Franchise Expo South Draws Record Crowd to Houston

March 5, 2014

People looking to start their own businesses flocked to Houston recently for Franchise Expo South, with 11,000 attendees checking out 200 different franchise opportunities.

Held Feb. 6-8 at the Reliant Center, while most of the attendees came from the local area, potential franchisees came from 38 states and 18 countries.

“We were extremely pleased with the record-breaking turnout at the first Franchise Expo South in Houston,” said Tom Portesy, president of MFV Expositions, producers of Franchise Expo South.

He added, “Our decision to move the Expo to Houston was a strategic decision based on the region’s growing economy and because Houston is one of the best cities in the country for small business. We look forward to many more successful years in the city.”



Franchise Expo South gave visitors the opportunity to discover what types of franchise businesses matched their needs.

The tradeshow floor highlighted hundreds of top brands across all industries including America’s Taco Shop, Burger 21, Capriotti’s, Zaxby’s, Caring Senior Service, CruiseOne, Crunch Fitness and Ready Decks, among others.



“The first Franchise Expo South in Houston was one of the busiest trade shows I have attended in my 25-year career in franchising,” said Brian Wieters, vice president of franchise recruitment for Pillar to Post Inc.

He added, “We were very impressed with the number of qualified buyers who were in attendance and expect to close three new franchise deals as a result of the show. I am sure many exhibitors would agree that the show’s move to Texas has definitely paid off.”



Sponsored by the International Franchise Association, Franchise Expo South also featured more than 50 educational seminars and conferences, several of which were approved for Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) accreditation.

These public sessions discussed the latest issues affecting the industry and further defined the impact that franchising has on both new and existing businesses.

MFV Expositions also runs the International Franchise Expo and  West Coast Franchise Expo, as well as shows in Mexico and London.

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