UAE brands seek master franchise investors in Turkey

Six companies from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are coming to Istanbul to meet prospective master franchise investors and strategic partners in Turkey. According to an announcement on 9 October, the Emirates Franchise Association delegation will attend the Bayim Olur musun? – Be My Franchise exhibition at the Yenikapı Eurasia Exhibition Centre on 15–18 October 2026. Discussions will also explore opportunities for Turkish brands to enter the UAE and wider Gulf markets.

Six-company delegation focuses on Turkey

Organised by Medyafors with Standards and Partners as the main sponsor, the 24th Bayim Olur musun? – Be My Franchise exhibition will provide a platform for developing two-way business links between Turkey and the UAE. The Abu Dhabi Chamber and Emirates Franchise Association are among the organisations confirmed for this year’s international gathering.

The Emirates Franchise Association delegation, comprising six companies, will be led by Ahmed Obaid Ibrahim Al Ali, a board member of the association and Chairman of the Umm Al Quwain Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The UAE brands’ main objective in Turkey will be to establish contact with master franchise investors and strategic business partners.

Throughout the four-day event, the delegation will host Turkish businesspeople, brand owners and investors at its stand for one-to-one business meetings. Its participation will therefore extend beyond the panel programme, providing a meeting point for direct partnership discussions. At the heart of the announced programme is the opportunity to bring UAE companies together with investors considering working with these brands in Turkey.

Expansion opportunities for Turkish brands in the Gulf

The talks will not focus solely on UAE brands expanding in Turkey. For Turkish brands, the agenda also includes entry into the UAE market, regional expansion, local partnerships and opportunities to work with Gulf-based investment funds. This brings brand owners and investors from the franchise community to the same event with different objectives.

Those looking to invest in Turkey will be able to explore master franchise partnerships with UAE brands. Turkish brands planning international expansion will have opportunities to discuss local partnerships and regional growth in the UAE. The announcement presents these two directions together: the exhibition is not described simply as an event focused on bringing brands into Turkey.

Medyafors Chairman Özhan Erem also emphasised this reciprocal approach in his statement: “Turkish brands’ expansion into the Gulf market is just as important to us as UAE brands seeking master franchise investors in Turkey.” Erem said they valued the participation of the Abu Dhabi Chamber and Emirates Franchise Association as a means of developing lasting commercial ties and investment partnerships between the two countries.

The announced participation and meeting objectives do not represent completed investment deals. What has been announced is a programme that will bring brands and potential partners together in Istanbul, along with its commercial agenda. Cooperation with investment funds and market entry should therefore be viewed as opportunities for discussion rather than concluded transactions.

UAE investment environment on the agenda for 15 October

Alongside the one-to-one meetings, a dedicated UAE panel will take place as part of the exhibition’s Franchise Market Talks programme. Entitled “Emirates Franchise Association Special Session: The Franchise and Investment Ecosystem in the UAE”, the session will be held at 15:00 on Thursday 15 October.

The panel’s announced agenda covers the UAE’s investment environment, incentives, market-entry models and franchise investment. The global investment strategies of UAE-based funds are also among the topics to be discussed. Alongside the brand and partnership meetings at the exhibition stand, the session is intended to provide a separate forum for examining the country’s investment framework.

Franchise Market Talks is being held at the exhibition for the first time this year, with Branding Türkiye as its strategic partner. While the wider programme covers topics such as corporate finance, international expansion and digital branding, the UAE special session will focus on a single market. Turkish brands’ ambitions to enter the Gulf and UAE brands’ search for partners in Turkey will therefore feature both in business meetings and in the conference programme.

One ticket covers the exhibition and sessions

The Bayim Olur musun? exhibition and Franchise Market Talks sessions will be open to visitors from 15–18 October. A single free visitor ticket provides access to both events. Free online visitor registration remains open.

Visitors planning to attend should note the two different schedules: the Emirates Franchise Association delegation’s one-to-one meetings will run across all four days, while the dedicated UAE panel will take place at 15:00 on the opening day. Those wishing both to hear about the country’s investment agenda and to meet brands may find it useful to plan their visit accordingly.

Practical takeaway: Clarify your objective before attending: are you seeking a master franchise partnership with a UAE brand in Turkey, or a local partner in the UAE for your own brand? Preparing questions around that goal can help you make more focused use of the panel and one-to-one meetings.