Nadj Villaver | Negosentro.com
Our goal is to promote entrepreneurship in the country. We believe that if there’s more entrepreneurs in the country, aasenso ang Pilipinas.
-Jerry Ilao, Association of Filipino Franchisers Inc (AFFI) President
On its 15th year, Franchise and Business Expo is set to get business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs ready for the paradigm shift as the entire country treads on the daunting path for inclusive growth. Happening on October 14-16 at the World Trade Center. Pasay City, the expo will showcase hundreds of brands to thousands of visitors ranging from professionals, established and budding entrepreneurs, students from top universities, and consumers. The event will offer fresh ideas, trends and solutions through a series of informative seminars, interactive activities, and mentoring sessions provided by partner organizations, government agencies, and seasoned businessmen.
The Association of Filipino Franchisers Inc. (AFFI), organizer of the Franchise & Business Expo, believes that a large fraction of the responsibility in achieving inclusive growth for the country lies on the franchise and business sector. AFFI President Jerry Ilao said:
As the premier community of empowered entrepreneurs in the country, we make it our personal mission to lead the sector towards a more involved role in nation-building. The government has their job cut out for them. They have to make sure that the country is primed for business and investment opportunities, and that’s what they are focusing on now. But as Filipino entrepreneurs, we also have ours cut out for us.
The franchising industry has a significant impact on employment generation and socioeconomic development. As an example, AFFI’s member corporations have already created 213,569 jobs in this year alone.
What to expect at the expo?
The expo’s plenary sessions will highlight the following topics: Entrepreneurship Talks, Doing and Managing Business, Best Practices from Seasoned Entrepreneurs, the Millennial Way of Doing Business.
Entrepreneurship among the youth will also take center-stage with the Young Entrepreneurs Forum to be facilitated by the AFFI Youth Council. Business in the millennial age — and all the digital resources available today — will be particularly discussed.
Meanwhile, AFFI’s hit expo activity last year, the Business Journey, will have an improved version with longer one-on-one consultations with CEOs and owners of established enterprises. The seminar-tour will be done in sessions, and will include seven stations or pit-stops featuring key areas of entrepreneurship that the participants will visit in the “tour”: from business-mindsetting, customs and commercial laws, to tax management, financial loans, and digital business solutions.
AFFI aims to help the Philippine franchise sector expand by encouraging more people to try their hands at entrepreneurship, and by teaching business owners how to gain traction amid tight competition and the changing times. – Franchise & Business Expo Chairman Ricardo Cuna.
The 15th Franchise & Business Expo is co-presented by BPI Family Ka Negosyo and PLDT SME Nation, in partnership with Go Negosyo and the Department of Trade and Industry. For inquiries, please visit www.affi.com.ph or contact the AFFI Secretariat at (02) 501 5449, 09498890758, 09175182334 or email us at expo@affi.com.ph.
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