Business owners will be heading to The Nottingham Belfry hotel later this week to find out more about franchising and the opportunities it provides for growth.

The Franchise Conference East Midlands on 16th October will feature a number of workshops on a range of topics from PR and marketing to employment law.

There will also be a Q&A session with people who have successfully franchised their business, including Eric Ho of YoYo Noodle bars, as well as entrepreneurs who have bought a franchise.

Julie Taylor, MD of Gti Consultancy, which is organising the event, said: “Turning your business into a franchise is a fantastic route to sales growth. A lot of people don’t realise but some of the world’s most successful companies such as KFC or Starbucks are franchises and this has enabled them to achieve rapid growth on a global scale.

“The overall contribution of franchising to the UK economy is £13.7 billion. Although this equates to just under 1% of GDP, this contribution has grown by 20% over the past five years, while the overall economy has shrunk 2.5% over the same period.
“Similarly buying a franchise gives a potential new business owner the tools and a proven commercial model to help you get off the ground with confidence.

“The Franchise Conference East Midlands is an excellent way to learn more about this burgeoning sector and why it has proven so successful even during the economic downturn when other sectors were shrinking.”

Tickets for the conference on 16th October at The Nottingham Belfry between 8.00am and 2.15pm, cost £50 plus VAT.