Testimonials

Hear From Our Exhibitors

"Golden Krust exhibited at the IFE to get as much exposure as for our brand as possible. Fortunately, many people are familiar with Golden Krust and have been following our development. We met with candidates who have expressed tremendous interest in our concept from all over the world – from places like India, Philippines, and are looking to take Golden Krust back to their countries. These visitors have the disposable income and equity to start their own business right away and we’re looking to forward to working with these folks to help make their dreams come true."

"You can’t beat the face-to-face opportunity of being here at the expo. Looking at a visitor, having the candidate look back at you, they see your organization, see your booth display – it’s just a better connection than any other way you can field a prospective franchisee. We appreciate every lead we collect, but nothing beats meeting face-to-face here at the show."

"The expo is a win-win situation for Golden Krust and we’ll be back to exhibit again."

"I have been part of these expos for more years than I care to remember, and the 2010 IFE has been the best show for us internationally that I have ever been part of. We met with a couple on the first morning of the expo and by the afternoon they had returned to our booth with the completed profile application for being our new Master Franchisee for Sign*A*Rama in the country of Jordan. They came specifically to meet with us, this was the concept they wanted, so it’s great for UFG to have a forum like IFE to do these deals. We’ve met candidates from Ecuador, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and they have all been high quality leads for us, best I’ve seen in years."

"We’ve enjoyed the IFE immensely. One of the highlights was Friday where we were part of a TV broadcast with the FOX affiliate here in DC. We had our Vienna VA School of Rock Band here first thing in the morning and we were on live TV from right here at the show. The effort was coordinated with IFE’s PR partner, Fishman Public Relations, and it was a great start to the expo. We’ve spoken with a lot of great people so it’s a great venue for School of Rock. This is our first trade show and we wanted to play in the big leagues."

"Most of the lengthy conversations we’ve had at the expo were with existing business owners of multiple units and they’re looking to diversify which is precisely our target prospect."

"School of Rock advertises on 5 portals and of course our website is part of our online approach as well. Our belief is that our trade show strategy takes it to the next level where we can meet highly qualified candidates in person. We plan to spend as much time and resources possible on participating in expos and have already booked our space at the West Coast Franchise Expo."

"We’re a relatively new franchise concept in the United States. This is our first trade show and we felt that the IFE is a good platform for Zippy Shell to gain some exposure to prospective franchisees."

"The truth is I was very skeptical about participating in the expo. I have participated in expos in previous industries with other companies and I wasn’t very optimistic. It turns out that the conversations have been good, there’s been quite a bit of interested, sincere people and I’m actually quite pleased."

"The people here at the expo are committed to being in business for themselves. I think they have a much shorter timeframe to make a decision than we leads we generate from alternative sources. Being in front of somebody gives you a feel for who they are and of course gives them a better feel for who you are."

"We are strongly considering other MFV events in the future."

"We collected more leads at the 2010 IFE than at all three expos we exhibited at last year. Surprising and amazingly good show. Best show we’ve done in three years. This is our 14th year exhibiting at the expo and the show is as good as when it was great. IFE has been really worthwhile for Goddard. Good quality attendees and good conversations. We’ll get deals out of exhibiting at this year’s IFE and if we don’t, it’s our fault, not yours."

"The IFE has been great for me. The expo traffic has been excellent. It seems like when MFV publicizes the show like they do everybody in the area that has some notion that they want to do something in franchising shows up. For me that’s particularly good because many of the attendees are highly motivated, intelligent, successful entrepreneurs who are thinking that a franchise model may be good for my business. They come here just to see what they can learn and when they discover there are lawyers and consultants like myself, they start picking your brain and the next thing you know you’ve met someone that’s a potential franchisor and that’s a big client for me. It’s also good thing because the people that are hearing about the show are, of course, potential franchise buyers and they come by the hundreds and I can quickly learn a little about what they do and even if they’re tire kickers, early in their research, I can give them some insight in to what to look for and then I have a process to keep in touch so I recover quite a bit of contact information which builds my database. Among those potential franchise buyers, I invariably meet a few that are just ready to pull the trigger. In fact, on Friday morning at the expo I met a candidate from Ohio ready to buy three units in a nationally known brand and I think he’s my newest client."

"I’ve been exhibiting at the IFE for at least 5 years running and West Coast Franchise Expo and Franchise Expo South probably just as long. Every year I do very well at these shows. My experience is that exhibiting at the Franchise Expo events always pays dividends. I will definitely be at all three MFV Franchise Expos next year."

"IFE 2010 was our third time participating in the IFE. We’re growing in the northeast. We have 381 stores and we’re now expanding into Baltimore, Philadelphia, and the mid Atlantic region and the IFE produces great leads for us and that’s why we continue to come back.

We didn’t just meet the people walking the show – we sent a pre-expo email invitation to our database of prospects to drive additional traffic right to our booth. The quality of people that are here are educated and ready to buy a franchise."

"In addition to advertising on multiple franchise portals, we engage in quite a bit of Social Media including Facebook and Twitter. That said nothing beats the face-to-face opportunity of being here at the IFE. It’s the best way to start a relationship – we’re not really here ‘selling’ franchises this weekend. It’s our chance to build long term relationships with the best candidates to grow our business."

"We’ve been exhibiting at the IFE well over 5 years. The expo keeps us in touch with the international community. Domestically, obviously the location with candidates from DC, Maryland, and Virginia and all over the US is equally well represented."

"People who are attending the IFE have invested their money and their time to be here. So you’re seeing a more serious candidate on the show floor. The attendees we’ve met at the IFE are already successful businesspeople. They bring their experience with them and the leads have been consistently excellent."

"MFV has always produced excellent programs. The coordination with IFA is demonstrated by your long history of success and I think MFV tends to do a good job from the perspective of both the prospective franchisee and the exhibiting franchisor. You provide an excellent backdrop for everyone to do business."

"The IFE has been fantastic. We’re very pleased with the people we’ve met: solid leads, great people, great venue, and in our case, it’s been all positive."

"The advantage of exhibiting at an expo like the IFE is the real, live people walking the expo floor. You can spend a bit more time with them; it’s a bit more personal. You can answer their questions directly – it’s just very different when you take it to the personal level compared to many of the leads we acquire through other avenues."

"We’ve met both local people and folks from all over the world including England, Honduras, Lebanon and India all interested in taking the Yogen Früz concept back to their home countries. It’s been a good domestic and international experience."

"MFV and IFA have done a first class job."

"Overall, the IFE has been a great experience. 1-800-GOT-MOLD is new to the franchise industry and this show was a test for us. The response has been overwhelming and it’s been a real nice crowd. We’ve met people of substance that are looking for a business for themselves; we’ve met quite a few husband and wife teams which blends and works very nicely for our brand."

"Nothing surpasses this face-to-face opportunity. To be bale to look into their eyes and try to understand what they’re looking for because we understand we’re not for everybody; but to find that right person that understands our concept and can see themselves as a franchisee is beyond price."

"I’ve been in the franchising business for 30 years and the IFE remains an excellent show. We will be back for future events."