The International Franchise Association (IFA) conference is the world’s largest gathering of franchise professionals, bringing collectively enterprise homeowners, executives and trade leaders to share insights and form the way forward for franchising.
This yr, the convention was held February 10-13 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. As a first-time attendee, I wasn’t positive what to anticipate, however I rapidly realized that success at IFA is dependent upon preparation, participation and a willingness to have interaction past the scheduled classes.
Listed here are 5 key takeaways from my first IFA expertise:
That is totally different than IFE
IFA may be overwhelming, particularly for first-time attendees. I’ve attended the IFE Present in New York twice, however it is a totally different animal. IFA emphasizes suppliers, management and networking. Happily, Trevor Rappleye from Franchise Filming revealed a helpful primer earlier than the occasion, and I discovered that recommendation invaluable. Mapping out which classes to attend upfront, figuring out key audio system and exhibitors, and setting clear targets made navigating the conference far more manageable.
Those that arrived with a recreation plan acquired essentially the most out of their time in Las Vegas. Those that did not spent their time propped up in entrance of slot machines or nursing sore toes within the lounge space, overwhelmed by the sheer measurement and scope of the occasion.
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Attend as a lot as you’ll be able to
It is tempting to stay to just some classes or spend an excessive amount of time at your sales space, however the actual worth of IFA is within the breadth of content material accessible. The agenda included informative panels, keynote speeches and breakout classes overlaying all the pieces from coverage updates to franchise progress methods, all that includes high trade leaders.
Starting with the first-time attendee reception, I used to be stunned at simply how a lot perception and experience was being shared. Our roundtable — which included reps from Circle K to Citrin Cooperman — was led by Steve Beagelman, CEO of SMB Franchise Advisors and Elyse Lupin, president and founding father of Elysium Marketing Group. They answered all our questions, supplied useful recommendation and acquired everybody speaking and mixing. It set the tone for the remainder of the conference for me, and I used to be grateful to have been included.
The accompanying app additionally allowed for simple, user-friendly scheduling and helped preserve me organized all through the occasion.
AI was the buzzword
Synthetic intelligence dominated the dialog at IFA, and one of many nice issues about such a world-class group is that you simply get to listen to from true trade leaders, similar to Google‘s Nadia Carta and Goldfish Swim School CTO Dennis Leskowski.
Tremendous classes have been devoted to AI’s position in advertising and marketing, buyer engagement and operational effectivity, proving that franchisors and franchisees alike are wanting to combine AI instruments into their companies. Whether or not it was chatbots, predictive analytics or AI-driven coaching platforms, the consensus was clear: Those that embrace AI will acquire a aggressive edge within the trade, whereas those that do not will discover success few and much between.
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To drink or to not drink?
There was an abundance of alcohol accessible at IFA — it was Vegas, in any case — however there was additionally a noticeable variety of individuals selecting to not drink, even in social settings. I noticed many from the conference early within the morning within the health club.
Certainly, as Entrepreneur recently reported, many enterprise leaders are selecting to eradicate alcohol from their lives totally, citing higher focus, decision-making and an elevated sense of management. This was definitely evident at IFA. Though there was loads of consuming, these of us who selected to not weren’t disregarded of any alternatives.
Networking occurs all over the place
A few of my most efficient conversations did not occur at scheduled networking occasions — they occurred in surprising locations. From chatting with franchisors in line at Subway after a protracted day to impromptu discussions in hallways and lodge lobbies, I rapidly discovered that alternatives to attach are all over the place.
Being open to assembly individuals exterior of formal settings made my IFA expertise much more precious.
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