By Thomas Scott, CEO of Brand Journalists
The International Franchise Expo is the largest franchise trade show event for potential franchise buyers in the world. This year’s attendance was one of the largest on record, and the event has seen attendance climb in recent years.
More than 400 franchise companies attended, and although the show isn’t fully representative of the franchise industry, it can be a great place to gauge the health of the industry, see what franchising trends are evolving and get a feel for the size and scale of the franchise buying population. If you’re only just learning about the franchising industry and you’re wanting to see if you can get involved with little experience or capital, you could learn about a franchise with low startup costs and also attend this year’s event! At this year’s IFE, participating brands included those from all investment levels, a wide variety of industry segments and full and part–time owner participation requirements.
In the era of self–directed online research, franchise buyers are still interested in seeing what’s out there and meeting a person face–to–face.