150-Plus Franchise Brands Will Greet Attendees from 60 Countries
- The International Franchise Expo will be held May 29-30 (a Friday and Saturday) in New York City.
- The expo offers informative workshops and educational sessions as well as exhibits by dozens of well-known and emerging franchise brands.
- Registration is currently available and admission is free with a special code entered online.
The clock is ticking down toward the International Franchise Expo scheduled May 29-30 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in downtown Manhattan. MFV Expositions, whose events focus on connecting entrepreneurs with diverse franchise brands, expects to host attendees from more than 60 nations.
The expo runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, May 29, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 30. Registration is currently available for the specialized gathering, which will include 40-plus workshops and educational sessions.
Trade shows offer brands and investors important opportunities, as a columnist noted in a May 2024 Forbes article. “A trade show brings together brands with common goals and audiences, but it goes well beyond an exhibition booth,” wrote Tony Ambroza, chief growth officer at RealTruck and former brand officer at Carhartt. He said the networking associated with trade shows is often “where the real magic happens and connections are made.”
What’s on Tap
The International Franchise Expo has again scheduled its popular workshops entitled “The A-to-Z’s of Buying a Franchise” and “How to Franchise Your Business.” There’s also a special session, “What You Should Know Before You Buy a Franchise,” led by Dale E. Cantone, assistant attorney general of Maryland (Securities Division) and Joseph Punturo, head of the New York State Attorney General’s Office Franchising Unit. Other speakers include John Hayes, the Titus Chair for Franchise Leadership at Palm Beach Atlantic University, and Andre Kay, founder and CEO of Sociallybuzz.
The International Franchise Expo organizers have set up these specialist areas within the Javits Center:
- Pavilions reserved for Japan and Kyrgyzstan. These spaces facilitate networking by international investment groups, institutional investors, trade delegations, private equity groups and international franchisors looking to sign master franchise agreements in their home countries.
- The Emerging Brand Pavilion, a particularly busy area for franchisors poised for growth. The brands exhibiting here typically have 10 or fewer locations.
- The Business Resource Center, which is made up of companies that exclusively cater to franchising.
- IFE Unplugged. In this area, the Social Geek Radio team handles on-site podcast interviews with franchising executives.
This year’s exhibitors include well-known franchisors such as McDonald’s, Nathan’s Famous, Perkins American Food Co., Xponential Fitness and Juan Valdez Colombian Coffee. MFV Expo seeks franchisors that represent a wide variety of industries, business sectors and investment levels. For example, attendees can expect to learn about franchises that provide automotive, home improvement and health care services along with fitness concepts, restaurants and other retail. MFV Expositions has compiled a list of exhibiting brands here.
How to Register
Those who wish to attend this year’s International Franchise Expo in New York City may register here. There’s complimentary admission for attendees who use the promo code FRANWIRE when they register. For other details, visit MFV’s homepage for the New York event.
In a news release, Martin Joksimovic, president of MFV Expositions, encouraged entrepreneurs to attend and franchisors to participate. “Whether you’re an exhibitor or guest, this event is intended to be a mutually beneficial experience both for franchise brands looking to extend their global and domestic reach and motivated entrepreneurs who want to take charge of their own destiny,” Joksimovic said. “MFV Expo takes pride in our ability to connect entrepreneurs and institutional investors with global franchise brands from all industries and investment levels.”
About MFV and Comexposium
For 35 years, MFV Expositions has hosted U.S. and global events offering opportunities for prospective franchisees to meet franchisors. Headquartered in Glen Rock, N.J., MFV Expositions is a subsidiary of Comexposium.
Comexposium, which is based in France, hosts more than 135 B2B and B2C events across many industries, from agriculture, food and construction to real estate, retail and tourism, and more. Through its expos in more than 30 nations, Comexposium expects to host 3.5 million visitors and 48,000 exhibitors this year.
The International Franchise Expo is the second on MFV Expositions’ U.S. schedule this year; MFV held Franchise Expo South in mid-January. Later in 2026, MFV Exposition will hold trade shows Sept. 18-19 in Dallas, Oct. 23-24 in Cincinnati and Nov. 13-14 in Glendale, Ariz.
