The International Conference and Expo for Franchise (ICEF) is an annual event sponsored by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry represented by its Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises' division and organized by MARCOM. It is one of the activities that the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry is supporting and represents a big step towards its vision �Riyadh; the Franchise Capital of the Region�. ICEF organizers aim to gather the maximum possible number of franchise concepts from all over the world in Riyadh to meet during a 3 day event with Saudi investors and visitors from the region who will benefit from the successful track record of franchisors and work to grow franchise business in Saudi Arabia focusing on concepts that will add value to the community. Over the past ten years, the number of franchises has tremendously increased in Saudi Arabia. While empirical data is lacking, industry insiders credit several factors for the growth of the industry. The factors include: Saudi entrepreneurs generally have sufficient capital to invest in a business, they have the desire to own their own business and they are hesitant to strike out on their own with a totally new concept or idea. These factors support the concept of franchising as an appealing introduction to business ownership. Saudi Arabia is the country with the largest consumer base in the Persian Gulf region. Its 21 million residents are mainly concentrated in a few cities that have widely available commercial retail facilities. While the franchise sector of the economy is relatively small, compared to the United States, it is growing rapidly. The sector really began to expand after the Gulf War with numerous American fast food companies entering the market. Some industry sources report that American fast food franchises alone currently account for nearly 20 percent of the fast food franchise market. Preliminary Registration Form: http://www.icef-ksa.com/bookyourstand.asp For U.S. companies interested in exhibiting at the U.S. Pavilion at ICEF 2009 please contact: Mr. Samir Ali, General Manager MARCOM Arabia Phone: 011-966-1-200-2722 x 103 Fax: 011-966-1-200-2721 E-mail: samir@marcomarabia.net Mobile: 011-966-50-384-5107