What is it about October? National exhibitions, black-tie awards ceremonies, seminars, the ‘National Franchise Week’…it is a ridiculously glamorous month in the UK/Ireland franchise world. We cannot let such excitements pass without updating and commenting on them, not to mention attending them.
The 3rd – The bfa HSBC Franchisee of the Year Awards, Birmingham Tonight sees the black-tie gala dinner of the bfa HSBC Franchisee of the Year Awards, a ceremony to bring to attention the tales of the top franchisees in the UK, their exceptional achievements and the efforts that they have made for their businesses. A much-anticipated event, this year the format has been altered to five new awards at national level, as opposed to regional awards in the past:
1. Customer Service Franchisee Award
2. Female Franchisee of the Year Award
3. Long-Serving Franchisee Award
4. Micro-Business of the Year Award
5. Young Franchisee of the Year Award
There are 17 finalists for these awards, and an incredible nine of them have found success with franchises on the Franchise Direct website: The ZipYard, Card Connection, ActionCOACH, Caremark, Tutor Doctor, Fastsigns, TaxAssist Accountants and Autosmart. The overall 2013 Franchisee of the Year will be chosen out of these 17 finalists, and be awarded £10,000. Not to mention a big, silver trophy of course. And respect.
4th and 5th – National Franchise Exhibition, NEC, Birmingham Supported by the British Franchise Association, this is THE UK franchise expo of the year. Aimed mainly at potential franchisees, it provides them with advice from industry experts, franchisors and other franchisees, in the form of conferences, clinics, speeches and one-to-one chats. Proven franchises from all the industries and sectors will feature and have been working hard this week to get everything together for their stall at the exhibition.
11th – The Ulster Bank Irish Franchise Association Awards This year saw the Irish Franchise Association Awards receiving more entries than ever before. Taking place in a hotel in Dublin, the formal ceremony will see winners of 13 categories representing both service and retail industries. The panel of expert judges will come from a range of business sectors such as media, academia, business and enterprise, including Newstalk presenter and Irish Dragon, Bobby Kerr. Winners will feature in the Sunday Business Post and an extensive PR campaign.
11th and 12th – The Irish Franchise & Start-Up Expo 2013, Dublin This exhibition is a combination of The Sunday Business Post’s annual Start-Ups event with the Irish Franchise Association’s annual showcase event. Stalls will be on display in the RDS building, Dublin, and seminars from experts will be on offer on topics such as How to Franchise a Business, and Accessibility of Market Information.
22nd – The Lloyds TSB Franchise Seminar This free educational seminar will take place in Birmingham in October, but will also be held in London or Manchester in the future. The potential franchisee will be given a complete introduction to the franchise industry, shown how to invest in a franchise without making any mistakes along the way, and be given a chance to network with others in the same frame of mind. Keep an eye on our regularly updated UK calendar and Irish calendar to stay informed about these franchise events, and about those that are approaching over the next few months.
Image courtesy of Kiatying-Angsulee (DigitalPhotos.net)