FW Feb2006 mag - Franchise Expo South

F W
F O C U S F R A N C H I S I N G
E X P O
Miami Joins Franchising’s Expo
Series for 2007
By Joel Goldstein
L
ike a hit television show, the world’s leading
producer of franchise expos is expanding into
new cities. Beginning in 2007, Miami joins
Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, providing coastto-coast (and beyond) exposure for companies
looking to expand their franchise base.
The 2007 season starts with the premier of the
Franchise Expo South in Miami Jan. 19-21; returning
for another hit season will be the International
Franchise Expo in Washington, D.C. March 30 to
April 1; and the season comes to an always dramatic
close in Los Angeles, appropriately enough, with the
annual West Coast Franchise Expo scheduled Oct.
19-21, 2007.
Miami promises to be a landmark for the events’
sponsor, the International Franchise Association,
and the producer, MFV Expositions. And as could be
expected, many of franchising’s hottest stars, young
and old, are jumping at the opportunity to showcase
themselves from coast-to-coast in 2007.
Franchise systems such as the Goddard School,
an early childhood development center, and
Wellington Pet Care, a new 24-hour pet care service,
will exhibit at all three events.
“These events are great for branding and
marketing efforts,” said Goddard School and
Wellington Pet Care Franchise Dir. Jeff Travitz. “We
do hope to raise sales, but that is not our only intention. Goddard Systems is already a well-established
and respected franchise opportunity. By creating
Wellington Pet Care we are branching out into an
area where there is no clear, established franchise
opportunity available for pet care.”
Travitz added that he’s been impressed with
these events compared to other franchise
tradeshows, and that influenced his decision to stick
with them.
“These events are the only U.S. franchise
tradeshows that we attend,” he said. “MFV brings
quality prospects. We were really turned off by
other events we have previously attended.”
Serving an American favorite, fried chicken,
Chester’s International is on the franchising fasttrack and hopes to secure 500 franchisees by 2010.
As a result, it has made all three expos an integral
(Continued on page 84)
DECEMBER 2006
FRANCHISING WORLD
85
(Continued from page 85)
part of their strategy for reaching that
goal.
“These trade shows attract the largest
audience of individuals interested in
franchise opportunities,” said Chester’s
International Director of Information
Systems Richard Davis. “Chester’s is
always looking for qualified entrepreneurs who want to run their own
successful business with a background in
food service and the ability to open at
least three Chester’s restaurants. We will
exhibit at all three franchise expos
because the expos allow us to showcase
Chester’s from coast-to-coast to a broad
domestic audience and international
visitors.”
No brand is too big to star at this
event. Jani-King, a franchise commercial
cleaning company, continues to look
ahead to the continued growth and
development of the brand. As part of its
search for the next great franchisee, JaniKing has signed on to participate in all
three events expos.
For Gary Dick, vice president of JaniKing Franchising, Inc, the expos are an
integral part of marketing the company
to prospective franchisees.
“The shows are the premier
franchising events,” said Dick. “I would
tell any franchisor who is based in North
America, that this is the event you want
to exhibit at. For Jani-King, [these events
are] an important part of gaining market
exposure and a competitive edge in a
competitive industry.”
Siegel Capital, a company that
provides lending assistance to small and
mid-sized businesses and to individuals
acquiring small and mid-sized
businesses, is also signed up for the
entire season.
“It is part of our strategy of being the
most visible and helpful financing source
in the franchise industry,” said Bernie
Siegel, president of Siegel Capital, who
also presents the popular seminar on
‘How to Finance Your Franchise.’ Siegel’s
seminar has become so popular that it
will be presented twice per expo starting
with Miami.
Since each show is as unique as the
region in which it is conducted,
exhibitors will be exposed to an array of
well-qualified prospects with a wide
range of tastes, but are all similar in that
they are all who are serious about
86
FRANCHISING WORLD DECEMBER 2006
finding the best franchise opportunity
and are ready to buy.
A Southern Debut
By kicking of f the year in Miami,
exhibitors will have direct access to a
richly-diverse culture with a LatinAmerican flavor. The dramatic, ongoing
growth of this region makes it a prime
location to target prospects from the
Southeastern United States, Latin
America and the Caribbean. The tropical
atmosphere, warm weather will also
offer a refreshing escape from the winter
chill and the perfect setting for hot
business opportunities. Even though this
is the inaugural year for the Franchise
Expo South, already it is on track to be
the region’s leading event for franchise
systems with more than 100 companies
scheduled to exhibit. In fact, the show is
a direct response to repeated requests
from franchise companies asking for an
event that would help them achieve their
sales goals in the region. It’s still not too
late to get involved. A limited amount of
booth space is still available.
