Franchise UAE Expo moves to Dubai World Trade Centre

Dubai, June xx, 2014: Franchise UAE Expo, which has established itself as a major international franchise, retail and trade show with a focus on the Middle East, has joined the Dubai World Trade Centre calendar of events. The 6th edition will be held at Sheikh Maktoum Hall from October 38 to 30, 2014.

“The past five editions of Franchise UAE Expo have progressively raised its profile regionally and globally. Today, we are proud to be brought under the umbrella of Dubai World Trade Centre, thus enhancing our prestige and infusing greater confidence in our exhibitors, partners and supporters,” said Mana Al Suwaidi, Chairman of Franchise Middle East Consultancy, organisers of the event.

“Franchise UAE Expo serves as a major event for driving interaction between business leaders and entrepreneurs,  an ideal place to generate new sales leads, promote brands, close deals and showcase innovative and unique business concepts,” added Al Suwaidi.

Franchise UAE Expo has gained support from key associations from around the world, including International Franchise Association, IREF Italia, French Franchise Association, Australian Franchise Association, Malaysia Franchise Association, Lebanese Franchise Association, South African Franchise Association and Philippines Franchise Association.

On the sidelines of the Expo, there will be a two-day franchising conference and workshop for the benefit of local entrepreneurs and SMEs, featuring experts from the franchising industry. Delegates will hear success stories from Middle East entrepreneurs. The conference will tackle various critical topics, such as Government role in encouraging franchise models, franchise investment opportunities in the UAE, How to start and run a successful franchise, Registration of franchise agreements, how to turn a business into a franchise, the importance of digital marketing, and many more.

The new location – Sheikh Maktoum Hall at the World Trade Centre – is a larger and more strategic venue, with seating for upto 700 persons. The layout will have exhibitor stands on the sides and conference auditorium in the centre in order to integrate the two segments more meaningfully and giving greater opportunity to exhibitors to benefit from the conference and workshops. 

Launched in 2011, Franchise Middle East has had five editions with high levels of success. The 5th edition, held in September 2013, was the largest in terms of number of visitors, exhibitors and gross exhibitor space, attracting 83 exhibitors from 18 countries and 3,978 visitors from 42 countries. Exhibitors came from USA, Canada, Italy, Australia, Greece, Cyprus, Jordan, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, Indonesia, Philippines, India and UAE.

Visitor categories represented at last year’s event included Master & Unit Franchisees (19%), Entrepreneurs/Owners: (12%), Retailers (11%), Investors/Investment Groups (10%), Restaurant/Chain Owners (9%), Franchise operators (14%), SMEs (13%), Professionals (7%) and others  (5%).

Franchise Middle East Consultancy, organisers of the show, specializes in integrated solutions in Franchising, Retailing and Marketing, with the focus on the UAE and the larger Middle East region. It offers a whole gamut of services to help franchisors and potential franchisees study the market, launch operations and expand. Franchise Middle East helps business investors in selecting the right business opportunities within the franchising model, through advice on local business laws and operating environment.