Stay on Top of Your Franchise Business with IFA’s Virtual Annual Convention
By Shane Evans, CEO & Co-Founder, Massage Heights
As we all head into the Holiday season, I’ve got my eye on 2021 and all the opportunities it can bring, so that’s why I’ll be logging in to the IFA Ignite 2021 Virtual Annual Convention. As the COVID-19 pandemic leaves a lot of uncertainty, it’s important to me to stay on top of trends, challenges and innovations that could potentially impact my franchise business. So, since we cannot meet in person like we do each year, the IFA is bringing franchising to our home offices from February 10-25.
This year’s Convention has a lot to get excited about, including engaging speakers, must-attend educational sessions and, because the event is more accessible and affordable than ever, there’s really no reason to miss the event.
Get Inspired by Seth Godin, Jimmy John Liautaud and Jay Shetty
There are many incredible speakers I’m looking forward to watching, but I’m especially keen to hear from these three:
Seth Godin, best-selling author, entrepreneur, blogger and podcaster will open the conference, sharing his thoughts on why creativity matters now more than ever. He will discuss how each of us is being called on to be a Creative, and the importance of being creative during these unique times. We've been brainwashed to believe creativity is a gift, when in reality, it is a choice. He will share these insightful thoughts that are the basis of his latest best-selling book, The Practice.
Jimmy John Liautaud, founder and former chairman of Jimmy John's sandwich chain, started his journey with a $25,000 loan and ended with a multi-billion dollar buyout to Inspire Brands in October 2019. He’ll be at the Convention sharing the mistakes he made, the lessons he learned, the challenges and opportunities he seized upon, and his best advice to anyone looking to grow their franchise business. His inspiring story of success is what we could use to fuel our own growth.
Closing the conference will be Jay Shetty, award-winning storyteller, author, podcaster, and former monk who is making wisdom go viral with more than 35 million followers. He’ll be sharing steps we can all take to live a happier, more meaningful life. As we navigate 2021 and beyond, there is definitely a lot of valuable learning here.
Must-attend Sessions for Franchisors
There is content for just about everyone, no matter your business type, size or your profession, but for my leadership team and I, these are some of the sessions that stand out to us and could be useful to every franchisor.
Economic and Financial Market Outlook led by Jeffery Mortimer, CFA and Director of Investment Strategy at BNY Mellon, will help me understand what to expect in the near term and long term.
Franchisor C-Suite Think Tank to collaboratively work through common problems in our business.
Government and Policy Response to COVID-19, especially with a new administration taking over and a lot of questions about what to expect in the future.
The Power of Adaptability will help me think about my organization's ability to adapt to changing circumstances and how to create agile processes.
Diversity and Inclusion General Session will continue to advance my organization’s ability to attract diverse talent and franchisees.
Labor Implications in the New Political Landscape will give me insight into how to prepare and move forward with my organization as well as my franchisees.
There’s so much to discover, so check out the full preliminary agenda to learn more.
More Accessible and Affordable than Ever Before
All the sessions will be available live and on demand, meaning there’s plenty of great content to binge watch at your convenience. Even virtually, I’ll be able to meet with you – my peers, my suppliers, my franchise family – at the Virtual Expo, Virtual Lounge, C-Suite Think Tank, Business Solution Roundtables, Happy Hours and other exciting activities that are planned throughout February.
Being virtual also makes the event accessible to my whole team so I’ll be bringing my leaders in Development, Operations and Marketing too. Early Bird pricing is available now and the IFA has also provided a great discount for franchisor organizations that will allow us to affordably expand participation within my organization.
For more information on the event and pricing, visit franchise.org/convention.
Let’s connect at IFA Ignite 2021!
Shane Evans is the CEO & Co-Founder of Massage Heights Franchising, LLC. For more information and franchise opportunities for International Franchise Association (IFA) franchisor member Massage Heights, click here.