FIS2025 establishes itself as a meeting point for the franchise sector and emerges as a new bridge between Europe and Ibero-America.
Madrid, October 22, 2025.
- The event is reinforced in its second edition as the annual benchmark meeting for the sector, with the participation of 114 brands and exhibitors, over a hundred speakers and broad support from the national and international market.
- The FIS Summit managed to bring together 2,198 professionals from 12 autonomous communities and 7 countries, around two powerful summits in which more than 100 speakers participated in different sector panels with specialized content.
- The Cities and Franchising Forum, one of the major initiatives of this edition, attracts professionals from across the Iberian Peninsula, with institutional presence from the cities invited to this edition: Palencia, Toledo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Chiclana and La Nucía.
- The Valencian Community and the Mediterranean arc was the Invited Business Community of FIS2025, thus highlighting the Mediterranean as a business engine.
- For its part, Egypt, the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Panama, Brazil, Italy, Portugal and France are among the countries that did not want to stop participating with exhibiting brands at FIS2025.
The Franchise Innovation Summit (FIS), promoted by the Spanish Franchise Association (AEF) and organized by Show2Be, with sponsorship from BBVA, closes its second edition more reinforced and supported as the benchmark meeting for the franchise ecosystem.
FIS2025 was inaugurated by Ángel Luis Martín, Deputy Director General of Commercial Entities and Promotion of the Community of Madrid, who stated that in Madrid “franchising ignites passion” and is a business model that “continues to dominate the sector across all variables.”
Likewise, the event was presided over by Ángel Niño, Delegated Councilor for Innovation and Entrepreneurship of the Madrid City Council, who assured that the Spanish capital has already positioned itself “among the best entrepreneurship ecosystems in the world” and added that “Madrid is where franchises should be.”
In the words of Luisa Masuet, President of the AEF, “this edition of FIS2025 has been a turning point for the franchise system, both for its flawless organization, the interest concentrated in the sessions held, the good location, the national and international scope, the support from institutions such as the Community and Madrid City Council and, above all, for the figures of exhibitors and visitors who attended this professional meeting, which encourages us to move forward to organize the third edition of FIS next year.”
For his part, Eduardo Abadía, Executive Director of the AEF, assures that “we are very satisfied with the results obtained in this second edition of FIS, a pioneering and innovative meeting in Spain, which brings us closer to the objective of being the benchmark franchise event in Spain, since we believe that face-to-face interaction between franchisors and franchise candidates continues to be fundamental when doing business, as has been demonstrated at this FIS2025, which has brought together public and private institutions, highlighting the presence of the mayors of five locations in our country, who have joined the Cities & Franchising Forum initiative.”
The FIS director, Raúl Calleja, explained that “hand in hand with the AEF, FIS is consolidating itself as the major sector instrument for promoting and defending the franchise model, as well as the meeting point of the sector in the Iberian Peninsula.” He also highlighted that FIS “will continue to grow” in its next edition and “strengthen its role as a strategic connection platform for brands, investors and entrepreneurs.”
José Luis Serrano, director of SMEs at BBVA Spain, who also joined the opening ceremony of this second edition, praised FIS’s role and defined it as a place “where together we build.” And he assured that “many people come here to think about their life project.”
International projection
The event, which on this occasion took place at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium, has not only brought together leading sector figures from the Iberian Peninsula, but has also crossed borders, with the participation of exhibiting brands from a large number of countries, such as the United States, Egypt, Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Panama, Brazil, Italy, France and Portugal, thus becoming a bridge between Europe and the rest of the world, especially Iberoamerica.
FIS in service of franchising
Cities and Franchising Forum
The Cities and Franchising Forum, one of the major initiatives of this edition, functioned as a space for institutional dialogue to connect Spanish municipalities and promote commercial revitalization policies in the cities invited to this 2025 edition: Palencia, Toledo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, La Nucía and Chiclana de la Frontera.
Entrepreneurs and local merchants from these and other cities attended FIS to participate in the boost that this type of meeting represents for the evolution of the franchise model.
