Singapore, 20 November 2012 – Franchising & Licensing Asia (FLAsia) 2012, the international event for entrepreneurship, business opportunities & intellectual property rights in Asia, took place successfully over three days from 1 to 3 November. The opening ceremony on 1 November was graced by Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry & Ministry of National Development. The event saw over 10,000 visitors, delegates and exhibitors, breaking all previous records to become the most successful FLAsia since the economic downturn in 2008.
This year, the show saw a 15 per cent increase in floor space, with over 217 participants showcasing a range of franchise brands, license properties and business concepts from diverse industries such as Food & Beverages, Health & Wellness and Education. More than 24 countries were represented at the show, and a total of five country pavilions were formed (Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and USA), including inaugural ones from Japan and Taiwan.
Exhibitors were impressed with the seventh edition of FLAsia and the deals closed at the event.
Mr Wonhyu Park, Chief Commissioner of Government Policy Department, Korea Franchise Association, said: "Singapore is one of the best Asian hubs to meet visitors and potential buyers. This is our third year exhibiting at FLAsia and in line with our expectations, we have seen good quality visitors and this surely is the best place to meet serious buyers as our exhibitors housed under the Korea Pavilion have found so."
Fellow exhibitor, Mr Marc Ng, Chief Executive Officer of Berrylite and 1962 Tofu (First-time exhibitor under the Korea Pavilion) signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a franchise deal, and are likely to confirm the partnership after a visit to 1962 Tofu’s outlet in Korea.
Mr Jiro Yamasaki, General Manager, ASEAN Business, Executive Office, AEON Group, said: "So far, the response from visitors have been very good for us. This show is an excellent opportunity for Japanese exhibitors, franchisors to be at. We hope that many Japanese companies will participate next year!"
Mr Raimond Svanks, Asia Regional Manager Market Developer of Stenders, said: "This is our first year exhibiting the Stenders franchise opportunity in Asia. We are very satisfied with the attention we are receiving, and the serious business inquiries. We need to follow-up on the tremendous amount of enquiries received. Our goal is to secure two master level franchisees in the Asian region."
Mr Alain Leduc, International Franchise Manager of Delifrance, said: "We met with many international Asian visitors at FLAsia. The exhibition excellent for sales development for all of Asia."
Mr Grant McLauchlan, Managing Director of CrestClean, said: "We generated six potential master franchisees at FLAsia 2012 from countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, India and Malaysia. FLAsia is a great event and we felt very welcome."
The supporting conference and workshop featured seven key industry speakers and was centred around the theme of Spotting Gold in the Asian Franchise Market, which touched on the lucrative franchising opportunities in the Asian region. There was also sharing by successful brands across Asia and leading industry experts, allowing attendees to gain valuable insights from actual scenarios and case studies, as well as pick up practical advice.
Mr Winston Lim, General Manager of BizLink Exhibition Services, said: "We are delighted with the success of FLAsia 2012. The internationality and number of both exhibitors and visitors at this year’s exhibition undoubtedly was a huge factor. Many exhibitors are extremely satisfied with the outcome and have received serious enquires from visitors, both locally and internationally. Further discussions are in the pipeline."
FLAsia is presented by Franchising & Licensing Association (Singapore), and organised by Singapore Press Holdings' BizLink Exhibition Services Pte Ltd. FLAsia 2012 was supported by International Enterprise Singapore, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, SPRING Singapore, World Franchise Council, Asia Pacific Franchise Confederation, Singapore Workforce Development Agency, Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
The next edition of FLAsia will be held from 3 to 5 October in 2013.
Photos of the exhibition, conference and workshop are available on the FLAsia website at www.FranchiseLicenseAsia.com/gallery.php
For further information, please visit www.FranchiseLicenseAsia.com
For more information, please contact:
Ms Melissa Teo
Marketing Executive
BizLink Exhibition Services Pte Ltd
DID: 6848 5936
Email: melissa@bizlink.com.sg
Mr Gary Yeo
Assistant Manager
Corporate Communications
Singapore Press Holdings Limited
DID: 6319 1225
Email: garyyeo@sph.com.sg