A Canadian Franchise Show goes virtual

Sept. 8, 2010 - PRLog -- Canada’s first ever Virtual Franchise Show is a one of a kind networking and educational event with a wealth of information featuring expert speakers and exhibitors offering Franchise Opportunities in every industry, and you get to attend without leaving your home or office. No fighting traffic, no searching for a parking spot, no walking, no big crowds, and no admission fee - it’s free!

Similar to a traditional franchise show, you’ll have an opportunity to learn more about franchise opportunities currently available in Canada; chat live with franchise representatives and industry experts; collect promotional materials in your virtual briefcase; attend informative presentations on various topics related to franchising.

You will scroll, rather than stroll, through the virtual exhibition hall to view exhibitor’s booths. When you see a franchise booth that interests you, simply click the virtual booth to enter. Once you have entered an exhibitor’s booth you can chat live via text or video with that company’s representatives, download their promotional materials, hear testimonials from some of their current franchisees and watch video presentations to learn more about that particular franchise.  

Over 30 franchises from across Canada will be represented at the Virtual Franchise Show. The exhibitors offer franchise opportunities in various industries at every investment level. You’ll see many popular brands represented such as: Embroidme, Snap-on Tools, Apple Auto Glass, Liberty Tax Service, Cora Breakfast & Lunch, and Watch IT. There are also quite a few new franchises exhibiting that are just starting to expand within Canada including: Healthfare, a healthy food franchise; Cobs Bread, a bakery franchise with amazing fresh breads; Kitchen Tune Up, a quick turnaround kitchen remodeling franchise; Plan Ahead Events, the largest event management company in the world; Gemma Business Brokers, the first Canadian developed business broker franchise; Instant Imprints, an imprinted specialty merchandise franchise; Links Golf Café, the world's first golf cafe franchise.

Other exhibitors include: Planet Beach, amRamp, Computer Troubleshooters, Two Men and a Truck, ComForcare Senior Services, Premier Homecare Services, Buck or Two, and Taste of Mediterranean.  Exhibitors offering franchise opportunities specifically in Western Canada are Skookum Tools, Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co., Digitech and Dust Queen.

In addition to learning more about franchise opportunities, attendees can attend live and taped presentations and Q & A sessions in the virtual Auditorium that will feature expert speakers on a variety of subjects including: Franchise Financing, Lease Negotiations, and How to Choose the Right Franchise For You.  

There’s also a Chat Lounge where guests can chat and trade virtual business cards with fellow attendees, expert speakers, franchisees and franchisors. Now that’s social networking!

The Resource Library is the one stop shop where you can quickly find information about all Franchises exhibiting at the show. If you don’t have time to visit each booth individually, you can click to enter the Resource Library where you will have quick easy access to all videos, downloadable promotional materials, web links and contact information for all exhibitors.
For franchisors, a virtual Franchise Show is the perfect venue to showcase their brand and interact with potential buyers without having to incur the high costs and endless hours involved in exhibiting at a traditional event. It’s green too. No emissions as there’s no need to fly or drive and no paper wasted because all promotional materials are downloaded by attendees rather than being physically distributed to guests as in a traditional show.

So if you are in the market to buy a franchise, grab a coffee and travel over to your computer, park in front of your screen and go to http://www.virtualfranchiseshow.ca to attend this unique live event. The Virtual Franchise Show will take place on September 18 and 19, 2010 from 10 am to 6 pm EST. If you somehow miss the show, no worries, it will remain online until December 2010. All exhibitors’ information, promotional materials and expert presentations will be available on demand.

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The Canadian Virtual Franchise Show is an online live event produced by Kathy Langlois, an Independent Online Marketing Consultant located in Hamilton, Ontario.