The Turkey-based franchising event broke records, with 200-plus domestic and foreign brands, 31,800 visitors, and international investors from 90 countries in attendance.
The seventeenth Be My Franchise Expo, which took place from October 10-13 at the CNR Expo Center in Istanbul, offered great for brands and investors alike.
According to the show organizers, the Turkish franchise market value is $43bn – this figure is expected to rise to $50bn by the end of 2020.
Organized by Medyafors – a company with 34 years of trade show and conference experience – the event proved a fruitful business destination, with many Turkish brands experiencing a wealth of interest from international parties. Investors were primarily focused on master franchise deals, firm mergers, and acquisitions.
The brands on display represented a wide range of sectors, including food, furniture, real estate, banking, suppliers, services and more.
Be My Franchise Expo, while opening the doors of trade for many brands, also hosted a variety of seminars, activities, networking events, and workshops, as well as new product launches.
Ozhan Erem, chairman of Medyafors, said: “We worked hard and brought 31,800 local and foreign investors and visitors to our participating brands and have been instrumental in hundreds of franchise agreements which revitalized the economy for the franchise system. Hundreds of attractive opportunities, new business ideas, franchise options for all budgets were showcased where entrepreneurs who came to the show to start a business ended up signing agreements.
“Our database has been refreshed and thousands of new investors have joined. After the fair and throughout the year we continue to serve our brands on our web portal where we deliver the innovations and developments of our brands to 44,000 registered potential investor databases every Tuesday.
“The Be My Franchise Expo is just the visible tip of the iceberg. Assisting growth and expansion of the brands is our business which we take very seriously. There is a continuous support system through our franchise portal, franchise magazine, newspaper, and weekly e-shots. Seminars and educational panels are also organized year-round, as well as matchmaking activities between brands and investors.”
