February 2005 : Franchising World
By Nancy Rathbun Scott
Melanie Bergeron, CFE, president and COO of the 116-unit Two Men And A Truck International, knows exactly why she goes to the International Franchise Association annual convention year after year. “We wouldn’t be where we are today if it weren’t for all the networking and sharing of information.”
That’s partly because the IFA convention offers top-level networking, says Geoff Hill, senior vice president of franchising sales at Carvel/Focus Brands. “You’re not talking about people who have one year’s experience or a ‘professor’ mentality. You have people with real experience and real numbers behind it. When you have the president of Quizno’s talk about how to grow a system, you listen.”
And that goes for franchisees, too. Rocco Fiorentino, developer for Krispy Kreme in the Mid-Atlantic, sees the IFA convention as the event of the franchise industry. “You get to meet folks from all dimensions of the industry—franchisee, franchisor, vendor, supplier, legal. There is a lot of knowledge within the group and it’s not coming just from the presentations on stage, either.”
Still Not Convinced? Here Are Six Good Reasons to Register Now
In talking with people who attend the IFA convention every year, six benefits keep popping up.
- You can meet the “big names.” Really.
“Along with many others, I have had the benefit of learning from the great historical figures who have stayed involved with this convention,” says Karen Spencer, president of Fran-Systems Worldwide. “And now there are people following in their footsteps, the ‘new day mentors’ like Fred DeLuca [founder, Subway] or Dick Rennick [founder, American Leak Detection, Inc.] who are picking up where the Bill Rosenbergs left off. Don’t be intimidated. Pick a few people and seek them out. I’ve never heard anyone say they were turned away and the rewards you will get back are enormous.”
2. Surprise! Everybody shares.
Hill has experienced the same open response. “At the end of the day, we’re all competitors, we’re all chasing franchisees. But we’re all willing to help, even segment-to-segment. I’ve told people in the ice cream segment what we do, what’s working for us, and they tell me what’s working for them. It’s refreshing.”
3. There’s something for everybody—and that’s just the beginning
IFA is for everybody,” says Bergeron, “new franchisees, franchisors, minorities, women. If you’re looking for it, you’re going to find it there; it’s like one-stop shopping. It’s just so reassuring to talk to people who understand franchising, who speak the franchising language. I don’t know how you can possibly go to the convention and walk away, not have gotten something out of it.”
- This is the real world
Lane Fisher, partner, Fisher & Zucker, emphasizes the peer-to-peer learning. “The sessions are very interactive. Rather than the talking heads where three guys talk for an hour, people in the audience share their experiences. This is a discussion rather than a lecture. You see people frantically taking notes, not only on what the presenters are saying, but on what the people in the audience are sharing.”
5. The content is always fresh
Over the years, Hill has evolved from student to teacher and, while he’s now teaching seminars, he still goes to every session he can. “If there’s a session on lead generation, I’ll go to it, even though I went to one on lead generation last year and the year before. The speakers will be different, give a different perspective, and the year is different. Things change so fast, both in my segment and outside my segment.”
- The value evolves along with you
“I have been going to the conventions since 1987 and my reasons for going have changed,” says Spencer. “In my early years, I was like a sponge. I needed to learn everything—what franchising was, how to franchise, what were the best practices. Talking to other people was the bonus. Then, when I went to Arby’s corporate during my intermediate years, I was very green internationally. I called IFA headquarters for advice on international franchising and got very involved with committees to increase my networking. Now I definitely go to network and to give back.”
The Convention Delivers
The IFA convention, with its current draw approaching 2,000 people, wasn’t always so grand, but the sharing has never changed. The big news is that today’s convention format allows for many different learning options.
Roundtables
Bergeron thinks the roundtables are the most valuable part of convention-going. “The session is packed and the facilitators are ‘big deals,’ like the founders of companies. The moderator goes around the table, asking feedback from everybody. For example, the question might be, ‘What’s the best annual meeting you’ve ever been to?’ Everyone participates, sharing what they are doing with their system. You also exchange business cards, so you can contact people later.”
Seminars
Hill remembers how much he got out of the seminars when he first started attending the convention. “I opened up the agenda and it was almost like it was speaking to me. Every topic was something I was interested in, because we had just bought Carvel, and, even though we were a 70-year old company, from a franchising perspective, almost the whole brand needed to be redone. Every seminar was something we were dealing with at the time.”
Exhibits
“I tell people you need to be there,” says Fisher. “Let’s assume you’re in the tire or the healthcare business. You may know everyone in your individual business, but you don’t often know a lot of the franchise-specific suppliers. When people are there with their wares, you learn more about what they do and how they capitalize their franchise experience. The exhibit hall stays populated the entire convention and the booths are well staffed.”
Maybe that’s why Bernie Browning, long-time member of the franchising community and past chair of the association, says “Just do it.”
“Getting the most from a convention is the same as always—meet others and share your problems. While you think yours is unique, you usually discover that others have experienced the same problem and often times have solved or coped in some way.”
PULL QUOTES
“None of us will live long enough to make all of the mistakes ourselves, so we must learn from the mistakes that others make.”
— Rocco Fiorentino
Krispy Kreme developer
Mid-Atlantic area