Fall 2026 IFS Franchise Expo Recap: 2,000 Visitors and a Docent Tour

FDAM at the Fall 2026 IFS Franchise Expo: 2,000 booth visitors, a spot on the docent tour, and sales inquiries from overseas, all in one recap

The FDAM booth at the Fall 2026 IFS Franchise Expo, packed with visitors waiting for a demo

CORE SUMMARY

✓ FDAM welcomed more than 2,000 visitors over three days at the Fall 2026 IFS Franchise Expo, nearly double the number at our first appearance in the spring.

✓ FDAM was selected for the "Success DNA Leading the Industry" docent tour on the expo's second day, where we introduced FDAM to tour participants in person and demonstrated its AI features.

✓ Interest and sales inquiries came from across the franchise industry: the chairman and executives of the Korea Franchise Industry Association, the press, aspiring franchise owners, and visitors from Mongolia, China and the United States.

✓ FDAM is building processes for franchisor headquarters expanding overseas, so they can manage domestic and international franchise stores under a single standard.

From October 22 to 24, the 61st IFS Franchise Startup & Industry Expo (Fall 2026) took place in Hall C of COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul. Hosted by the Korea Franchise Industry Association, IFS is Korea's largest trade show dedicated to franchising. This fall, around 200 companies set up 530 booths to welcome aspiring business owners and franchisor headquarters staff.

Following the spring expo in April, MS Benter once again showcased FDAM, an ERP built for franchisor headquarters, and Sodam, an ERP for store management. If the spring show was where we first introduced FDAM to the market, this fall show was our chance to see firsthand how the market's view had changed over six months. To cut to the chase: far more people visited FDAM than we expected, and the interest came from a much wider range of places. Here is a recap of our three days on the show floor.

A booth that drew more than 2,000 industry visitors in three days

More than 2,000 people stopped by the FDAM booth during the expo, roughly 10% of all expo attendees. Compared with the just over 1,000 visitors at our first appearance in the spring, that is nearly double. Drawing on the spring show, when demo requests piled up, we expanded to five demo stations this time, which let us show the AI features of FDAM and Sodam in person to everyone who visited.

The FDAM booth, crowded with visitors waiting for a demo

Just as welcome as the numbers was the range of visitors. Beyond franchisor CEOs and operations teams, we met association executives, journalists, aspiring franchise owners, international franchise professionals, and even solution companies competing in the same market. Nearly every player that makes up the franchise industry came by the FDAM booth. Those three days showed us how far the FDAM name has spread across the industry in just six months.

Selected for the "Success DNA Leading the Industry" docent tour

One of the most meaningful moments of the expo was the docent tour. IFS runs docent tours in which expert guides walk attendees through the exhibition halls and introduce noteworthy companies. FDAM was selected for the "Success DNA Leading the Industry Tour," held on the second day, October 23.

Introducing FDAM to docent tour participants

We presented FDAM to the tour participants ourselves. We walked them through how headquarters work flows within a single system, from franchise consultations and e-contracts to store opening preparation, supervisor inspections and sales reporting, and we demonstrated our newly added AI features. Being chosen as an industry-leading example among so many exhibitors, and having the chance to show attendees where franchise IT stands today, made our team very proud.

A steady stream of interview requests and press coverage

Throughout the expo, interview and coverage requests came in from a range of outlets. Because there are still few examples of AI combined with franchise ERP, many questions focused on how FDAM's AI is actually used in day-to-day headquarters work. It was a great opportunity to explain calmly why a company that has spent more than 20 years studying franchisor headquarters operations is investing so heavily in AI now.

An interview at the booth

FDAM's AI catches the eye of the association chairman and executives

During the expo, the chairman and executives of the Korea Franchise Industry Association also visited the FDAM booth. After seeing FDAM's AI features in person, they expressed surprise and remarked that if this kind of technology takes root at headquarters, the operating standards of the entire franchise industry could rise a level.

FDAM's AI assistant answers spoken questions such as "Show me this month's sales trend across all franchise stores" by analyzing the data and presenting it as charts and reports. AI review replies analyze delivery app reviews and draft replies that match your brand's tone. Taking repetitive daily tasks off headquarters staff so they can focus on what matters more: that is why FDAM builds AI. What meant the most to us was hearing the industry's leaders recognize that this direction goes beyond one company's efficiency and connects to the competitiveness of the franchise industry as a whole.

