Lovely autumn sunshine and a two-day Greek festival taking place just outside the hall at Darling Harbour added to the upbeat mood of the first franchising show of the year in Sydney.
Exhibitors from across the franchising arena took part, from the ubiquitous coffee systems such as Saeco and
Xpresso Delight, to consultancies like
FranchiseMart - doing booming business - and retail stalwarts
Howards Storage World. Among the established companies were
Jim's Group, Kwik Kerb,
Contours women's weight loss franchise,
Telcoinabox, the United Franchise Group and
Kwik Kopy.
Newbies to the field included Belgian waffles and Salsa, the latter a freshly made Mexican food outlet established for five years in Melbourne in food courts and now backed by a 53 per cent interest from
Boost Juice smoothies franchise. The first store in NSW is due to open in Miranda in May. The Melbourne based
Choco Churro was fielding enquiries about its Spanish doughnuts, the churros.
Fabulous florals were on offer at Midesign, aimed at providing women with a good business model renting or selling exotic flower arrangements to corporate, healthcare and bridal clients.
Visitors looking for corporate-centred opportunities could find out more about a 10-year term franchise providing cost effective office facilities and resources for small businesses at Synergy Business Centres.
Frontline tactics Keen visitors wanting to find out more about the front line of franchising enjoyed the free Bootcamp sessions with a variety of franchisees sharing their experiences. Vinod Jumar, from Cherrybrook, Sydney, works in information technology and is using the expos in his search for the right business.
"This is my second time here. I'm looking at coffee outlets, especially
Gloria Jeans." He was pleased to hear first hand from franchisee Tony Melhem, one of the Bootcamp panel, what running a Gloria Jeans business is really like. "This is the first time I have met someone with multiple outlets. It was good to meet Tony, Mark and Clive [fellow franchisees on the panel from
Appliance Tagging Systems mobile building and maintenance franchise and Jim's Pools]. I found it really useful even though I am sold on coffee."
It works for dating, so why not business? The Speed Networking Lounge allowed for quick conversations between franchisors and prospective franchisees, a great opportunity to find out more about a franchise system in a business-like arena before the bell goes!
For those potential franchisees wanting to source particular information about the franchising process the Franchise Advisory Centre offered experts on hand to help out with specific enquiries. This element of the show provides visitors at any stage of the franchise purchase process with advice garnered from years of experience within the industry. Where else can you get a lawyer to give you free advice?
The show ran alongside the Property Expo and Investment Expo, allowing all visitors the chance to move easily between all three events, even on the Sunday, the busiest and final day of the exhibition.
Coming up... The next Franchising and Business Opportunities Expo is in Perth on May 17 and 18. If you are based in South Australia, don't miss the opportunity to catch up with the franchising word at the show the following weekend: May 24 and 25, from 10am to 5pm on the Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on the Sunday at the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds.
You can access the venue by public transport but there is car perking is evadable via the Rose Terrace Entrance to the RAS for $5.00 a day. While you're sourcing the best business opportunity for you, take advantage of the seminars held over the two day event, including Franchising - is it for you, held by the Franchise Council of Australia.
This article appears courtesy of Franchising Magazine.
The Franchise Council of Australia is a not for profit membership organisation that is the peak body representing the franchising sector in Australia.25-Jun-2008