Franchise Expo Success: Strategies for Effective Planning and Engagement
If last month’s Franchise Expo West is a key indicator for the health of franchise trade shows, the rest of the expos in 2024 will be big and full of new opportunities.
Are we ever getting back to a place and time when 10,000 people would flood a convention center? Probably not, due to big events being damaged by government lockdowns starting in 2020 and changing behavior by information seekers. An entire generation of candidates has grown accustomed to learning about and engaging with franchise brands via your website and their newsfeeds.
But there’s nothing like a face-to-face conversation! Here’s some advice on optimizing your time at upcoming trade shows.
Plan Your Calendar
MFV Expositions and the International Franchise Association will host three more trade shows this year, featuring diverse franchise concepts that help potential business owners find the right fit. Add these to your schedule; they will sneak up on you!
- International Franchise Expo: New York City, May 30 – June 1
- Franchise Expo South: Ft Lauderdale, September 6 – 7
- Franchise Expo Austin: Austin, November 15 – 16
(For other franchising events, please visit this updated list of conferences and expos.)
Define Your Opportunities
One growing trend is multi-unit, multi-brand owners (MUMBOs) attending all franchise trade shows, not just those geared specifically to multi-unit owners or restaurant franchisees. Since the lockdowns ended, we’ve seen more franchisees cross over into other sectors in an effort to better diversify their portfolios. Now more than ever, we see franchise owners looking at new business sectors. For example, restaurant operators are looking at home services, professional services franchisees are researching B-to-B businesses, and health and wellness brand owners are looking at QSRs.
At the other end of the spectrum, franchise expos can be a great channel for emerging franchisors with smaller marketing budgets to get their brand in front of first-time franchisees and owner-operators.
It is important to be open to speaking with attendees outside of your typical personas for all types of franchise systems.
If you’re working your brand’s booth, one critical piece of advice is to be present.
Be Present
If you’re working your brand’s booth, one critical piece of advice is to be present. It’s so tempting to take a quick break from the here and now to check your email or get a jump on a project that needs your attention. Avoid this at all costs! In fact, keep your phone in your pocket and not even visible on your table.
Nothing is as off-putting to franchise show attendees as seeing a booth representative scrolling on their phone. Being absorbed in your phone shows disinterest and unprofessionalism, and it wastes golden opportunities to engage with potential franchise partners.
Remember, many attendees may be there alone and are looking for someone to talk to about their needs. Be that person!
Manage Your Expectations
“Did you have a good show?”
We hear this at the end of every show. But what does a “good” show mean these days?
Set your own expectations. Are you going to do deals right there on the show floor? Maybe, but probably not. Set goals based on how many conversations you will have the following week. And beyond that, set goals for the number of people with whom you can engage in marketing channels for the rest of this year.
Many attendees are just now getting a taste of franchising and business ownership. Trade shows are now as much about brand awareness as they are about lead generation.
Network!
For those looking to step up their networking game, here are a couple of opportunities to check out.
Mimosas and Masterminds: Benetrends Financial is once again hosting a series of roundtables led by facilitators on topics such as funding, digital marketing, PR, sales processes, validation, and more. Please join us on Friday, May 31, inside the exhibit hall before the show starts. Registration for all franchisors is still open here.
IFE Unplugged in The Podcast Zone: I’ll be interviewing franchisors in the big podcast studio all three days to capture their Brand Stories. We will share these on a series of podcasts throughout the month of June on Social Geek. If you’ve got a story to tell, I would love to hear it!
Franchise expos can be a good place for suppliers to support and catch up with franchise system clients and partners. I highly recommend that suppliers attend and plan to spend time with them after show hours are over in the late afternoon and evening. But remember: There is no soliciting. Franchisors exhibit at trade shows to meet and present to potential franchisees and are paying a fair amount of money to do so.
We’ve all seen suppliers who didn’t want to pay for a sponsorship or booth show up and work the room like it’s their personal pitch session. We’ve also seen sketchy organizers from other smaller events try to pitch franchisors to join their future events. It’s a bad idea and ineffective. If this is your plan, a final word of advice: Stay home!