Aspiring store owners asked first about Sodam's AI

Because IFS is also a startup expo, we welcomed many aspiring franchise owners alongside headquarters staff. Their interest centered mainly on Sodam, our store management ERP. Many asked specific questions about how Sodam's AI sales analysis pinpoints a store's sales trends and how it drafts review replies.

The FDAM and Sodam booth, visited by headquarters staff and aspiring franchise owners alike

The fact that people worry about sales management and responding to reviews before they have even opened a store says a lot about how heavy these two tasks are in store operations. When we explained how headquarters works in FDAM and stores work in Sodam within the same flow, they listened with great interest.

Sales inquiries from across borders, and FDAM's path to global markets

The most unexpected response at this expo came from overseas.

A franchisor headquarters from Mongolia described its plans to expand locally and asked whether it could adopt FDAM as its franchise store management system. The conversation confirmed once again that the challenges headquarters face as their store count grows are much the same from country to country.

AI educators from China who are studying in Korea interviewed us about FDAM and tried a demo themselves. Even to people who teach AI, an example of AI built into a specific industry like franchising seemed intriguing. Their questions went quite deep, and we went on to discuss possible ways to collaborate.

We used a translation app to keep the Q&A going.

Master franchise representatives who help Korean franchise brands open stores in the United States also visited the booth. They said they would like to run their local franchise store management on FDAM. It was the moment we confirmed that demand already exists for connecting a Korean headquarters and its overseas franchise stores in a single system.

In truth, these conversations were not new to us, because FDAM is already preparing for global expansion. With growing interest in K-food, more Korean franchise brands are looking abroad. Yet in practice, many still manage domestic stores through a system while handling overseas stores separately by email and messenger. The added distance, language barriers and time differences make overseas stores the hardest for headquarters to reach, which is exactly why they need a system most.

That is why MS Benter is building processes for franchisor headquarters expanding overseas. Our goal is to extend the franchise contract, store opening, inspection and sales management workflows we have refined in Korea to overseas franchise stores and master franchise partners, so that a Korean headquarters can manage domestic and international stores under a single standard. Our conversations at this expo with the Mongolian headquarters and the US master franchise representatives confirmed that this direction matches real demand in the field.

Wrapping up our second IFS Franchise Startup & Industry Expo

Consultations and demos at the FDAM booth continued through the final day of the expo

If our first appearance in the spring was about introducing FDAM, this fall was about seeing where FDAM stands in the market. More than 2,000 visitors in three days, a spot on the expo's docent tour, a steady stream of interviews and coverage, attention from the association chairman and executives, sales inquiries from overseas, and even visits from solution companies in our own industry. In just six months, the way the industry sees FDAM has clearly changed.

MS Benter has been building solutions tailored to franchise operations since 2003. We have supported headquarters operations for more than 500 brands and run a government-certified franchise IT research lab, where we continually research and develop features designed around headquarters work. We will treat the interest and questions we received at this expo as our next development priorities. We will keep refining FDAM so that franchise store management can be handled in one place, for headquarters in Korea and for brands heading overseas alike.

Frequently asked questions

Q. When and where was the Fall 2026 IFS Franchise Expo held?

It was held over three days, from October 22 to 24, 2026, in Hall C of COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul. Hosted by the Korea Franchise Industry Association, it featured around 200 companies across 530 booths. This was FDAM's second appearance, following the spring expo in April.

Q. How are FDAM and Sodam different?

FDAM is an AI operations platform for franchisor headquarters that covers franchise sales, contracts, store openings, operations management, Unified Sales and AI features. Sodam is a store management ERP that handles ordering, inventory, communication with headquarters and staff management for franchise stores. The two services share the same data, so headquarters and stores can work within the same flow.

Q. Can franchisor headquarters expanding overseas use FDAM?

MS Benter is building processes for franchisor headquarters expanding overseas. Coverage for overseas franchise stores and master franchise partners varies by target country and operating model, so we confirm the details with you during a sales consultation.

Q. I couldn't make it to the expo. Can I still get an FDAM demo?

Yes. Contact sales and we will arrange a demo, including the AI features of FDAM and Sodam.

Missed FDAM at the expo? See it for yourself

If you didn't get to finish your consultation on site or couldn't attend the expo, we'll walk you through a sales consultation and demo.

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