Warm Weather, Hot Seminars
The Franchise Expo South may be the
new kid on the block, but experienced
expo exhibitors will likely bring the
entire sales team in order to staff their
booths in shifts, so that they can also
participate in the exceptional learning
opportunities available. As has a become
a tradition at these expos, more than 30
free seminars will address a range of
topics, while the symposia will delve into
specific subjects that are important to
running a successful franchise.
Due to the popularity of the
programs, advance registration is recom-
mended and includes admission to the
exhibit hall.
For franchise organizations in the
early stages of development or small
businesses considering expansion
through a franchised brand, “Franchising
Your Business.” is a two-day symposium
that describes the appropriate steps for
establishing a franchise and the risks to
consider before starting the process. The
symposium also discusses financial
concerns, strategy and tactics of
franchising.
“The Operations Manual: The
Foundation to Consistent Operation” will
teach the proper documentation of a
business’ processes and procedures that
are necessary to ensure brand-wide
consistency. This three-hour symposium
also reviews ways to effectively communicate your procedures in a way that will
accurately capture and convey the
franchise’s details for operation.
“ T h e U s e o f Te c h n o l o g y i n
Franchising” is a three-hour symposium
that will look at technology issues as
they relate to franchising. Topics will
include ways to harness the potential of
the latest technological advancements to
promote communication and efficiency
within a franchise system. Legal pitfalls
and protection will also be covered.
The free seminars will offer a wide
scope of information, including some
topics that are specific to the region,
such as “How to Evaluate a U.S.
Franchise from a Latin American
Perspective” and “Legal Requirements for
Franchising in Latin America.”
More information on Franchise Expo
South is available at www.franchiseexposouth.com.
From Capital Ideas to West Coast
Fever
If it’s a capital idea you’re looking for in
the year ahead, don’t leave out the
nation’s capital. Prospects from more
than 80 countries and across the United
States will travel to Washington D.C.
March 30 to April 1 to investigate the top
franchise opportunities at the
International Franchise Expo. Sponsored
by the IFA and endorsed by the U.S.
Department of Commerce, the show is
the world’s leading franchising event.
Nearly 15,000 visitors attended last year’s
event and approximately 3,000 were
international delegates.
For franchises considering international expansion, as well as those whose
growth will focus only within the United
States, the show will deliver serious
prospects who are ready to buy.
According to show surveys, 51 percent of
attendees to the IFE had $100,000 or
more to invest in a franchise while 6
percent had more than a $1 million ready
to invest in a new business.
Now in its 16th year, the 2007 IFE is
on track to be even bigger and more
information is available at www.franchisexpo.com.
For franchise concepts ready to
broaden their presence on the West
Coast, the WCFE, Nov. 3 to 5 in Los
Angeles, will offer the greatest exposure.
Targeting the 13 states in the West Coast
region, the WCFE reaches thousands of
entrepreneurs with franchising aspirations and in just two years, the West
Coast Franchise Expo has grown to be
the top franchising event catering specifically to the flourishing West Coast.
More information on the WCFE is
available at www.wcfexpo.com.
Getting Noticed
Whether your franchise company plans
to exhibit at all three shows or just one
highly-targeted event, one key factor will
play a significant role to exposure at the
event: the booth. In a crowded exhibit
hall, the booth is what attendees notice
first and the larger the better. Compared
to a 100-foot booth, a larger, professional-looking 200-foot booth space will
generate 280 percent more leads, a 300foot booth will increase the response by
360 percent, and a 400-foot booth will
garner an 820 percent greater response.
Attendees are also more likely to
remember the booth if it is large and
visually appealing.
Travitz has found that a larger investment in the booth has paid off for his
franchise concepts
“These events are so important to us
that we spend a good deal of money on
our booth because we find that MFV
Expos bring good, quality prospects,”
said Travitz of Wellington Pet Care.
But larger is only better if there is
adequate space.
Also, Travitz recommends choosing a
spot on the floorplan carefully.
Positioning in the exhibit hall can also
affect the results. Corners and doubleend caps provide access to more aisles
than if a booth is in the middle of a long
row of companies.
Regardless of a franchise’s plans for
expansion, the type of franchisee being
sought or the stage in establishing the
brand, to make a mark in the franchising
s e c t o r, t h i s y e a r ’ s h i t s e r i e s — t h e
Franchise Expo South, the International
F r a n c h i s e E x p o , a n d We s t C o a s t
Franchise Expo—should be part your
marketing plan for 2007. ■
Joel Goldstein is the director of marketing
for MFV Expositions. He can be reached
at jgoldstein@mfvexpo.com.
DECEMBER 2006
FRANCHISING WORLD
87