of the event, the talk will feature four current franchise owners who will provide insight into their business journey and its subsequent success.

Visitors can hear personal accounts from individuals who have experienced first-hand the transition into running your own business.For those seeking specialist franchise funding advice, the experts from Franchise Finance will be holding a Finance Clinic, which offers visitors help with drafting a business plan and raising funds for their new career venture. The professionals from Personal Career Management will also be facilitating a Careers Clinic, which aims to help visitors establish their skill set and match them to the best-suited opportunity available.

New to The National Franchise Exhibition are the Growing Your Own Business conference and workshops, perfect for those who are looking to grow and expand their existing business. Offering solutions for key topics such as marketing, work place pensions, SEO, PR, social media and crowd funding, the interactive sessions give entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn from experts, network with peers and suppliers and find out how best to develop their business. Occurring throughout the event, keynote speakers such as Sach Kukadia of secretsales.com will be inspiring visitors with innovative growth strategies and share his successful online journey and young entrepreneur Rob Tominey of Mainstage Travel. Other presenters include Rob Pollard from Lighbox Communications, Jodie Cook from JC Social Media and Ann Stanley, Managing Director of Anicca.

Another popular and unmissable event at the National Franchise Exhibition are the McDonald’s Open sessions. This invaluable seminar offers visitors an exclusive insight into one of the most successful franchises ever launched. This rare opportunity gives visitors the chance to meet with McDonald’s staff and learn more about their credible franchise owner training programme. The McDonald’s team will be looking for potential franchise owners with a hard-working approach to running a customer orientated business.

The National Franchise Exhibition takes place at the NEC, Birmingham on 20 & 21 February 2015 and The British & International Franchise Exhibition will return to London’s Olympia on 13 & 14 March 2015.