Melbourne’s world-heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building has been chosen as the venue for the inaugural Melbourne Business Opportunities Expo.
“But don’t be confused by the word ‘inaugural’,” says expo organiser Leigh Kealton of the Queensland-based company, Exhibitions & Promotions.
“Exhibitions & Promotions has been running the expo series in other cities around Australia and New Zealand for the past 15 years and is now extending the series into Melbourne,” says Kealton.
“We’ve been kept pretty busy over the years and it’s easy to think we’re doing enough for the industry, but exhibitors have bombarded us with requests for a Melbourne expo in the series.
“They tell us they like our focussed approach and achieve positive results from their participation, and they tell us they’re looking for quality franchisees here now!”
John O’Brien, CEO of PoolWerx, said he was delighted to hear that Kealton was finally taking the expo series to Melbourne.
“We always do well from these highly targeted events – so count us in!” said O’Brien, soon after the announcement was made.
Matthew Penfold of the Business Franchise Group which includes Kwik Kopy, Signwave and Express Personnel Services, had similar feedback.
“We found the Business Opportunities Expo highly focussed and it delivered a significant number of highly qualified leads for our brands. We look forward to attending future expos,” Penfold said.
According to Kealton his style of expo reflects the age-old KISS principle.
“If you want to get into your own business, we believe it’s much easier to go to an event where you can effectively walk through the businesses for sale pages of the newspaper, stop and talk to the people who are offering the various businesses, access the appropriate advice and do it all without any added distractions. And naturally this clear focus makes it easier for exhibitors too.”
The question of professional business advice is one that Kealton holds dear. As a chartered accountant in his previous life, he has seen many business owners run into difficulties purely because of management issues, rather than inherent problems with the business itself.
Participation in the expo by professional government and private service providers is actively encouraged and part of the venue is also set aside for a program of daily half-hour seminars relating to franchising, such as getting started, legal tips and cash flow management.
“As we draw the seminar presenters from exhibitors, visitors can also speak to them one-on-one regarding their specific questions and this works well for everyone.”
Kealton says you can get the facts from brochures and web pages but you can only get the feeling from face-to-face contact.
“The expo is a great way to get behind the facts which is vital for a successful business relationship.”
Exhibitions & Promotions’ Business Opportunities Expos will be held in Melbourne, 28-30 April at the Royal Exhibition Building, in Perth, 23-25 June at the Burswood Dome and in Sydney, 15-17 September at the Hordern Pavilion, Fox Studios.
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24-May-2006