Over 50 leading franchises at Manchester exhibition

Those looking at owning a franchise should head North for The British Franchise Exhibition, which will take place at Manchester Central on June 10 and 11.

The exhibition offers a valuable insight into exciting prospects in franchising, with more than 50 franchised brands covering a range of sectors from automotive and cleaning to travel and property.

Among the brands exhibiting will be McDonald’s, Snack-in-the-Box, Bluebird Care, Auditel, Cash Generator, Dublcheck and Ovenclean. What’s more, the exhibition is the only franchise event in the North endorsed by the British Franchise Association (bfa), the regulatory body for franchising in the UK. This means visitors can have confidence in all companies exhibiting as they meet the bfa’s code of ethical franchising.

As well as meeting the exhibitors, visitors can learn all about how to be successful in franchising from the extensive free conference and key features such as the popular Franchisee Panel and the Business Plan Clinic.

Adrian Goodsell, Franchise Exhibition Manager at Venture Marketing Group (VMG), organisers of the Manchester event, says: “The 2011 British Franchise Exhibition in Manchester has under one roof everything that a potential business owner needs to research and develop a new career in franchising, from business opportunities to finance and advice.”

The free conference

There are more than 25 seminars as part of the comprehensive two-day conference programme with presentations from keynote speakers, franchise owners and franchisors. Topics will cover a range of subjects including Executives In Franchising, High-level Investment Franchising, Franchising Your Business and Growing Your Own Business.

Conference speakers include Steve Bolton, Founding Partner at Platinum Property Partners, who will cover Three Simple Steps To £100,000 A Year Passive Income Within Three To Five Years. Edward Brewer, Business Development Director at Auditel, will talk about how franchising is the ideal opportunity for successful self-employment.

Also among the impressive list of presenters are Nick Jeffrey and David Fox, Co-Founders of Tampopo restaurants; Jo Nicholson, founder of Little Nut Tree Toys; Brian Goodhand, co-founder of Adesso-H20 and Paul Smit, Chairman of Cashbrokers.

In addition, the bfa will be hosting a series of seminars covering essential topics such as An Introduction To Franchising, Choosing Franchising After Redundancy, What To Consider When Choosing A Franchise and Expanding Your Business Through Franchising.

Business Plan Clinic

The Business Plan Clinic, sponsored by Lloyds TSB Commercial, is set to return to The British Franchise Exhibition in 2011 following the success last year.

Richard Holden, Head of Franchising at Lloyds TSB, comments: “Providing guidance and advice to potential franchise owners whatever stage they are at, has been very well received by the visitors to the show. By having experienced and trained franchise Bank Managers on hand, we have been able to provide focused and highly beneficial support to potential investors.”

The Clinic will offer aspiring business owners the opportunity to learn all the essential facts and figures around franchise funding and investment requirements, and discuss writing their business plan with experts. Financial Consultants and representatives from the bank’s franchising department will be on hand to answer any questions from aspiring entrepreneurs, including queries about capital, loan terms and profit management.

Franchisee Panel

Visitors will be able to learn from franchise owners who detail their first-hand experience running a franchise business on the Franchisee Panel sessions each day. The panel of existing franchise owners will discuss the realities of franchising and offer anecdotes and advice.

This feature has certainly proved popular with visitors at previous events. Sally Ogden, a freelance TV producer from Bradford, who visited the exhibition last year, said: “We had researched several ideas before we visited and had some specific people in mind to meet. But we also took the chance to look around, and are now much clearer on our next steps.

“The Starting Point and Business Plan Clinic staff were very helpful and we were particularly impressed by the Franchisee Panel – it’s good to hear what it is really like to be a franchise owner from those who are!”

McDonald’s Open Days

Visitors can meet McDonald’s staff and gain a unique insight into being part of one of the world’s biggest brands at the exclusive franchise owner recruitment open days.

With two sessions a day and one-on-one meetings to discuss future career prospects, the McDonald’s open days are expected to attract many potential franchise owners looking to invest and learn more about the secrets behind the success of the famous family restaurant. Sessions can be booked at www.franchiseinfo.co.uk.

The many business opportunities, along with the free conference and packed programme of seminars, form the perfect introduction to the world of franchising.

Those who have attended previous VMG-organised exhibitions include John Keane, from Manchester, who said: “I came to the exhibition to get a better idea of franchising and the opportunities available. The seminars were great and the banking advice was really worthwhile. I’d definitely recommend this event for other people looking to franchising as a business option.”

The British Franchise Exhibition is open from 10am until 5pm on Friday, June 10 and 4pm on Saturday, June 11.

To register for The British Franchise Exhibition, call 0844 257 8668. Callers can buy tickets by credit card for £8 each or £7 each for two or more. Admission on the door is £10.