2025 IFA World Franchise Show: 6 Tips to Know Before You Go

Blog April 1, 2025 5 min to read

Franchise expos are a fantastic way to meet with franchise brands across all investment levels and industries, explore a variety of franchise opportunities, gain knowledge from industry experts, learn about the franchise model, and build valuable connections.

The 2025 IFA World Franchise Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center, May 9-10, 2025, is poised to be the world’s largest exhibition and provides a forum for one of the most comprehensive educational experiences for prospective franchise buyers—a place to learn from the foremost experts in franchising and get to know franchisors in person. Register today and read on for more information (including a promo code!).

With so much happening at the show, it pays to have a plan for what you want to accomplish before you go. We’ve put together these six tips to help you make the most of your time there.

6 Tips for Maximizing Your Experience at the Franchise Show in Miami

Do your research ahead of time.

The expo website has a complete list of exhibitors on the website. (You can even request a copy of the floorplan before you go). Make a list of brands you think you may be interested in and do some initial research to find out if they offer a solid opportunity. Look for basic qualifying information, such as financial investment, minimum cash required, and available territories, as well as indicators of whether it would be a good fit for you—business model, owner reviews, franchisee success stories, etc.

Make Franchise Business Review’s booth your first stop at the show.

Stop by stand #726 to get a free copy of The Franchise Buyer’s Guide to help you narrow down the brands you should visit at the show. The guide contains a list of the 200 Top Franchises of 2025, as well as the top-rated brands in various categories, such as the most profitable franchises, top franchises for veterans, most innovative franchises, and more. Each of the brands listed has been independently vetted and has scored above the industry benchmark for franchise owner satisfaction.

Attend the learning sessions.

The panel discussions are a great opportunity to get the inside scoop from franchising experts. Franchising is a wonderful community willing to share their knowledge and experience. Take advantage of the education and insights they have to offer and get your questions about making the leap into franchise ownership answered by people with deep industry experience.

Visit the Finance Lounge.

Securing the right franchise funding is a critical step on the road to business ownership. The Finance Lounge at the 2025 IFA World Franchise Show is a dedicated area to help you understand the various financing options available to you, the pros and cons of each, and how to apply for franchise financing. You’ll be able to meet with financing advisors from Benetrends Financial who specialize in funding solutions for prospective franchisees. Visit Franchise Business Review’s online Finance Center to calculate your “franchise fundability” so you arrive prepared.

Have a list of questions prepared for franchisors.

Once you’ve identified a list of franchises you want to be sure to visit, make sure you have a list of questions you’d like answered. This list of the five questions to ask before buying a franchise is a good starting point. Some of the key things you’ll want to know are initial investment and ROI, the type of training and support you can expect, contractual obligations, and whether the brand aligns with your goals. Meeting and talking with franchisors in person is a great opportunity to gauge whether the brand is a good fit for you–both in terms of your financial and lifestyle aspirations, as well as overall culture and values.

Ask about franchisee satisfaction.

Franchisee satisfaction is a leading indicator of the overall health and performance of a franchise system. We recommend you ask any franchisor you’re talking with to share franchisee satisfaction data and/or reports with you. Not all franchisors share their satisfaction data, but those that do provide an extra level of transparency that can help you understand the strengths of the franchise opportunity, and demonstrate their commitment to supporting their franchisees. The brands listed below will be exhibiting at the franchise show in Miami and have all achieved award-winning levels of franchisee satisfaction, making them all excellent franchises to put at the top of your list to connect with: