October’s National Franchise Exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham, the largest franchise show in the UK, has been praised by delegates and exhibitors alike as strong footfall numbers and the high calibre of attendees made it a resounding success.

The presence of leading franchise brands alongside objective information from experienced and knowledgeable presenters is a winning combination, and has seen the show take an increasingly prominent and important role on the franchising event calendar. Seminars were extremely well-attended, with many reduced to standing room only due to the volume of interest.

With franchising continuing to buck national economic trends by demonstrating consistent growth, the sector continues to attract strong interest from those looking to run their own business. It’s clear from this show that exhibitions continue to play a central role in the dissemination of information to a wide audience.

As Ruth Holroyd, marketing manager of Anytime Fitness, said: "It's our first time exhibiting and here and we've been pleasantly surprised by the number of visitors to our stand; we've been so busy that we've been stretched to speak to everybody who wanted to talk to us! We hope to exhibit again next year."

This was a typical view shared by many over the course of the two-day event, while it was also widely acknowledged that the standards of knowledge and research were very high among prospective franchisee visitors.

Nigel Dawson, franchise marketing manager UK and Ireland at Guinot, summed up: "It's absolutely fantastic. If we had gone home at lunchtime on the first day we would still be staying we had a good show. The quality of visitors and leads has been very high, many serious investors switched on and ready to invest - very few tyre kickers."

Franchisors much more seasoned when it comes to the exhibition scene were no less effusive, as David Chapman, marketing manager at ERA, commented: "Year after year we exhibit here and once again The National Franchise Exhibition has produced good quality leads. We're delighted with the quality of candidates which highlights the quality of marketing undertaken by VMG."

The next National Franchise Exhibition on the calendar takes place on the 22 & 23 February 2013, also at the NEC. Further information on this and other exhibitions can be found here.