Posted:20-September-2007
National Franchise Week 2007
How often have you sat at your desk and wondered what it would feel like to "Escape the 9 to 5" and be your own boss? National Franchise Week is now an established event and is an ideal opportunity to explore the different franchise options available and find out if franchising is the right choice for you.
Sponsored by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, supported by Yell and Sage, and organised by the British Franchise Association, National Franchise Week will be taking place from the 1 - 12 of October.
Key dates:
National Franchise Week starts in Dublin on the 1st of October with the Dublin Master Franchise Conference. Then on the 2nd of October there is the Master Franchise Conference in London. The Master Franchise Conference is organised as two one day conferences by the IFA in conjunction with the Howarth Consulting Group for US franchisors.

On the 3rd and 4th of October there is the bfa / IFA symposium taking place at the BERR centre in London. This is aimed at those who are interested in expanding their franchise business internationally as well as for those who have already brought their system to other regions of the world. Over the course of our two-day programme there will be presentations on the international legal, financial, and the cultural challenges you will likely face in establishing and operating your business on a global scale.
On the evening of the 4th of October there is another key event, the bfa Franchisee of the Year Award, sponsored by HSBC and Express Newspapers, is an important event of National Franchise Week. This year it has a customer focus theme, with twelve different finalists having shown that they have made the customer their top priority.
The Discovery Days will take place in different regional locations and are held in partnership with CREATE, South London Business, Croydon Enterprise, Northwest Regional Development Agency and local councils. These days aim to give an introduction to the world of franchising as a proven and established way of starting your own business or a growth mechanism for expanding an existing business.
The Discovery Days are free but visitors are advised to pre-register for the specific Discovery Day of their choice at the National Franchise Week website, www.nationalfranchiseweek.co.uk. Visitors can turn up on the day though any time from 1.30pm - 8.30pm to:
The overall goal of National Franchise Week is to raise awareness of franchising as a successful business model. Franchising in the UK is a £10.8 billion industry that encompasses 781 franchise systems and employs 371,600 people.