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Confidence returns at Brisbane franchising expo

Nick Hall

The Brisbane franchising expo has detailed a sector on the rebuild, with exhibitors and event organisers reporting numbers way up on last year.

More than 70 franchise brands and service providers packed the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre for the two-day event.

Timothy Collett, event organiser said this year’s Brisbane franchising expo indicated the return of industry confidence.

“The last 12 months have been a bit tough for the franchising industry. We’ve had the parliamentary inquiry and some bad press, but today I felt a fresh wind blowing through the room,” Collett said.

The event organiser suggested that unlike the Sydney expo, which had to compete for attention with NSW State polling day, the Brisbane franchising expo had the benefit of post-election confidence.

“The parliamentary inquiry is behind us, the Australian public has elected a government that believes in individual enterprise, believes in small business and believes in rewarding hard work, which is what this industry is all about,” Collett said.

New entrants

While some tried and tested franchised systems such as Poolwerx and Shingle Inn made an appearance, a number of new entrants used the Brisbane franchising expo to launch their models.

Home safety franchise The Smoke Alarm Guys debuted their fresh-to-market offering alongside accountancy business, NexZen Accounting.

With numbers steadily flowing through the door all weekend, Collett said this year’s expo was the ideal place for new brands to showcase their systems.

“We’ve had much better numbers this year than we did last year. Let’s not ever forget that franchising is one of the most powerful ways for everyday people to get into their own business, that’s why it works,” he said.

Brisbane franchising expo results

While Sydney and Melbourne events still take precedence in terms of numbers, the Brisbane franchising expo is fast catching up.

A strong government commitment to franchise legislation and enterprise is driving a return to confidence, after months of negative media attention.

“We are defined by the success stories, all the everyday Australians who own a franchise, or work in a franchise or shop in a franchise,” Collett said.

The next Franchising & Business Opportunities Expos is in Melbourne in August.