IFA 2018 might already be in the books, but franchise show season is just ramping up.
Franchise shows and expos are designed to appeal to people in a variety of points in their franchise ownership career. Whether you’re just starting to consider a future in franchise ownership, or you’ve already started a handful of franchises and are considering investing in a new one, a trade show is worthwhile to attend.
Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your time.
Download the Show’s Seminar Schedule Ahead of Time
Most trade shows won’t just put you face-to-face with franchisors. They’ll also offer a variety of seminars to help educate you along your path to franchise ownership.
Before you go to the trade show, look at the list of seminars being held. Then, plan your personal agenda accordingly. Don’t wait until you’re at the show to scope out what’s being discussed. If you do this, you could miss out on valuable information.
Reach Out to Potential Franchisors and Schedule a Meeting
Every franchise trade show has an exhibition hall where you can meet a variety of franchisors. To maximize your time, schedule your meetings with the ones you’re most seriously considering ahead of time. This way, you will ensure you get to talk to every business you’re most interested in starting, making your time at the show more productive.
Quantify Your Franchise Search
When you go to a franchise trade show, you’re bound to be met with a wealth of opportunity. All of the ideas and concepts will likely lead to overwhelm, which could put you at risk of analysis paralysis. Instead of making a decision about which franchise opportunity is best suited for you, you’ll be paralyzed by all of the ideas you’re forced to analyze.
To avoid this, quantify your franchise search before you go to the event. Make a list of all of the must-have features in the franchise you’ll start. For example, if you know you want to start a children’s franchise, you might have “children’s learning industry” as one of yourparameters. Another example might be the investment amount. Or you might want a franchise that lets you set your own schedule instead of one that requires hours of work from the get go.
Once your list is complete, take it with you to the trade show and rank each opportunity you’re considering on a scale of one to ten. At the end of the day, you’ll have your top three franchises. Analyzing these will be far less daunting than if you were to sift through all of the franchises you met.
Have a Goal in Mind
No matter what you do, go to the trade show with a goal in mind. If your goal is to open a new franchise in the next few years, your goal might be to get to know the current state of the franchise industry. If your goal is to open a franchise in a matter of a few months, your goal might be to solidify which franchise is right for you. Decide ahead of time what you want to walk away with, so you can focus your time and energy on getting what you need out of the show.
Get Going
Trade shows provide an immense amount of valuable information. If you have any interest in franchise ownership, you’re encouraged to find a trade show in your area and attend.
Which trade show will you attend this year? Tell us in the comments below. And remember, you can always look up franchise shows and expos on our calendar.
Susan Guillory is the President of Egg Marketing & Communications, a marketing firm specializing in content writing and social media management. She’s written three business books, including How to Get More Customers With Press Releases, and frequently blogs about small business and marketing on sites including Forbes, AllBusiness, The Marketing Eggspert Blog, and Tweak Your Biz. Follow her on Twitter @eggmarketing.