SFE Chengdu 2026 Expo

SFE was founded in 2005 and has evolved into a professional, market-oriented franchise investment exhibition that integrates multiple decision-making stages for investors and expanding brands. The organizer emphasizes an “all-in-one” visitor journey: store format observation, product and service experience, industry communication and onsite negotiations, all designed to improve the efficiency of matching between franchise brands and professional audiences. The event series has accumulated 49 editions across China, indicating sustained demand for structured franchise expansion and investment deal flow. For Chengdu, the official schedule lists a 2026 station date of July 2, positioning the event as a focused regional touchpoint within the wider annual circuit.

SFE’s positioning is built around four major blocks that reflect how franchise systems are evaluated in practice: catering, retail, services and the “chain resources” ecosystem that supports store rollout. The show concept is not limited to presenting brands; it also targets the operational layer of expansion—supplier and service capabilities, and the business infrastructure needed for opening and scaling outlets. By structuring the exhibition around mainstream sub-segments and investor needs, the event aims to reduce search costs for visitors and shorten the cycle from initial interest to an actionable franchise negotiation. This cross-sector scope is repeatedly highlighted in official SFE messaging as a defining characteristic of the exhibition format.

The exhibition is designed for a dual audience: franchise brands looking to expand and professional visitors seeking investable, replicable business models with clear operational rules. Official SFE materials underline the role of the show as a “matching” platform rather than a passive display, which implies a concentration of decision-makers and investment-oriented visitors on the floor. In addition to brands, SFE’s “chain resources” orientation brings in service and solution providers that matter in real expansion projects—commercial resources, supply chain support and specialized services required to launch stores efficiently. This structure makes the visitor profile broader than typical consumer exhibitions and more aligned with franchising deal-making.

SFE’s exhibit scope covers franchise concepts across foodservice, retail and services, while also including the supporting commercial capabilities that enable rapid network rollout. In practice, this means visitors can assess not only the brand proposition, but also upstream and downstream resources that determine whether a model can be executed profitably in a new location—such as store design services, equipment and raw material supply, logistics, finance, legal services, marketing and training. The official SFE description explicitly frames the show as an integrated platform combining experience, communication, and negotiation, which aligns with exhibitor categories that address both “what to invest in” and “how to open and operate.”

For the Chengdu station, industry exhibition listings commonly indicate Chengdu Century City New International Convention & Exhibition Center as the venue, located at No. 198 Shijicheng Road, Chengdu, Sichuan. This venue is regularly used for major hospitality and foodservice trade events in Chengdu, and it is often referenced as the location for franchising and chain-business exhibitions held in the same seasonal window. When publishing the event card, it is recommended to keep the venue name and address consistent with the local convention center naming used in official venue communications and major industry listings.

SFE is presented as a jointly organized franchise investment platform, with organizer information consistently showing the Shanghai Chain Enterprise Association together with Shanghai Sinoexpo Informa Markets (Sinoexpo/博华) and Shanghai Ebisun Exhibition. This organizing structure supports the show’s positioning as an industry-grade marketplace with both association backing and large-scale exhibition operations capability. When describing the organizer in an event card, it is useful to reflect the official wording that emphasizes long-term specialization in franchising and the ability to connect brands with professional audiences through curated activities and structured matching.