The events industry and the franchise industry are both poised to boom and event engagement needs are at an all time high creating the perfect storm for event franchise Smiley Booth Ltd.

“It’s been a wild ride. 2020 saw our business nearly destroyed thanks to the overnight closure of events across the globe but we have a strong foundation, a core and loyal team of excellent franchisees who are now seeing record numbers of enquiries. The events industry is extremely agile and it’s a really exciting time to play our part”. Kate Johnson, Founder

The Events Industry

Business and individuals in the industry, as is in their nature, have pivoted, innovated and most importantly come together to collaborate, campaign and support one another in what has undoubtedly been a challenging 12+ months.

The adversity caused by the pandemic has united an army of suppliers, organisers and publicists to become a united voice and a force to be reckoned with as has been seen by the #wemakeevents movement.

This strength, resilience and creativity will soon be rewarded. Hotels, convention centres and exhibitions are already seeing an uptick in booking numbers and professional speakers, entertainers and suppliers are all reporting record numbers of enquiries. Add to this the huge surge in wedding bookings for 2021-2023 and we are well and truly entering the dawn of this century’s Roaring Twenties.

Inevitable gaps in the market bring new opportunities for new talent to enter and bring with them new energy for a wounded yet vibrant marketplace.

Trends expert Daniel Levine described the future of events as “nothing less than spectacular”

The Franchise Industry

Franchising has historically always prospered after economic resets thanks to the reliability and stability of the business model. Early signs as we exit the pandemic are extremely positive. Mark Siebert, expert franchise consultant, predicts 2021 to “be the best year of franchise growth in at least a decade”.

The silver lining in the coronavirus cloud is the advancement of readily accessible resources. From the comfort of your sofa you can access virtual trade shows, book meetings, attend training and join franchise portals enabling potential franchisees to easily educate themselves around franchise opportunities. Add to this the availability of low interest funding for start-ups and the next 18 months are the prime time to invest in a franchise.

Event Technology

Virtual events gained popularity during the height of the pandemic as companies and brands scrambled to strengthen their digital presence. Photo, video, games and quizzes became popular ways to keep virtual attendees engaged which 68% of planners cited as their number one challenge in the virtual world (TechRepublic)

Grand View Research predicts that virtual events will grow nearly ten-fold over the next decade from $78 Bn to $774 Bn. Will virtual events overshadow in person events? On the contrary, virtual events have enabled companies to offer hybrid event solutions which broaden their reach while still offering in person experiences.

Companies that continue to embrace the digital space in combination with in-person events will be the ones to watch over the next few years.

SHORT COMPANY BIO

Smiley Booth Ltd offer photo and video entertainment for weddings and private events and engagement solutions for corporates, brands and live events. The company has franchisees across the UK and European and are currently recruiting new franchisees to meet the increased demand for their services.