Expofranquicia 2007 will organise the Madrid Franchise Forum for the first time

The fair will feature the presence of more than 350 franchises and a net exhibition area measuring some 7,500 square metres, representing increases of 12% and 15%, respectively

The Franchising Trade Fair, EXPOFRANQUICIA 2007, which will take place between 26th and 28th April 2007 at Feria de Madrid, will host the staging of the first MADRID FRANCHISE FORUM, which will include an intensive Programme of Specialised Conferences aimed at facilitating the training and agreement of professionals from the sector. These Specialised Conferences are one of the main characteristics of this fair, which is staged by IFEMA.

Qualified experts from the world of franchising will analyse the current state of this segment of the economy. These meetings, organised by EXPOFRANQUICIA in conjunction with the Chamber of Trade and Industry of Madrid and MundoFranquicia Consulting, are entirely free.

The FIRST MADRID FRANCHISE FORUM will open the Conference Programme on Thursday 26th April, the day the fair opens. The day will feature two roundtables. The first will be entitled "How Can We Identify a Successful Franchise?," whose speakers will be Eduardo Abadía, Manager of the Spanish Association of Franchisers; Francisco Espasandín, Deputy Manager for Business Promotion at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Madrid and Mariano Alonso, General Manager of MundoFranquicia Consulting.

The second roundtable will address the question of  "Catering Franchises" and feature the participation of the following figures: Manuel Robledo, President of the  Comess Group; José Peralta, Head of Expansion at Lizarrán, and José Mª Robles, Head of Expansion at Vinotera Barbechera. A paper entitled "The Legal Aspects All Franchisees Should Be Aware of,"  will also be delivered by José Domínguez, Head of the Distribution and Franchise Rights Area at Ernst & Young.

Furthermore, organised to coincide with the conferences, each day a selection of journalists connected to this sector will interview a series of renowned consultants and experts, as part of a debate that is open to all visitors to the fair. Thus, the following figures will be interviewed on 26th April: Carmen Cárdeno, the Head of Trade at the Department for Economic Affairs and Technological Innovation at the Madrid Regional Government; Xavier Vallhonrat, President of the Spanish Franchisers Association; and Patricio Rodríguez Carmona, President of the Small and Medium-Sized Companies Commission of Madrid.
 
Finally, a Consultation Forum will also be set up featuring a number of franchise consultants, such as Pablo Gutiérrez, Head of Consulting at MundoFranquicia Consulting, Santiago Barbadillo, Managing Director of Barbadillo Asociados, and Miguel Cuadrupani, Head of Grupo Consulta.

Friday 27th April will  feature two roundtables. The first will focus on "Trends in Franchising", whose speakers will be Jesús Capitán, General Manager of SDEYF; Josán García, General Manager of G2a., and Eusebio Azorín, General Manager of Franchise Development at Grupo ONCE.

The theme of "Retail Franchises" will be addressed  by Marta Coca, Head of Expansion at Undercolors of Benetton; Joaquín Mª López, Head of Expansion, Marketing and Communication of Peter Murria, and Manuel de la Baza, Manager of Charanga. Furthermore, there will be a paper on "The Rights and Obligations of Franchisees," chaired by Juan Carlos Higueras, Professor of Strategy and Corporate Finance at the IEDE.

. Verbatim Reporters

A number of important figures from the field of the economy will also be interviewed. On this occasion the interviews will be made to Aurelio del Pino, Secretary General of Domestic Trade at the Ministry for Industry, Tourism and Trade; to Federico Zwank, Chairman of the Spanish Association for the Development and Defence of Franchised Operators, and to Javier García Renedo, Chairman of the Spanish Association of Shopping Centres. A Consultation Forum on legal matters will be organised, featuring the participation of the following experts: Carlos Terrazas, lawyer from Tormo & Asociados law firm; Jordi Ruiz de Villa, Partner of Franchises and Litigation Area at Manubens & Asociados law firm and Julio Rocafull, Senior Associate from AGM Abogados law firm

The third and last day of the fair, Saturday 28th April, will be split into two roundtables. The first will be entitled "Business Management and Franchising" will feature the participation of Rafael Muñiz, General Manger of RMG Asociados; Fernando Feijoo, Chairman of the Association of Franchisers of Andalucia; and Pau Collado, Chairman of AJE Confederation, as speakers, whilst the second will be called "Service Franchises," with the participation of Javier Pelayo, General Manger of Pressto; Emiliano Bermúdez, Head of Expansion at Don Piso, and Paco Sousa Fernández, Head of External Relations of MRW. A paper will be delivered under the heading of "The Use of Geographical Information Systems for Studies into New Markets" by Pedro Torres, Technical Manager of ESRI Sitesa.

Finally, and within the framework of the daily round of interviews with journalists, 28th April will be the turn of the Head of EXPOFRANQUICIA, Alfonso de Borbón to attend a previously selected group from the media.

EXPOFRANQUICIA will provide the best centre for business within the sector and the main forum for discovering the latest trends within the Spanish market in this field. At its next edition, the fair will feature the attendance of more than 350 franchises within a net exhibition area measuring some 7,500 square metres, representing increases of 12% and 15%, respectively, compared to the previous edition.