MFV Expositions Launches First-Ever Charlotte Franchise Show
MFV Expositions and Comexposium will tee up 100-plus exhibitors for a first-ever mid-Atlantic region event, which will be held in North Carolina. More than 1,500 people are expected to attend the expo at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Charlotte-Concord Golf Resort & Spa. This expo will give attendees the opportunity to speak one on one with executives and attend their choice of educational presentations.
Franchise Expo Charlotte will host a wide range of exhibitors, including emerging and established franchise brands, vendors, and industry suppliers. The franchises’ business sectors run the gamut from wellness concepts and retail to pet care and home improvement services. Some of the more famous brand participants will be 7-Eleven, Dream Vacations, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, Lightbridge Academy, Rosati’s Pizza, Steak ’n Shake and Wendy’s. Some of the less well-known exhibitors will include Brooklyn Robot Foundry, CHOP Barbershop and EatGatherLove.
Workshops and Panels
More than 25 workshops and panel discussions will cover topics such as how to franchise a business, tips for investing in a franchise, as well as advice on ways to scale, market and sell. To be a little more specific, attendees at the Charlotte expo’s workshops will:
- Learn the different types of business models available within franchising.
- Discover how to thoroughly and effectively review a franchise disclosure document, or FDD.
- Explore realistic expectations for generating income and revenue.
- Find out the steps necessary for franchising a business concept.
- Hear franchise owners talk about a day in the life of a franchisee.
Scheduled speakers will be John Hayes, the Titus Chair for Franchise Leadership at Palm Beach Atlantic University; Mark Siebert, CEO and senior franchise consultant at iFranchise Group; Matthew Jonas, president and co-founder of TopFire Media; Brian Luciani, chief development officer at SMB Franchise Advisors; and Andre Kay, founder and CEO of Sociallybuzz.
Sites Within the Expo
The expo floor is organized by function. MFV has set up an Emerging Brands Pavilion where exhibiting franchisors typically have 10 or fewer locations; a Business Resource Center, made up of vendor and supplier exhibitors that specialize in serving franchises; and Charlotte Unplugged, which features a radio team doing on-site podcast interviews with influential executives from the realm of franchising.
In a news release, Martin Joksimovic, president of MFV Expositions, said his company believes Charlotte is an ideal setting for the spring expo. “We’re constantly surveying our exhibitors and attendees to evaluate the best markets to host our domestic trade show events, and the mid-Atlantic region was a unanimous choice. Not only is the Greater Charlotte area the nation’s second-largest banking and financial services hub, but it’s also home to nearly 3 million residents. It has excellent programming and resources for those interested in pursuing an entrepreneurial future.”
And looking ahead, 2025 looks to be another solid year for franchising within the U.S. economy. Released last month, the International Franchise Association’s 2025 Economic Outlook notes that the business model has been thriving, with 2.2% growth during 2024; the organization had forecast growth of 1.9%, so franchising exceeded that forecast. The new IFA report also predicts that franchises will grow another 2.4% this year as compared to the nation’s gross domestic product, which is expected to grow only 1.9%, per the Congressional Budget Office.
Registration and Other Expo Info
Franchise Expo Charlotte will be the first of four MFV Expos held this year in the United States. To register for the Charlotte show as an attendee or exhibitor, click here. MFV’s other regional expos will be held May 29-30 in New York City, Sept. 5-6 in Los Angeles and Nov. 14-15 in Austin, Texas.
New Jersey-based MFV Expositions is the world’s largest producer of franchise expos. MFV is part of Comexposium, which organizes and presents more than 135 international business events in 30-plus countries each year. Comexposium’s headquarters are in France, and its sales network operates in 20 countries.
