International Franchise Association Acquires Franchise Update Media

Acquisition effective July 1, 2025, expanding upon IFA’s strategic priorities in franchisee engagement and prospective franchisee education

WASHINGTON – The International Franchise Association (IFA) today announced it has formally completed a transaction to acquire Franchise Update Media (FUM), a leading event and media company in the franchise sector for nearly 40 years, with the two organizations joining as one effective July 1, 2025. Following an agreement signed at FUM’s Multi-Unit Franchising Conference in Las Vegas in March, the two will maintain their separate brands while operating under IFA. The merger expands upon IFA’s strategic priorities, particularly in the area of franchisee engagement, content, and education of prospective franchisees.

“This partnership ushers in a new era for IFA that will deliver value for all stakeholders in franchising – franchisor, franchisees, suppliers and new entrants considering the franchise business model,” said Matt Haller, IFA President and CEO. “Franchise Update Media is a trusted resource because of their strong leadership team and a robust network of volunteer multi-unit franchisees and industry leaders dedicated to developing leading events and educational content by franchisees, for franchisees. By adding this expertise to IFA’s existing events and educational platforms, IFA will become an even stronger organization to deliver on our mission of protecting, enhancing and promoting franchising worldwide.”

“For nearly forty years, we have worked to build a business and a team to support everyone in franchising,” said Therese Thilgen and Gary Gardner, co-founders of Franchise Update Media. “We knew IFA was the right partner to usher our business into the next era – preserving our brand and the mission we have carried out for decades. We look forward to a continued partnership and what the future holds for franchising.”

Mitch Cohen, franchisee of Jersey Mike’s and Sola Salons, Chairman of the 2026 Multi-Unit Franchising Conference and IFA Board member, underscored the strategic value of the partnership, saying, “This agreement combines unmatched advocacy, data, and storytelling under one umbrella. As both a franchisee and a longtime supporter of FUM, I know this move will deepen the connection between industry leaders and strengthen the entire franchising ecosystem.”

The completion of the acquisition follows both organizations’ September 2024 announcement that they plan to expand their existing partnership as one organization. Under one entity, the organizations will expand their collective abilities to:

Assist franchisors seeking multi-unit owners as part of their franchise development strategy
Work together through advocacy to protect the franchise business model
Raise the public’s awareness about franchising
Provide education and professional development platforms and expand upon existing FUM/IFA events, including the Franchise Leadership Development Conference (FLDC) and Franchise Customer Experience Conference (FCXC)
Help franchise opportunity seekers get their start in franchising and grow their businesses

Together, IFA and Franchise Update will expand their collective reach across franchising through events, publications, and their respective websites, including:

More than doubling each organization’s existing website reach, to reach 415,000 unique monthly visitors across franchise.org and franchising.com
Growing their publication reach from IFA’s Franchising World distribution of 70,000 to 125,000 with the addition of Franchise Update’s magazines
Adding an anticipated 3,500 event attendees, in particular multi-unit franchisees, totaling over 25,000 people at IFA events
Nearly doubling IFA’s event exhibitors to a combined 1,300 exhibitors to provide franchise opportunities and critical services to the business model

Haller further detailed the impact for IFA members and the Franchise Update Media community in Franchise Update Magazine here.