Franchising Expo

What Franchising Expo does

Franchising Expo, operated by Melbourne-based Specialised Events, is Australia's longest-running franchise exhibition, founded in 1987 and held annually in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne with Perth announced as a coming-soon city. The company organizes physical trade shows that connect 100+ franchise brands across food, retail, fitness, education, logistics, financial services, and home services with aspiring entrepreneurs, existing small business owners, and franchise systems seeking to recruit new franchisees. Revenue is generated primarily through exhibition booth rentals from franchisors and business service providers, supplemented by ticket sales and supporting services including free daily seminars, an online Education Centre, and a searchable Industry Directory.

In 2024 the company expanded its offering with the Start Your Own Business Expo, a co-located event targeting entrepreneurs, side hustlers, and small business owners beyond traditional franchise buyers. The expo is officially endorsed by the Franchise Council of Australia under a long-term agreement signed in March 2025, and the company maintains international cross-promotion partnerships with MFV Expositions, Asia Wide Franchise, and the International Franchise Show London. The operating model is event-driven, distribution occurs through three major Australian convention centres, and the marketing mix combines a content website, email newsletter, social channels, and media partnerships. The firm is private, operates with 1-10 employees, and discloses no revenue or funding.

Name

Franchising Expo

Legal name

Specialised Events

Website

https://franchisingexpo.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Franchising Expo, operated by Specialised Events, is Australia's longest-running franchise exhibition, founded in 1987 and held annually in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. It connects 100+ franchise brands with aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners through booth rentals, ticket sales, seminars, and supporting digital directories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Franchise Exhibition Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

General Consumer Expos & Trade Shows (MPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Professional & Certification Expos Organizers (THAHABAD)

Keywords

• Franchise exhibitions
• Business opportunity expos
• Trade show organization
• Franchise networking events
• Event management services

Headquarters

HQ city

South Yarra

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Exhibition booth bookings: Franchise brands and business service providers pay to exhibit at the expo, renting booth space to showcase their franchise opportunities to attendees.
2. Ticket sales: Visitors pay for entry tickets to attend the expo and access franchise exhibitors and free seminars.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Franchising Expo organizes and runs annual franchise and business opportunity exhibitions across major Australian cities, bringing together 100+ franchise brands with prospective franchisees and aspiring entrepreneurs. The company operates the flagship Franchising Expo and the companion Start Your Own Business Expo, supported by free daily expert seminars at each event.

Product overview

Franchising Expo operates as an exhibition and event company offering two core expo products: the Franchising Expo (running for over 35 years) and the Start Your Own Business Expo. These complementary events are held annually across Australian cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane with Perth coming soon) and connect aspiring business owners with franchise brands and service providers. Supporting services include an Education Centre providing franchising guidance and an Industry Directory for searching franchise opportunities. The company also offers free daily seminars at each expo featuring expert speakers and franchisee panels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Franchising Expo The main annual franchise exhibition event held in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, connecting 100+ leading franchise brands across food, retail, fitness, education and services with prospective franchisees and aspiring entrepreneurs under one roof.
• Start Your Own Business Expo A companion expo running alongside the Franchising Expo, designed for entrepreneurs, side hustlers and small business owners. Provides tools, services and support to launch or grow businesses including accounting, legal, marketing, logistics and tech services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ franchise brands exhibited per event
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Franchise Council of Australia (FCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Franchising Expo is officially endorsed by the Franchise Council of Australia, the peak body representing the $174 billion franchise sector. A new long-term agreement was signed in March 2025, confirming the expo's commitment to the franchising industry.
• Business Franchise AustraliaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing coverage and promotion of the Franchising Expo to their audience of franchise-interested readers.
• Inside Franchise BusinessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner and magazine publisher covering franchise opportunities, supporting expo promotion.
• Half Eaten DonutminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital marketing agency specializing in events, serving as a media partner for the expo.
• MFV ExpositionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational franchise expo organizer, serving as an international partner to help promote cross-border franchise opportunities and connect Australian franchisors with global audiences.
• Asia Wide FranchiseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSingapore-based franchise promotion organization operating across Asia Pacific, partnered to facilitate international franchise connections.
• International Franchise Show LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based franchise exhibition, partnered as an international partner for cross-promotion of franchise opportunities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Asia Wide Franchise: Singapore-based franchise promotion organization operating across Asia Pacific. Directly comparable as a regional franchise exhibition/promotion business and listed as an international partner of Franchising Expo.
• IFA Franchise Expo: The International Franchise Association's franchise show held in Miami. Directly comparable as a franchisor-to-franchisee exhibition with similar booth-rental revenue model serving the US market.
• MFV Expositions: International franchise and business opportunity exhibition organizer that runs shows across multiple geographies. A listed international partner of Franchising Expo and operates a comparable franchisor-franchisee exhibition format.
• International Franchise Show (London): The UK's flagship franchise exhibition held at ExCeL London. Directly comparable franchise exhibition model and is also a listed international partner of Franchising Expo for cross-promotion.
• International Franchise Expo (NY): The leading franchise exhibition in North America, held annually in New York. Directly comparable as a B2B franchise exhibition connecting franchisors with prospective franchisees, operating a similar booth-rental-plus-ticket revenue model.
• Franchise Expo Canada: Canada's national franchise exhibition. Directly comparable as a country-level franchise show connecting prospective franchisees with franchisors using a similar event-based revenue model.

Broad incumbents

• Comexposium Group: Major European-headquartered exhibition organizer running B2B and B2C trade shows across many sectors. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the exhibition industry with substantial operational scale and geographic reach.
• Informa Markets: Global B2B exhibition and events division of Informa plc, operating major trade shows across dozens of industries. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the exhibition industry with overlapping trade-show capabilities.
• Reed Exhibitions (RX): One of the world's largest exhibition organizers operating hundreds of B2B trade shows globally. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the exhibition industry, though not specializing in the franchise niche.
• Diversified Communications: US-headquartered international exhibition and conference organizer operating across multiple verticals. Comparable as a broad incumbent trade show organizer with overlapping event-driven B2B capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FranchisingExpo
• Facebookfacebook.com/FranchisingExpo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/franchising-expo
• Instagraminstagram.com/franchisingexpo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Franchising Expo