Press Conference of the “Guangdong & Macao Branded Products Fair 2018” and the “Macao Franchise Expo 2018”
“Brand Expansion Continues, Business Opportunities to be Seized” – The “Macao Franchise Expo 2018” (2018MFE) will be held at the Venetian Macao from 27 to 29 July, with more than 150 brand enterprises from home and abroad participating. This year’s MFE has set up a “Smart Retail Zone” to enable participants to learn about the latest technologies and services the retail industry has to offer. Meanwhile, the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area Business Zone” and “Youth Entrepreneurship Exhibition Area” are freshly introduced to the MFE this year. In addition, together with the business matching sessions, “Start-up Launchpad” Day, “Gourmet Avenue” and other ancillary activities and services offered by the organiser, exhibitors and trade visitors will be provided with a negotiation and exchange platform which enable them to seize opportunities for development. All of these features are embodying the function the MFE serving as an important trade platform.
The 2018MFE is jointly organised by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), the Macao International Brand Enterprise Commercial Association (MIBA), the Macao Chain Stores and Franchise Association (MCFA), the Brazilian Franchise Association (ABF), the Association of Chain and Franchise Promotion, Taiwan (ACFPT) and the Licensing & Franchising Association of Hong Kong (LFA). This year marks the 10th anniversary of the MFE. As an international franchise exhibition with broad participation of the neighbouring regions, this year’s MFE unleashes its innovative spirit and integrates successful elements from the past editions to create a platform for enterprises to expand business opportunities.
Joining the momentum of the national Belt and Road Initiative, the forthcoming promulgation of the Development Plan for a City Cluster in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area and the country’s strong support for the development of Macao’s positioning as “One Centre, One Platform” (the “World Tourism and Leisure Centre” and the “Commercial and Trade Cooperation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries”), brand enterprises can make full use of Macao’s unique advantages and development opportunities in the New Era to look for a broader business space.
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the 2018MFE takes up an area of over 6,000 square metres, attracting more than 150 exhibitors from Mainland China, the Czech Republic, Japan, Pakistan, Portugal, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan region and so on. It is equipped with more than 180 booths, covering sectors such as dining, retail, brand agency services, consultancy and more.
Supporting Enterprises in Grasping the Development Trend of “New Retail”
One of the highlights of this year’s MFE is the “Smart Retail Zone” which complements the exhibition area and forum. The “Forum on Chain and Franchise Business Opportunities of International Brands” will be held on the afternoon of the first day of the 2018MFE. This year’s “Forum on Chain and Franchise Business Opportunities of International Brands” is held in order to give full play to Macao’s advantages as a key link for the Belt and Road Initiative. Enterprise Singapore and local enterprises in Singapore, together with representatives from domestic and overseas franchise businesses and international brand associations from Mainland China, Portugal, Japan, Hong Kong and Macao will look into the international market and explore new marketing opportunities. At the same time, the presenter of the TDM TV programme “Business Elite” will explore business philosophies of consumption upgrading in the New Era with well-known business leaders in fashion, technology, food, jewellery, catering and other sectors. In addition, the MFE will be broadcast both on TV and online, enabling the public in the mainland, and especially in the cities in the Bay Area to share the excitement. It thereby highlights the MFE’s advantages as a platform providing valuable advice.
In the exhibition area, a “Smart Retail Zone” will be unveiled, which will showcase unmanned convenience store facilities, unmanned juice huts and other new franchise elements. Meanwhile, a supporting zone of new franchise elements will be set up to provide IT support for e-commerce, business consultation, e-wallet and mobile payment.
MFE Increases the Elements of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Youth Entrepreneurship
The “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area Business Zone” is also set up at this year’s MFE. The economic and trade institutions in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area will be invited to set up counters to provide business consultation toparticipants and help enterprises grasp the opportunities to expand business in the Bay Area.
In line with the policy of the SAR Government and the global trend of youth entrepreneurship, this year’s exhibition will introduce the “Youth Entrepreneurship Exhibition Area”. Enterprises established by young entrepreneurs will be invited to showcase innovative products and services and look for co-operation and investment opportunities, thereby promoting the development of youth entrepreneurship. The third day of the MFE is designated as the “Start-up Launchpad” Day, when successful entrepreneurs will be invited to share their entrepreneurship experience, so as to allow those wishing either to start or develop their own business to learn from them.
MFE Enriched by Multiple Concurrent Activities
On the first day of the MFE, the “2018 Macao Excellent Franchise & Chain Business Award Ceremony” and the “2018 Outbound Excellent Chinese Franchise Brands (Macao) Awards Ceremony cum Forum” will be held. During the exhibition, a “Branding Zone” will also be set up to provide consultancy services for brand upgrade, so as to support those wishing either to start or develop their own business in a franchise model. Free WI-FI will be provided at the venue to facilitate online communication among exhibitors inside and outside the exhibition venue, and access to IPIM’s Online Business Matching Service Platform (http://bm.ipim.gov.mo/), helping enterprises “go global” and “bring in investment” to expand business.
To celebrate Macao’s “Year of Gastronomy”, the MFE brings back the “Gourmet Avenue”. More than 20 booths of culinary specialties have been set up to bring in delicacies from Macao and Shunde are exhibited at the GMBPF. In addition to drawing visitors to both exhibitions, visitors will also be able to taste different cuisines and explore business opportunities at the same time.
In order to improve the effectiveness of the exhibition, the organiser continues to arrange guided tours for exhibitors to inspect the local economic situation and the retail market in Macao, explore new business opportunities in the old districts of Macao, and look into the retail market situation in Zhuhai’s commercial district. The guided tours aim to boost community economies, benefit local SMEs, and help exhibitors gain a better understanding of the investment environment of the Great Bay Area and explore local business opportunities.
MFE Mainstreams the Use of Macao MICE Pass
Since the trial of the “Macao MICE Pass” last year, the scope of its target users has been expanded in an orderly manner. Professional exhibitors can use the “Macao MICE Pass” at this year’s MFE, further promoting the development of green exhibitions and reducing waste of resources.
This year, the MFE continues to be held concurrently with the “2018 Guangdong & Macao Branded Products Fair”, generating synergistic effects and yielding even greater results. The 2018MFE offers free admissions. The first day of the event (27 July) will be open to trade visitors only, and then to the public from 28 to 29 July. In order to encourage the use of public transport and green travel, free shuttle bus to the exhibition venue will be provided.Free parking will also be available in Hall D and E of the Convention and Exhibition Centre. Due to limited availability, parking spaces are provided on a first-come-first-served basis.For more details on the 2018MFE, please visit our official website at www.mfe.mo, contact us at 853-82946885 (phone), 853-82946701 (fax), sec@mfe.mo (email), or follow us on WeChat “MFEMacau”.