In the words of Eduardo Abadía (AEF) “the future lies in unity between public and private administration to continue growing, thanks to initiatives like this.”
Franquitour
And with the same spirit of revitalizing commercial areas of large and small cities, FIS has created a tool to give visibility to Madrid’s commerce, the Franquitour, where top brands were part of an exclusive tour of flagship stores of the brands participating in FIS 2025.
Last Tuesday, October 14, an institutional delegation toured some of these establishments and symbolically inaugurated this route, which represents an opportunity for brands to showcase their value proposition and offer a direct experience to entrepreneurs seeking investment options, investors and franchisees interested in new concepts and sector professionals who wish to learn firsthand about the most emblematic formats.
FISkathon
The final touch was the celebration of the 1st FISkathon, an in-person and thematic hackathon, whose main objective was to revitalize the perception of the franchise sector among new generations of entrepreneurs, presenting it as an innovative alternative.
For this, 6 groups of university students had a challenge: to generate ideas to bring the world of franchising closer to young entrepreneurship in just a few hours. At the end of the day, the different groups presented a pitch with their projects focused on sustainability, digitalization, young talent or the transformation of the franchise business model.
Invited Business Community: Mediterranean Business Relations (REM)
Hand in hand with REM (Mediterranean Business Relations), the Mediterranean was the Invited Business Community and in charge of organizing within the FIS Summit 2025 the 1st REM Forum held in Madrid, a benchmark meeting for companies and executives in a roundtable format that combined business debate, leadership, innovation and cross-sector collaboration.
FIS Summit 2025 and SPAZIO Restauración News
In this second edition, the congress sphere has had even greater weight with two specialized auditoriums: on one hand, the Main Auditorium, where a program of content was developed through sector roundtables: Retail, Fitness, Real Estate, Beauty and Aesthetics, Training and Marketing, among others.
On the other hand, SPAZIO Restauración News, the specialized hub for organized restaurant services promoted by Show2Be, the AEF and the sector publication Restauración News, with sponsorship from Mahou San Miguel, brought together more than thirty top-tier speakers who addressed the challenges of expansion, technology, talent and financing in the sector.
More roundtables, talks, elevator pitches, interviews and recognitions with a clear objective: to offer a realistic and sound roadmap for brands that aspire to grow with control and purpose.
“What is private capital looking for today in Restaurants?” and “Opportunities for the sector in 2026” were among the topics that aroused the most curiosity among attendees, as well as panels dedicated to financing in restaurants and the management of venues and licenses.
About FIS – Franchise Innovation Summit
The Franchise Innovation Summit (FIS) is an initiative promoted by the Spanish Franchise Association (AEF) and organized by Show2Be. Born as a professional and commercial platform for the franchise system, FIS connects brands, entrepreneurs, investors and administrations, promoting the expansion and professionalization of the sector in Spain and internationally.
About the Spanish Franchise Association (AEF)
The AEF was founded 32 years ago and currently has 156 members, whose billing represents 62% of the business volume generated by the franchise system in Spain. The objectives of the AEF are to represent and safeguard the interests of franchising in our country, as well as to be an interlocutor with the Administration and promote it in other markets, through its presence at various international franchise trade shows. In turn, the AEF is a member of the European Franchise Federation (EFF).
About Show2Be
Born from the alliance with the experiential marketing agency 4forEVERYTHING, the company offers a comprehensive 360º model, encompassing from the conceptualization and design of the event to its execution, production, communication and promotion. Currently, SHOW2BE executes two major events: the Franchise Innovation Summit (FIS), promoted by the Spanish Franchise Association (AEF) and SPORTCITIES Expo&Summit, which will celebrate its first edition on November 19 and 20 in Valencia.
For more information, to schedule interviews or for graphic material:
– Leticia Pastor Aleixandre – FIS Marketing & Communications Manager
leticia.pastor@show2be.com / 600 92 42 79
– Juan Carlos Martín Jiménez – AEF Communications Director
comunicacion@aefranquicia.es / 607 999 866
You can download the event’s graphic material at this link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12aDK58yBPwlOCXs5-OJBOL2fRTYDBgfZ