Business Awards 2020

50 MEA MARKETS / 2020MEA Business Awards , Franchising Event of the Year 2020 INDEX Conferences & Exhibitions Org. Est. Even during a period of disconnection for many, industry relationships must be made and maintained. INDEX Conference & Exhibitions is one of the driving forces behind keeping this alive. The Global Franchise Market or TGFM is a leading franchise event in the Middle East and Africa region, led by INDEX Conferences & Exhibitions with its partners Francorp Middle East and Franchise Souq. This platform is a specifically designed space, structured to facilitate brands looking for development opportunities in the region of MEA and UAE, facilitating connections with investors and franchisees. Its core value lies in driving international brands to the region, drawing them in with diverse opportunities for visibility, communication, and business contacts through INDEX’s vast network. It successfully supports its clientele’s expansions into the Middle East from whatever region they were originally based, providing a pivotal leg up for many companies. The event was first run in 2016. Alongside its work in bringing in the international community, INDEX also focuses on its customers within the MEA region – home grown brands at its events enjoy networking opportunities that will allow outside expansion. Furthermore, regional brands look forward to using INDEX’s TGFM event to get featured and find new investors. It enjoys working with businesses that align with its values and strategies, ever seeking to enhance its network and develop new tools to serve its clients; with every new corporation or investor brought into the fold, INDEX grows more effective. INDEX believes in providing a memorable experience to its customers in all things. After all, its business model thrives on engagement and the encouragement of enthusiasm in its clients, and so it believes firmly in an attitude of going the extra mile. It works to ensure all brands are showcased reputably, and that all visitors in attendance at TGFM are high net-worth investors and partners. In this way, it ensures that every TGFM event is one of plentiful opportunity for all those in attendance and that every interaction has the chance to be mutually beneficial. In tandem with this, they have the Franchise Business Hub, a matchmaking platform to connect and set up meetings with pre-qualified franchisees and investors. In addition to this, they have an online platform called The Franchise Talk, which maintains and manages a thriving franchise ecosystem outside of events, hosting networking sessions, providing trend advice, regional tips, daily articles, and monthly newsletters. The Franchise Talk has gained 7,000 readers in six months. In an industry such as conference hosting, especially with a backdrop of business investment and franchise management, keeping track of its ever-changing rhythm is pivotal to survival. For INDEX, that adaptability is part of its DNA as a business. It works hard to keep abreast of all relevant fluctuations in industry news including new companies, people as they enter and leave, products as they increase and decline in popularity, and trends by specific region. It can be a daunting task indeed. However, aiding them to effectively manage this is TGFM’s network within the franchise industry. Having been working on this network’s growth since the company’s debut, it works to keep up to date with all developments, sharing information and analysing it to ensure all members have the right knowledge they need to be cutting edge. This network has allowed INDEX to continue Dec20422 its work even when the pandemic has caused the event running to grind to a halt. With its ‘Tuesday Webinars’, offered since July 2020, it offers a medium of continued networking during this period – in these Webinars the content is everything from shared experiences and best practices to alternative revenue sources and recovery measure advice. Although the challenges have been numerous, the second half of 2020 brought in new potential for INDEX as more people began to have an interest in franchising as one such revenue source. Furthermore, UAE and Dubai remain highly beneficial regions from which to reach the rest of the international community. In terms of culture, all of INDEX’s staff have a deep and broad understanding of the franchise industry; both the business side of things and the people within it. In this way, they form a highly skilled knowledge base with which to serve the company’s clientele. This ambitious team is seeking to expand even further in the future, too: ‘TGFM is still a young project,’ Director of INDEX Conferences & Exhibitions Sophie Dudicourt tells us. It still has a lot to achieve and TGFM’s expansion will grow together with the developments in some countries of the region like in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Finally, INDEX would like to thank the international franchise associations that have reached out to it after reading its newsletters or hearing about INDEX’s work. With these positive connections in mind, it forecasts a lot of growth to take place in its next few years. Company: INDEX Conferences & Exhibitions Org. Est. Contact: Sophie Dudicourt Website: www.index.ae Anas Al Madani – Group CEO and Vice Chairman of INDEX Holdings