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Franchise Show Time

Ulster Bank Irish Franchise Association EXPO 2012

Friday April 27^th and Saturday April 28^th | RDS, Dublin

This Friday April 27^th from 10am to 6pm and Saturday April 28^th from 10am to 4om, the Irish Franchise Association hosts the Ulster Bank Irish Franchise Association EXPO at the RDS,Dublin.  The purpose of the exhibition is to act as a showcase for Irish franchisors and the franchising sector. With an unrivalled series of FREE seminars and exhibitors, this event is an opportunity for people to access and avail of real time information on franchising that normally takes months of painstaking research. The Irish Franchise Awards, which will run in conjunction with the exhibition, recognises excellence in franchising and rewards outstanding achievements of businesses and individuals engaged in the franchise industry.

As a result of redundancy, job dissatisfaction, or just a deep-rooted entrepreneurial desire, the country is rapidly awakening to the vast opportunities to be found in franchising: it’s one of the few buoyant markets in uncertain times. According to the latest Irish Franchise survey,  the sector contributes €2.4 billion to the Irish Economy with 4,086 operating units on the island of Ireland providing 42,927 full-time jobs.Orna Stokes, Senior Manger, SME Strategy, Ulster Bank said; “Every day at Ulster Bank we work with SME and Corporate businesses across a range of industries to provide business and lending support.  It is our job at Ulster Bank to provide solid advice, appropriate financial support and a robust service to our business customers, to help them take advantage of the opportunities that are out there, whether at home or abroad. We are delighted to continue our relationship with the Irish Franchise Association.  The Expo provides us with a great opportunity to support the start-up and franchising sector and the Awards recognise and reward outstanding entrepreneurs in Irish Franchising."

The Franchise EXPO features guest speakers, seminars on franchising, exhibitors from the franchise sector and extensive information and advice for individuals interested in franchising. This Expo is the only Franchise exhibition in Ireland that is fully endorsed and managed by the Irish Franchise Association. Chairman of the Association, David Killeen commented “As with last year’s exhibition, this Expo is being run purely on a not for profit basis and any surplus funds generated will be reinvested back into the franchise sector to assist our voluntary body deliver on our mission of ‘promoting and developing best practice franchising in Ireland and creating an environment within which franchising can grow’  We welcome our continued partnership with Ulster Bank who regularly demonstrate their commitment to the SME sector and in particular the franchise sector through supporting initiatives such as the Franchise Exhibition and Awards”

The Irish Franchise Awards will be presented at a formal black-tie awards ceremony in the RDS Concert Hall on Friday April 27th. The award ceremony is anticipated to be one of the most impressive business events of the year reflecting the remarkable growth of the franchise sector in these challenging times. 

FREE tickets are available to attend the EXPO on www.irishfranchiseassociation.com

ENDS

Media Contact: Helen O Dwyer| PR ONE | Helen@pr1.ie | 01 5143000 | 086 2332725