This October, Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) is proud to present a jampacked week of networking, business meetings and expo as part of the PFA’s tools to grow, strengthen and advocate for the Philippine franchising sector.

Mr. Joseph Tanbuntiong, the Overall Chair of the FAPHL 2023 Organizing Committee and Chief Business Officer of Jollibee Foods Corporation, stated after the International Conference was held in June 2023 to a positive reception from various members of the franchising industry, the PFA is bracing for what is to be one of the biggest events in franchising history: the International Franchise Expo on October 27 to 29, 2023 coinciding with the meetings of the World Franchise Council (WFC) and Asia-Pacific Franchise Confederation (APFC) which will both be hosted by the Philippines in Manila.

PFA President Chris Lim hopes FAPHL 2023 will be an avenue for more Philippine brands to go international and Filipino small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to expand domestically.

International Franchise Expo

After the triumphant conference drew crowds of members of the franchising community, the PFA is once again bringing the entire franchising world to Manila for what is one of the Asia-Pacific region’s biggest franchise shows: the Franchise Asia Philippines 2023 International Franchise Expo at the entirety of the SMX Convention Center, Manila.

According to Mr. Lim, the Expo is an opportunity for Filipino brands to grow their businesses internationally as well as for global brands to expand their operations to the Philippines. He also considers this an event to place the Philippines in the map of the global franchising community.

Sherill Quintana, the Association’s Chairman, has the Expo to thank for the success of her own company Oryspa, which joined the show in 2011 and is now a prosperous enterprise not just in the Philippines but also overseas. She calls her personal experience with the Expo as a testament on how SMEs can grow and expand to greater heights.

This year’s Expo is one of the biggest PFA will ever organize as it will occupy both floors of the SMX Convention Center in Manila. Expo Committee Chair and Bo’s Coffee President and CEO Steve Benitez stated that 1000+ international and local franchise brands in the food, retail and service sectors will be featured this year. He said there will also be special zones for Emerging Franchises, Highly Franchise-able Concepts, Business Solutions Providers among others.

In line with the PFA’s capacity-building efforts, the Expo will also have seminars for prospective franchisees and aspiring franchisors.

Philippine hosting of global franchise events

Coinciding with the Expo is the twin meetings of the Asia-Pacific Franchise Confederation (APFC) and the World Franchise Council (WFC) hosted by the Philippines at Conrad Manila on October 25-27, 2023. This event promises to be an opportunity for the Philippines to show its economic progress as well as its famous hospitality to international visitors.

These events, along with the other activities on Franchise Asia week, will be attended by hundreds of delegates from 30 franchise association members of the WFC, including 16 from the Asia-Pacific region that comprise the APFC and 16 European national franchise associations.

‘Successful’ international conference

Prior to these upcoming events, the Franchise Asia Philippines 2023 International Conference was held on June 7-8, 2023 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City with the theme ‘Franchising Fast Forward.’ The event garnered a total of 808 participants, mostly franchisors and entrepreneurs of different backgrounds in the food, retail and service sectors. Conference Committee Chair and Wendy’s Philippines President and CEO Joey Garcia has declared the event a success through its well-attended breakout and plenary sessions featuring lectures and discussions on diverse issues affecting the franchising world.

The Conference also saw seven (7) highly dynamic and curated plenary sessions and 12 engaging concurrent area-focused track sessions, 30+ peer-to-peer business roundtable discussions and 70+ world-class speakers, industry experts and esteemed facilitators. Among its roster of speakers, the Conference also featured the CEO Forum with the CEOs of McDonald’s, Max’s Group, Inc. and 7-Eleven sharing their business ideas and strategies for continuous success.

During the NxtGen in Franchising Competition and Awarding Ceremonies, Ms. Di Anne Mendoza from the Breastfeeding Care Center of the North was declared the Grand Winner.

For more details and information regarding Franchise Asia Philippines 2023 and the international hosting activities, you may contact the PFA Secretariat through the email addresses: pfa@pfa.org.ph, advocacy@pfa.org.ph, cfe@pfa.org.ph or projects@pfa.org.ph. You may visit the website www.franchiseasiaph.com for more details on the events. You may also access the PFA website for more information on Franchise Asia Philippines and other activities in store for the franchising sector.

Franchise Asia Philippines 2023 is co-presented by BPI, Insular Life and PLDT and powered by SM Supermalls and Vista Mall.

This event is made possible with the help of our beloved partners. Our platinum partners are Jollibee, Caltex, 7-Eleven, Seaoil, The Generics Pharmacy and Megaworld. Our gold partners are Potato Corner, LT&G Credit Line, Francorp, Qualiplus, K2 Pharmacy, Robinsons Malls, Araneta Center, and Globaltronics. Our silver partners are Master Siomai, Shawarma Shack, Famous Belgian Waffles, Paluto Nga Po!, Kurimi, Julie’s Bakeshop, Bo’s Coffee, Living Water, Pure Nectar, Bibingkinitan, Max’s Group, Oryspa, Beanleaf and Shell. Our bronze partners are Fruitas, Macao Imperial, Farron Café, Grains Mart, Meralco, KFC, Shakey’s, Blooming Ventures, Mister Donut, Tokyo Tokyo, Coolaire Consolidated Inc., Yale-Assa Abloy Philippines, Inc., Unioil, McDonald’s Philippines, Bench and Perfume Dessert.

Our event partners are Microtel by Wyndham, Media Blitz, Sports House, Action Coach, U-Franchise Sales and Management, Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), BCS Systems and Technologies, Inc., Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Chowking and Commerce Asia.