The Franchising and Business Opportunities Expo opens its next season in Brisbane, running from the sixth to the seventh of March. The year is 2027.
The Brisbane edition is the first of three Australian dates, with Sydney following at the end of May and Melbourne in August. The expo is the principal recruitment channel for franchise systems in Australia, bringing established brands and emerging systems in front of prospective franchisees, and it also draws the lenders, franchise lawyers and accountants who service the sector.
For executives the event is a reliable indicator of where capital is moving within Australian small and medium enterprise. The composition of the exhibitor list tracks shifts in consumer spending with little lag, and the balance between food service, health and fitness, services and retail concepts on the floor tends to anticipate the following year's store opening numbers.
The sector operates under a franchising code of conduct that has been tightened repeatedly in response to disputes over disclosure and over the balance of power between franchisors and franchisees. Compliance sessions attached to the expo are consequently well attended by system operators as well as by prospective buyers.
Queensland has been among the stronger states for new franchise formation in recent cycles, which is part of why the Brisbane date opens the season rather than following the larger southern markets.
