The Macao Franchise Expo 2014 (2014MFE) started today (4 July) at Exhibition Hall “A” of The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel. The annual Expo, now in its sixth edition, aims to promote entrepreneurship among a new generation of aspiring businesspeople and to encourage the creation of new branded products.
A total of 167 exhibitors from sectors covering food and beverage, retailing, education, entertainment, finance, brand agencies, plus real estate and professional consultancy services, will display their products and services at the Expo. Participating companies come from Mainland China, Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Switzerland and Vietnam.
Onebiz Group is one of the exhibitors from Portugal participating in this year’s Expo. Established in 1997, the group owns 19 brands, with a footprint in 31 countries, operating in six main business areas: financial services, consulting, real estate services, health and beauty, education and sales. It has defined franchising as the growth and expansion strategy for its various businesses.
“We have our own brands and business concepts, but we also have a brand whose main goal is to support the expansion of brands from our customers,” says the chairman of Onebiz, Mr. António Godinho.
This is the first time Onebiz is joining MFE, following its participation in last year’s Macao International Trade and Investment Fair as an exhibitor. The involvement in the Expo is part of Onebiz’s strategy to accelerate expansion in Asia. The company established a subsidiary in Macau last year, in partnership with local investors.
At MFE, Onebiz “is looking for partners, namely small- and medium-size investors, who wish to establish their own businesses by using one of our brands,” says Mr. António Godinho. “We hope to initiate some contacts and find at least two or three partners to expand some of our business areas to Macau and elsewhere in Asia,” he adds.
Italian company Ma.Re is also making its debut at MFE. The firm specialises in Murano glass, a unique kind of silicate glass made on the Venetian island of Murano, where Ma.Re is based. All pieces are handmade by skilled glassmakers. Some can take up to a month to create. Ma.Re’s product portfolio features art pieces, but also chandeliers and other luxury items. One of the company’s latest collections includes ornamental glassware especially designed for yachts, inspired by sea elements.
“There is nothing similar to Murano glass here,” says Mr. Renato Manzoni, one of the founders and owners of the company, which was established in 1987. “We believe in this market. Our products have high quality and we believe this is the right market to sell them.”
Ma.Re has recently established a subsidiary in Macau in partnership with a local investor. At 2014MFE, the company is looking for potential partners to promote its products in Mainland China and other areas of Asia.
Mr. Hang Jiguang, general manager at Fujian Strong Commerce and Exhibition Co Ltd, says there are 44 companies from Fujian participating in 2014MFE. He explains Fujian companies hope to find business partners that can help them to grow. Fujian entrepreneurs are also looking for opportunities to expand overseas using Macau as platform, and to attract companies from Macau to invest in Fujian.
One of the highlights of this year is the “Fujian Street”, where exhibitors from Fujian province will display their products. The exhibitors there include merchants in food and beverages, floristry and crafts.
The first day of 2014MFE (4 July) was only open to trade visitors and not the general public. Many trade visitors praised the diversity of exhibitors at the event. Among them was Mr. Zhenying Xun, Chairman of Guangzhou General Chamber of Commerce, who was visiting the Expo for the first time. He highlighted the event was rich in content, with many different firms, positioning itself as a trade cooperation platform between companies and investors. In his opinion, MFE is a good place for firms from Mainland China willing to bring international brands into their domestic markets to establish ties with overseas companies.
Mr. Zhenying Xun noted that there is an increasing interest in Macau products in Mainland China. He mentioned the existence of plans to set up commercial areas in China themed on Macau and selling products characteristic of the region. With that in mind, he decided to take part in 2014MFE as a professional visitor to establish business contacts with Macau companies to prepare for future cooperation.
The 2014MFE will be open to the public on Saturday (5 July) and Sunday (6 July). Macao residents are welcomed to attend and explore business opportunities. The seminar on “Change package to create more value for the product’ will be held, with food and beverage tasting of Macau specialty products. The organisers have set up a shuttle bus service between downtown Macau and the exhibition hall.
