The Franchising and Licensing Association Singapore (FLA Singapore) and BizLink Premium Services launched the 2008 Franchising & Licensing Asia (FLAsia 2008) exhibition. Held from 16 -18 October 2008, the FLAsia 2008 exhibition is the largest in terms of area since its inception in 2006. With Singapore's economy currently in a technical recession, franchising offers another avenue for those looking for new business opportunities. It also creates new employment opportunities. FLAsia 2008 included both an exhibition where participants can evaluate numerous international franchise concepts and license properties, and a conference, where attendees could gain valuable information on franchising and licensing. The FLAsia 2008 exhibition showcased over 200 top franchises, business concepts, brands and licenses of various industry sectors from more than 18 countries and regions, including Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the U.K. and the U.S.A attracting about 10,000 attendees from Asia and beyond. Franchise experts anticipate higher interest this year, due to the current economic outlook.

A new chance for investors and delegates this year: the one and a half day FLAsia 2008 International Conference started on 17 October and included, for the first time, site visits to successful franchising outlets in Singapore! This gave delegates an all-round theory and practical experience in the franchising industry. FLA Singapore and BizLink Premium Services have received positive responses from the participants concerning this new opportunity.

While majority of the franchising exhibitors fell into the usual franchising categories, such as Food & Beverage, Education, and Health & Wellness, FLAsia 2008 hosted some unique business concepts, breaking the typical franchising mould. These include a pet shop franchise, a retail computer games franchise and a specialised foot care solutions franchise. The diversity of these new franchise concepts showcased in FLAsia 2008 is evidence of Asia's growing and established franchising market, and Singapore's leading position in Asia as a regional franchise hub.

«Asia is an emerging market for both franchising and licensing. It is noted that in the next five years, the annual revenue for Asia's franchise market is expected to grow to US$100 billion per annum. Last year, Singapore's 30,000 franchisees brought in nearly US$3.8 billion in annual revenue. The growth of franchising and licensing market is very encouraging as its resulted increase in commercial activities will create favourable employment opportunities» said Ms Indranee Rajah, Deputy Speaker of Parliament and MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, who was the Guest-of-honour at the FLAsia 2008 Opening ceremony.

«The uncertainty that has descended upon the global economy since last year is proving to be challenging for many businesses. In spite of this, the response for FLAsia 2008 from the industry has been tremendous. This is a clear indication of the robustness and attractiveness of the franchising business model. Many of our previous years' exhibitors are back again, riding upon the success of past FLAsia exhibitions. The past exhibitors of FLAsia have received very positive results through the show. 40% of last year's exhibitors responded to a survey and revealed that S$7.5 million worth of sales is under negotiation, which is a 28% increase compared to year 2006. We hope to beat this record through FLAsia 2008» said Mr Winston Lim, Executive Director, BizLink Premium Services.

For the first time, FLAsia 2008 adopted an interactive approach to allow potential franchisees to get a first-hand experience in the franchise business. A range of activities have been organised, to boost exhibition visitors' understanding of the business concept. These include a circuit training exercise programme, a dog obedience show and talks on choosing the right franchise, getting your franchise to stand out from the competition and setting up a business with little start-up capital.

Another boost to Singapore franchising industry was the graduation of 21 participants from the third intake of the Specialist Diploma in Franchise and Enterprise Management. During the FLAsia 2008 Opening ceremony, the participants received their diplomas from Ms. Indranee Rajah, marking their graduation. This course is jointly organised by FLA Singapore and Ngee Ann Polytechnic, and is run at the Polytechnic. The course teaches participants the basics of franchising, with the objective of encourage them to enter the franchising industry. Most participants are already working as employees of franchising companies.