A taste of The Franchise Show at ExCeL
On the 24th – 25th of February 2012, The Franchise Show at ExCeL in London provided a platform for budding entrepreneurs and those interested in franchising as a route to self-employment, to meet over 100 franchisors from all over the country. It was a great opportunity to find out about the myriad of different franchise buisness systems currently on offer in the UK as well as playing host to many specialist seminars on a wide range of franchise business related topics. Select Your Franchise were there on the day and are pleased to present a little taster of what you might have expected if you were there. Look out for the next Franchise Show on the 7-8 September 2012 at Earls Court.
Preparing to visit a Franchise Exhibition
Joel Caws - Technical Director, Select Your Franchise
With the National Franchise Exhibition coming up at the NEC in Birmingham later this month, we thought it might be helpful to run through a few things that might help you prepare for attending an exhibition in order to get the most out of it.
Although the exhibition runs over two days (30th Sep – 1st Oct), most people will choose to attend either one day or the other and fitting everything into one day can seem a daunting task especially when you consider that there will be over 150 different franchise businesses represented. With that many options, it will be almost impossible to get round and see everyone plus you may also decide to spend some of the time attending one of the 40+ franchise seminars which take place over the weekend.
With this in mind here’s a few tips to get the most out of your day:-
Research in advance
There are a good number of franchise directory websites available which let you do a little homework before you attend an exhibition. You can browse these sites and get an idea of a) the type of franchise business that you might enjoy running and b) some names of some franchisors that you might want to go along and see while you are at the exhibition.
Once you have an idea of the franchisors you would like to see you can check the list of franchisors attending and make a note of those you will visit. Also check for any seminars that you think would be of interest and the times so that you can plan around them.
Before you leave home
You will spend a lot of the day on your feet walking around a large exhibition hall so wear some comfortable shoes and also take a little cash in case you want to buy a drink or sandwich from the refreshments area. You will be talking to alot of different people so you might find it helpful to have a pen and notebook handy to make a few notes after you have finished a conversation with someone. In this way you have a record for later of who you had that interesting conversation with or an opportunity that you wanted to explore further.
Plan your day
Once you get to the venue you will usually receive a floor plan showing where all the exhibitors are located within the exhibition hall. Its worth taking a few minutes to get out your list and find them on the floor plan and circling them. In this way you can ideally work your way around in a route without having to keep walking back and forth.
What to expect
The exhibition hall will be very busy and if you are seriously considering starting a franchise its best to plan to spend your whole day there. Take advantage of any seminars that you think might be helpful and get around to see the franchisors on your plan as best you can. You might find yourself having to skip past some of the franchisors you wanted to talk to because their stand is full at the time you get to them with nobody available to talk to. In the last hour before closing, its not uncommon for traffic to ease off a little and this can be a good opportunity to get round and see any franchisors who have been tied up at other times during the day.
A franchise exhibition is a great place to meet many franchisors face-to-face and all under one roof, so its a great opportunity. Just remember to go with a plan in mind or else you may end up going home with bags full of brochures and feeling a little bewildered.
Discussion point: Have you attended a franchise exhibition in the past? What was your experience? Are you running a franchise business now as a result of a attending one? Please feel free to comment below…
Tags: find a franchise, Franchise exhibitions, franchise opportunities, joel caws, National franchise exhibition
How to Go About Finding a Franchise
Nick Strong, MD - Select Your Franchise
A franchise can present be a great alternative to self-employment rather than simply going it alone. Based on a proven business model, 9 out of 10 UK franchise businesses claim their are trading profitably according to the annual bfa/Natwest franchise surveys. But having decided that a franchise could be a good option for you, what ways are available for you to begin finding out which one’s right for you?
Franchise Exhibitions
Franchise exhibitions are a good opportunity to see a wide range of franchise business opportunities all under one roof. In addition there are often franchise seminars on a wide range of topics relating to franchising. Franchise exhibitions are often free or inexpensive to attend for franchise seekers, and so are a great option for someone seriously considering starting up a franchise business that wants to meet the franchisors face to face. Franchise exhibitions are usually very large with often 100+ franchise opportunities exhibiting. For this reasons its worth doing a little research beforehand and planning on which stands you might like to visit and get further information from.
Franchise Magazines/News
Franchise magazines often showcase a wide range of franchises as well as having plenty of helpful articles from franchise industry experts. Most of these magazines will be obtainable from a good newsagent or can be ordered online. In addition, some of the major newspapers feature regular weekly franchise sections which give latest news on the franchise industry and often some features on specific franchise opportunities.
Franchise websites
Researching online is easy to do right from your own home. There are a good range of franchise directory websites online, which allow you to quickly whittle down the huge range of franchise opportunities into ones which suit your preference, investment range and trading location. These sites will often feature streaming franchise video content which can give you a great opportunity to find out what you might expect from the franchise. Also, helpful news, testimonials and expert information articles can all help along the way to get you closer to your decision in investing in the right franchise for you.
Tags: find a franchise, Franchise exhibitions, franchise match, franchise opportunities, nick strong, select a franchise
