The Great American Franchise Expo
Partnership
What Is the Great American Franchise Expo?
The Great American Franchise Expo is a traveling franchise trade show that visits major cities across the country, and Franchise Genesis exhibits and presents at it throughout the year. Each event gathers established franchise brands, service providers, and prospective franchisees for two days of exhibits, presentations, and one-on-one conversations about franchise opportunities. For anyone looking to buy a franchise or turn an existing business into one, it is one of the fastest ways to learn how franchising works and meet the people who make it happen.
The format serves two kinds of visitors. Someone exploring franchise ownership can walk the floor, meet dozens of brands in an afternoon, and compare opportunities across every investment level. An owner curious about franchising their own concept can sit in on presentations, ask questions, and get a real feel for the franchise development process before committing. It is also one of the few places to talk directly with franchisors, franchise consultants, industry experts, and current franchise owners in the same afternoon, a mix of perspectives that is hard to find anywhere else.
Where to Find Franchise Genesis in 2027
- We attend shows in several markets across the Spring 2027 franchise expo season, including:
- Houston, February 19-21 (Stafford Centre)
- Tampa Bay, February 26-28 (Tampa Bay Convention Center)
- Ft. Lauderdale, March 19-21 (Broward County Convention Center)
- Orlando, April 10-11 (Deezerland Center)
- Atlanta, April 24-25 (Cobb Galleria)
- Kansas City, May 14-16 (KCI Expo Center)
- Dallas, June 4-6 (Irving Convention Center)
Dates and cities can change, so check the official expo schedule before you plan travel, and watch our social channels for confirmation as each franchise show approaches. If you plan to attend one of these events and want to talk with our team while you are there, reach out ahead of time so we can set aside time for you.
Remaining & Upcoming Shows
The Business and the Franchise Offered
Remaining 2026 shows:
- Denver, October 10 and 11
- Dallas, October 24 and 25
- Phoenix, November 7 and 8
The General Market and Competition
Spring 2027 shows:
- Houston, February 19-21
- Tampa Bay, February 26-28
- Ft. Lauderdale, March 19-21
- Orlando, April 10-11
- Atlanta, April 24-25
- Kansas City, May 14-16
- Dallas, June 4-6
What Happens at a Franchise Expo
A franchise expo is busier and more useful than most first-time attendees expect. Here is what fills the floor.
Franchisors exhibiting their franchise opportunities. Established franchise brands set up booths, each ready to explain their business model, their franchise fees, and what it takes to become a franchise owner. The floor usually spans everything from quick service restaurants to home service and retail concepts, and you can meet more franchise brands in a few hours than weeks of phone calls would reach. That makes an expo an efficient way to compare franchise opportunities across industries and investment levels.
Presentations from franchise consultants and industry experts. Throughout the day, franchise consultants, business leaders, and other industry experts take the stage to cover the fundamentals of franchising. Franchise Genesis President Rick Robinson presents at these events, drawing on decades of experience as a franchisor and franchise consultant.
Guidance on matching you to the right franchise. A recurring theme across the presentations is fit. The right franchise for you depends on your background, your skill set, your budget, and your goals. Much of what you learn at a TGAFF show is how to weigh franchise opportunities against those factors rather than chasing whatever looks exciting on the floor.
Both sides of the franchise conversation. These events serve people who want to buy a franchise and people who want to franchise the business they already run. Attendees hear how a prospective franchisee evaluates a franchise opportunity and how a franchisor builds one, and that two-sided view is part of what makes the show worthwhile for decision makers on either path.
Who Should Attend a Franchise Expo
A TGAFF event is worth the trip for a few kinds of attendees.
- Entrepreneurs and career changers who want to buy a franchise and are comparing franchise opportunities across industries
- Existing business owners and prospective business owners who want to franchise their business and are researching what the franchise development process involves
- Investors and potential owners looking for a proven business model rather than starting a company from scratch
- Business leaders and decision makers weighing growth opportunities for an existing brand
- Anyone earlier in their entrepreneurial journey who simply wants to understand how franchising works before making a decision
You do not need to arrive ready to sign anything. Many attendees come to learn, gather information on franchise brands and franchise businesses, and start conversations they continue later.
What You Can Learn at the Expo
For anyone weighing a move into franchising, an afternoon at the expo replaces a lot of guesswork. Prospective franchisees typically leave understanding how the initial franchise fee and ongoing royalties work, what a franchisor actually provides in return, how territories are awarded, and what separates a strong franchise system from a weak one.
If you are on the other side of the table and thinking about franchising your own business, the presentations give you an honest look at the operations, legal, and sales work that turns one successful location into a repeatable franchise system. You will hear how experienced franchisors approach franchise law, the franchise disclosure document, the franchise agreement, franchisee recruitment, and the support structure that keeps a franchise network consistent as it grows. For many owners, the expo is the next step that moves franchising from an idea to a plan.
Either way, the value of the expo is the direct access. Reading about franchise ownership is useful, but talking with franchisors and franchise consultants who do this every day is what turns a vague interest into a real plan.
Franchise Genesis
Meeting Franchise Genesis at the Show
Stop by our booth or sit in on a presentation and you are meeting a team that builds complete franchise systems for business owners. Most of the exhibitors on the floor are franchisors presenting opportunities you can buy into, while Franchise Genesis is there for the owner who wants to build a franchise of their own.
Everything it takes to launch and grow a franchise comes in one package. The trade show presence, the broker network access, the marketing and the rest of what it takes to sell franchises are built in rather than sold to you piece by piece.
That difference shows up in the math. Assembled separately, the marketing and sales infrastructure a new franchisor needs runs well over $140,000. Inside the Franchise Genesis package, priced at $64,500, it is all included. You are not buying a starting point and a list of vendors to call. You are getting the full ecosystem needed to launch and grow a franchise brand.
If you want to understand the full picture before an event, our guide on how to franchise your business walks through the whole process, starting with a readiness check and ending with recruiting franchisees. For a sense of how the wider franchise industry operates, the International Franchise Association is a solid reference point.
Come Find Us at the Next Expo
The Great American Franchise Expo is one of the best places to start a franchise conversation. It brings leading brands and global brands together under one roof, and it works for the person shopping for a franchise opportunity and for the owner thinking about building one. Meet the Franchise Genesis team at an upcoming franchise show, sit in on a presentation, and see what a complete franchise development partner looks like.
Planning to attend? Register today through the official expo, and reach out to us before the event. Want to talk sooner? Contact Franchise Genesis to start the conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Franchise Consulting
Contact us today to jumpstart the process and join one of the fastest-growing industries with ease.
Franchise consultants do a range of services for their clients including:
- Concept Development
- Sales Strategy
- Legal Framework
- Training and Support
- Lead Generation
- + more
Franchise consultants save you time, money, and resources with the invaluable help they can provide to expand your business.
- Time
- Money
- Resources
The franchise development process can take anywhere from 4-6 months, depending on the complexity of your franchise system and the resources you have in place.
- 4-6 Months
If your business is easily teachable, scalable, and profitable, you might be a great candidate for expansion in the franchise market.
- Easily Teachable
- Scalable
- Profitable
Yes, our team is well-versed in franchise laws and regulations and can ensure that your franchise system is compliant with all federal and state regulations. Our attorneys draft the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) and Franchise Agreement.
- Franchise Law
- System Compliant
- Regulation Compliant
- FDD Disclosure Document
- Franchise Agreement
Our franchise consultants can help you as the business owner drive franchise growth with robust digital marketing strategies for brand awareness and support from our franchise sales organization.
- Digital Marketing
- Brand Awareness
- Franchise Consultants