6 minute read
Building Your Digital Footprint Through FranchiseShow247
by Elizabeth Denham
Kristin Selmeczy and Elizabeth Denham were so excited to speak with Katie Bateman of Franchise- Show247 and learn more about her platform.
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Kristin Selmeczy: So, Katie is our dear friend from across the pond. I can say that, right?
Katie Bateman: Yes, you can.
K.S. Let’s talk about Franchise- Show247 You’ve been doing this for a couple of years now, right?
K.B. Yeah, it’s slightly different. VirtualExpo247 is the umbrella brand that we have. And then we create a number of different virtual community platforms and one of which is FranchiseShow247.
K.S. You are in the UK, correct?
K.B. Yes. I’m in Surrey. So just outside of London.
K.S. Well, we appreciate you staying up to talk to us about FranchiseShow247. We want to thank you for being one of our sponsors as well here on the show. So, let’s tell our listeners what FranchiseShow247 does for them.
K.B. So, FranchiseShow247 is a virtual community platform that allows exhibitors to have a virtual space. That means that they can update their content on their virtual space whenever they want. So, if they’ve got news articles, they’ve got seminars, blogs, they’ve got new videos, new images, or testimonials, they can all add that to their virtual space through their client profile with a few clicks of a button.
So it’s a really, really easy way of updating content whenever you want. Our main objective is to have the exhibitors all have an equal opportunity on the platform. So, nobody has a bigger presence than anybody else. Everyone has the same virtual space and package, so there’s no sponsorship. It allows visitors to come into the site free of charge.
K.B. They don’t have to sign up and they can explore the exhibition hall, you know, 24/7 and they can contact the exhibitors. They can see franchise opportunities but also franchise owners can actually go onto the platform and look at advice and support and other businesses that can support them with their services as well.
So it’s all about bringing together, you know, a community, a virtual community platform and sharing content. And that’s really important in this day and age with exposure of brand awareness.
K.S. Yeah, I was on the platform for a while last night. For people listening who think that you might be interested in exploring what kind of franchise opportunities are out there, if you go to FranchiseShow247.com, it has everythibng broken out into categories. So, for example, if you’re looking for something in food or you’re looking for something in cleaning or you want something in services, there are all different categories that you can click into and then it takes you into the virtual space where you can find the different franchisors.
K.B. There are three easy ways to search for exhibitors. There’s the traditional list. There’s selection in the floor of your choice, but there’s also a search bar as well.
And actually, each exhibitor, you can search for them via the category. So, if you were just looking for a care franchise, you can do that in the search bar or you can actually select the region that you’re looking for as well. It is a really easy way to navigate around the virtual exhibition hall.
K.S. What have been some of the biggest challenges for you in managing such a big, robust platform?
K.B. There were a number of challenges that we’ve come across along the way. This was launched over time, and there was COVID. We had to get the message across about our new concept. We are not taking anything away from physical events, tradeshows or anything like that.
There’s a true key place for them to continue, and we all love going to them, seeing face-to-face meetings, etc. and networking But we’re not a one or two-day virtual event. We are online 24/7 and with all experienced in the last couple of years, we have found there is a place for this.
K.B. We are educating people about the concept and educating people on how it’s going to benefit visitors, but also exhibitors. It’s been a bit of a challenge with the COVID situation. Some virtual events have not been that successful, and that doesn’t matter what industry you’re looking at, but I think educating people about the concept and how easy it is to incorporate into your marketing mix so your marketing team can say, “Right, well, I can quickly update this in a couple of minutes and they’ve got the details, they’ve got all the information.”
Elizabeth Denham: As someone who loaded our stuff onto the platform for Pillars of Franchising, it is very user-friendly. It is very easy. There are emails with instructions that you just click and it says, “Okay, here’s what you do now.” It’s really not intimidating once you get into it. It works flawlessly.
K.B. And don’t forget, you get support from our content team as well. So, you have a content manager that will help you every step of the way. So, if you’ve got problems with uploading You- Tube clips, you can email them or you can go onto the chat facility on the platform, drop your message in and we’ll be there to help you.
K.S. So Katie, it seems like a silly question, but you’re U.K.-based company. I’m sure that you are loaded with UK-based franchise owners. Do you also have franchises from the U.S. and Canada and other places?
K.B. Yes. So, the platform is not just UK-based, it’s global. We have visitors from across the world. We have exhibitors from the U.S. and now in Australia as well. We also have other ones across Europe. So, you know, wherever you are or whatever you’re looking at, there is opportunities out there.
If you would like to learn more about FranchiseShow 247, visit www.franchieshow247.com. Exerum fugiandio mincilluptas velectum adigendunt ad min re ratem audisquiat.
About FranchiseShow247
FranchiseShow247 is a virtual franchise exhibition community that showcases franchising advice, support and opportunities. A community where there are no restrictive financial barriers to exhibiting. A place where all companies have equal status and a place that is accessible 24/7 anywhere in the world.
About Katie Bateman
Katie has been the face of FranchiseShow247 which is one of the many platforms under the VirtualExpo247 umbrella. Franchise- Show247 is an online community that showcases franchising advice, support, and opportunities. A community where there are no restrictive financial barriers to exhibiting. A virtual exhibition platform where all companies have equal status and a place that is accessible 24/7 anywhere in the world. A place to help with exposure and brand awareness.
