On Friday February 25th and Saturday February 26th 2011, the Irish Franchise Association host the Ulster Bank Irish Franchise Association EXPO and Awards at Croke Park, Dublin. The purpose of the exhibition is to showcase Irish franchisors and the franchising sector with over 60 Exhibitors and over 5000 visitors expected. The Irish Franchise Awards, which will run in conjunction with the exhibition, recognise excellence in franchising and reward outstanding achievements of businesses and individuals in the franchise industry. During these challenging times, many people take advantage of a redundancy package to start up their own businesses through franchising.

Franchising can be a fantastic way for individuals to make the transition into working for themselves. According to the latest 2010 Irish Franchise survey, there has been a marked increase in turnover for the sector to 2.4 billion representing an increase of 15per cent since the last survey in 2006. In total the Irish franchise industry contributes 4,086 operating units on the island of Ireland and has generated 42,927 full-time jobs. The EXPO and Awards are the highlight of the franchising calendar for 2011.

The exhibition will take place from 10am to 6pm on Friday and 10am to 4pm on Saturday and will feature guest speakers, seminars on franchising, exhibitors from the franchise sector and extensive information and advice for individuals interested in franchising. New international exhibitors will be introduced this year and a separate seminar area, as well as private meeting rooms for franchisors and prospective franchisees to discuss opportunities. This Expo is the only Franchise exhibition in Ireland that is fully endorsed by the Irish Franchise Association. Chairman of the Association, David Killeen commented with last years 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. Orna Stokes, Senior Manger, Strategic Operations, Ulster Bank said, The importance of providing support to businesses in the current environment cannot be underestimated.

It is our job at Ulster Bank to appropriate financial support and a robust service to franchises and indeed to all our business customers. We are delighted to continue our relationship with the Irish Franchise Association. The Expo and Awards provide us with a great opportunity to highlight our support in the start-up and franchising sector and also to recognise and reward outstanding entrepreneurs. The Irish Franchise Awards will be presented at a formal black-tie awards ceremony in the Hospitality Suite at Croke Park on Friday February 25th 2011.

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. The judging panel for the 2011 Ulster Bank Irish Franchise Association Awards include Irish Dragon and Newstalk Presenter Bobby Kerr; Orna Stokes, Head of Specialist Sectors, Ulster Bank; Orla Nugent, MBA Programme Director, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School; Greg Swift of Dublin County Enterprise Board and Cian O Mongain from the Sunday Business Post.

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