Member Article

UK’s largest franchise event returns this autumn

Birmingham will be the location for the highly anticipated National Franchise Exhibition this autumn, which is set to attract thousands of aspiring business owners.

2014 was a fantastic year for entrepreneurship in the UK which saw a total of 581,173 new businesses launched, with Birmingham leading the way. 18,337 new businesses were registered in Birmingham in 2014 making it the UK’s most entrepreneurial city outside London.

With well over 500,000 Brits now employed in franchising across the UK and 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 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, care, fitness, cleaning and many more.

The two-day event is sponsored this year by the world’s No.1 health and fitness brand, Anytime Fitness. The global gym brand is the fastest-growing gym franchise in the world, with nearly 3,000 gyms serving more than 2.5 million members across five continents.

The National Franchise Exhibition will bring together industry experts, key franchise brands and potential franchisees from across the UK, all under one roof. Attendees will have the rare opportunity to meet face-to-face with top brands including McDonald’s, Platinum Property Partners, Chopstix, The Creation Station, Dream Doors and more, all of which meet the British Franchise Association’s (bfa) strict guidelines.

In addition, the exhibition offers visitors free and exclusive access to over 60 top industry seminars from a variety of franchise professionals. This includes the British Franchise Association (bfa), legal and financial experts as well as the franchisors themselves. The bfa franchising panel seminars will assist visitors with choosing the right franchise, what you need to consider when choosing a franchise and everything needed to set up and run a successful franchise.

New to this year’s exhibition, the ‘Growing Your Own Business’ workshops offer a great opportunity for anyone looking to expand their current business. The event will also feature keynote speakers including Nick Telson, co-founder of DesignMyNight.com and Gareth Davies, UK and Ireland Vice President at Papa John’s.

Taking place across the two days, visitors can immerse themselves in several open-floor discussions at the Real Franchise Stories Panels. The talks will feature a panel of four current franchisees, each providing insight into their business journey and its success. Visitors can hear personal accounts from those who have experienced first-hand the benefits of running your own business.

One of the world’s largest brands, McDonald’s will be hosting Franchisee Recruitment Open Sessions on both days of the event, where you can learn what it is like to become a franchisee and get an exclusive insight into their first-class training programme.

The National Franchise Exhibition is in association with the bfa, the only self-regulatory governing body for franchising in the UK. The bfa extensively check all exhibiting franchises against their ethical guidelines, giving visitors the peace of mind to browse the brands on offer with confidence.

Guests are advised to visit www.franchiseinfo.co.uk which has an online meetings booking service, allowing visitors to see the extensive exhibitor list and secure pre-booked appointments with companies of interest to their franchise requirements.

The National Franchise Exhibition takes place at the NEC, Birmingham on 2nd & 3rd October 2015. Visitors can gain free entry for both events by registering online at www.franchisetickets.co.uk and entering the promotional code VMG5 (saving £15). For all the latest news follow the exhibition on Twitter; @UKFranchising, join the Franchise Exhibitions Group on LinkedIn or ‘like’ the Franchiseinfo group on Facebook.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jo Murphy .