Franchise Event Held Amid 'With Corona' Optimism...Focus on Unmanned Services

On the 14th, the IFS Franchise Startup Expo held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, is bustling with prospective entrepreneurs. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] As expectations rise for the transition to a "With Corona" quarantine system, the country's largest food service franchise event was held, attracting the full attention of prospective entrepreneurs.

The 51st IFS Franchise Seoul 2021 (second half), hosted by the Korea Franchise Industry Association and co-organized by COEX and Reed Exhibitions, took place on the 14th at COEX in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Officially supported by government ministries including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Fair Trade Commission, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and the Korean Intellectual Property Office, this expo runs for three days from the 14th to the 16th. With anticipation for the upcoming With Corona era, about 260 brands?the largest scale in the country?participated, and 450 booths were set up. The industries mainly include food service, delivery and packaging supplies, unmanned services, distribution and equipment, and consulting.

On the 14th, aspiring entrepreneurs visiting the IFS Franchise Startup Expo held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, are consulting at an unmanned laundry business./Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Prospective entrepreneurs visiting the venue showed particular interest in unmanned services (such as unmanned laundries, vending machines, kiosks, etc.).

A self-employed woman in her 50s, Ms. A, who used to run a dried pollack soup restaurant in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, said, “Last year, I was hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis and closed the restaurant I was running well. Now, I plan to completely change my business to operate an unmanned convenience store. Of course, there are pros and cons, but I believe that operating unmanned will at least prevent a big sales shock when infectious diseases like COVID-19 spread again, so I am studying the operation methods diligently.”

The 24-hour unmanned laundromat booth equipped with fast-spinning washing machines also attracted popularity. Unmanned laundromats, which have emerged due to the rapid increase in single-person households in recent years, have established themselves as a popular startup item as demand for contactless services grows. A representative of the booth said, “As a startup item especially popular in the current COVID-19 era, prospective entrepreneurs have been continuously visiting and inquiring at the booth since the event started.”

On the 14th, a visitor is experiencing a single-player table tennis game device at the IFS Franchise Startup Expo held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Face recognition coffee machines and single-player table tennis game devices also caught the attention of visitors. The face recognition coffee machine works by customers registering as members in advance and charging points; when ordering, the machine recognizes the customer's face, deducts points, and provides free drinks on birthdays or other anniversaries.

The single-player table tennis game device operates by having the participant hit the ball with a paddle as it bounces out from a device installed under the game monitor.

Since this expo is a large-scale event held again after many events were canceled last year due to the COVID-19 crisis, the business atmosphere at each booth was much livelier than before.

Due to strict quarantine rules making food and beverage tasting difficult, some participating companies promoted their brands by placing startup brochures and simple gifts like wet wipes in large shopping bags printed with big photos of their food.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.