SRIWIPA SIRIPUNYAWIT

Thailand Franchise and Business Opportunities 2005, the country's first international franchise exhibition, expects to attract 180 leading franchise owners from Thailand and neighbouring countries and draw at least 20,000 visitors.

The four-day show, which will be held June 23-26 at Impact Exhibition and Convention Center, is organised by the Franchise and Thai SMEs Business Association and managed by Kavin Intertrade. The fair is aimed to serve as a gateway for local and international franchisors who are seeking business partners or master franchisors in Thailand.

According to Kavin Kittiboonya, the managing director of Kavin Intertrade, the fair is set to draw mostly brand leaders or medium-to-key players in the market including those from Singapore and Malaysia.

He said that so far, 168 local franchisors had agreed to participate in the exhibition. Of the total, 150 are local brands such as 7-eleven, Chester's Grill, The Pizza Company, Swensen's, NEO Suki, Coca Suki, Tsutaya, Jubilee, English First, Sunbelt Asia, Coffee World, Mr Bean, and EZ's. Another 12 brands are from Singapore which include those in educational and service sectors, while the rest are companies from Malaysia.

Financial institutions such as TMB Bank and the SME Bank will also participate in the fair with an aim to provide financial support to investors.

''The concept of the fair is to provide the biggest one-stop international shop in Thailand and Asia,'' Mr Kavin said.

The fair, which costs over ten million baht to hold, is targeted at drawing local and international investors who are looking for business partners or franchises to buy.

''We're focusing on B2B, not B2C. Therefore, there won't be any sales during the event and we aren't expecting over 100,000 visitors but only investors who are looking for business partners,.'' Mr Kavin said

He added that the top three rising sectors for franchises were still food and beverage, education, and service industry.

Mr Kavin also expressed confidence in the continued growth of the franchise market in next several years.

''With consistent government promotion, the franchise businesses should be able to continue to grow by 30% annually and the total number of outlets should rise from 15,000 to 20,000 or double within next few years.''