Great news! If you are looking to buy a franchise, there are plenty of events to help you to do so!
Franchise Exhibitions Are Free To Attend For You!
This might seem too good to be true, however, exhibitions are very well supported by the franchise sector, often through initial sponsorship and then franchised brands who pay per stand to be able to be in the mix of flying their franchise brand to you, it really is a great opportunity to be in front and potentially many thousands of people over a one or two-day duration.
Key Exhibitions to Look Out For
- The British & International Franchise Exhibition
Kicking off the franchise calendar, the British and International Franchise show is held in January/early February in the Olympia in London. Supported by the British Franchise Association, you'll have a chance to meet with experts in the franchising world who can get you started on your franchise journey.
- The International Franchise Show
London Excel hosts the UK’s largest international franchise exhibitions every April with a couple of hundred exhibitors each year. As many as ten thousand people, just like you, looking to buy a franchise will attend this show.
- The National Franchise Exhibition
Hosted in the NEC Birmingham, the National Franchise Expo is the UK's flagship franchise expo is hosted every October where you can discover the different UK franchises on offer.
Franchise Brands Do Want To Talk To You!
Don’t be fooled by the slick and colourful branded stands, sometimes also suited and booted consultants and employees, many franchisors, having spent considerable sums to get to this point, as well as significant preparation and travelling, do just want to have a conversation with you! This is their sole focus as ‘potential franchise enquiries’ is the main purpose of the event for them!
Prepare In Advance And Plan Who To See At A Show
Register early for the event and you will automatically end up on a mailing list, use this to your advantage! You might well end up with several emails with further information about who is attending and also see more details about what is being offered within the franchise, look though all of these and mark ones that look of interest to then see them in person at the show on the day.
At the same time you might initially rule some out, maybe from a list of say two hundred exhibitors, you might now get down to a few dozen, and that is a much more manageable figure for the day!
On the day attendance can be easier too, as you will be given a show booklet with all the exhibitors names and whereabouts in the hall. Sit down in the coffee area and plan your day ahead. Then, walk round the entire hall before you talk to anyone, that way you will feel more familiar with the surrounding area and a better feel for who is where!
Use An Exhibition As Just One Part Of Your Franchise Search
Whist great to do, franchise exhibitions should only form part of your research into buying a franchise.
You will find that you are probably unable to dig too deep into a specific franchise offering at a show, purely because there really isn’t the time, for you or the franchisor, and it definitely isn’t the place to go into the complete detail of what included in the particular franchise you are enquiring about.
Most often, you details will be taken, as well as some brief discussion to then follow-up with you post show, often by the way of sending some initial information to see if the franchise is what you thought it might be. From there, the franchisor will look have some further dialogue with you if the brand is still of some interest to you.
Attend The Free Seminars At The Show
Another free resource for you as a visitor is the franchise seminars. You can simply walk-in to any that you see are taking place, or plan ahead with the seminar programme to guarantee a seat. Take a look at the headline about what will be talked about as this might be on a topic or brand that you are interested in. TRun by experts who have the knowledge that you will want! There will also be a Q & A session at the end of the seminar, so you can ask away, or indeed, if you ask to discuss in private, the host will often make themselves available for you.
Franchisor’s Will Not Expect You To Sign-Up On The Day!
If you are feeling more anxious about attending an exhibition like this, and concerned that you will end up committing to something that you are really not ready for, then please do not fear. The art of franchising is to ensure that you can make a considered purchase once you have all the information you need.
Research into a franchise is very often spread out over several stages, and opting to give the franchise brand your name and details in exchange for further information is simply a very early stage for them. In fact, should you try and ‘buy’ a franchise at an early stage, you will often rule yourself out!
Do Not Be Afraid To Say No!
You can imagine that franchise brands are exhibiting to be in a better position to sell more units or territories, but it is also fair to say that any franchise brand is looking for the right fit above all else. You might feel that they simply take your details to then bombard you with further information and sales patter.
But this is further from the truth than you realise. Sure, it is a numbers game, but franchisors would rather spend their time with anyone that has a genuine interest in the brand and will respect you for saying if their one isn’t quite right for you!
Franchise exhibitions are a great networking tool too. So, surround yourself with franchise brands, suppliers, consultants, suppliers and of course, you will also be amongst several thousand people who are looking to do exactly what you are doing! Franchising is never a lonely place, come and be part of it!
About the Author
Richard Pakey is a franchising expert and Managing Director for the award winning Lime Licensing Group.
He can be contacted in the following ways:
Email: richard@limelicensinggroup.co.uk
Mobile/text/whatsapp: 07904 697591