FME 2006 opens avenues and business opportunities for young locals and businesses in the region

The third edition of this premier tradeshow got underway at the Dubai International Trade Centre Exhibition Hall 1 today, and was inaugurated by H.E. Sultan Saeed Al Mansoori - Minister of Government Sector Development.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment presents the three day event from 7th March to 9th March for young business leaders. The event is the biggest networking and business opportunity and is supported by International Franchise Association (IFA) and organized by International Expo Consults LLC, the exhibition division of Falak Holding. The show has representation from companies across the world and has country pavilions from France, Thailand and Malaysia.

Mr. Akil Kazim, Business Village - Project manager, Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders was upbeat about the prospects and potential for both the franchisers and franchisees.

'The franchising community has come to represent the best international and globally recognized expertise has to offer to regional sectors. As the economies of the GCC countries enter a new phase of development, the emphasis on Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) opens new vistas for the franchising business. SME's are a significant source of new business leads and have a progressive and crucial role to play in stimulating local and regional economic development,' said Kazim.

Franchising in the Middle East is on the threshold of extraordinary projected growth, according to industry sources. The all-pervading open-door economic policies now being diligently pursued by all GCC economies to attract new investments implies that the region is rapidly becoming a gateway for new brand names for more and more products and services. Investors are increasingly gravitating towards franchising to open new business possibilities. The exhibition will further boost the claim of Dubai and indeed the UAE as the franchise hub of the Middle East.

Current projected high demand growth areas for franchising in the Middle East include restaurant and fast-food outlets, service industry and large scale manufacturing opportunities. The presence of country pavilions is a reflection of the serious attention being paid to the region by developed countries. Dubai has been experiencing exceptional growth in all fronts of business and commerce in the last few years. This growth has fueled the need for support infrastructure and service providers.

UBI France, one of the exhibitors under the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry is the agency for the international business development, which is the driving force in the public program for the development of exports from France.

Working in association with the economic department of French embassies, UBI France, offers French companies support in the area of information, consultancy and promotion. The French pavilion is headed by Ms. Francine Fontayne - Head of Trade & Retailing Department. The objective being to boost exports from France to the GCC and beyond in this region.

Mr. Mohammed Falaknaz - Vice President of Falak Holding, who themselves are in a divers range of business activities said, 'I am happy at the response and the growth of this show over the last three years, even though the concept of franchising is relatively new to the region, the economic boom has been a blessing for both franchisers and franchisee. Thanks to the initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, we now have an establishment under the DDIA that provides a corridor for young businessmen to initiate and develop new business ventures through this show.'

'The Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment has been assisting a number of young entrepreneurs to fulfill their dreams of setting up new and challenging businesses. We at IEC are proud to be associated with this movement and establishment, this exhibition somehow gives us a sense of worth in contributing in a small way to the development of the economy in the United Arab Emirates. We are also grateful to the International Franchise Association for supporting this event ' added Mr. Falaknaz.

The International Franchise Association (IFA) believes that healthy franchise agreements are possible if Trust, Truth and Honesty are embodied in the franchise agreement between the franchiser and franchisee. FME provides the platform for both parties to meet deliberate and come to some consensus for the mutual benefit of business interest and in the interest of the brand.

Now only in its third year FME has established itself as a premium B2B event in the franchising and retail industry. Since its inception in 2004 the event has been responsible for bringing into the region some of the most reputed brands from Europe and has also helped home grown UAE brands to find overseas markets in the GCC and MENA region.

Franchising Middle East 2006 is open to trade professional only from the 7th to the 9th of March, between 10 am to 1 pm and 4.30 pm to 8.30 pm daily.