Content Matters: The Message Should Determine the Format
It is easier to have an “epic” event when everyone’s together, but the goal is to not let the “epic-ness” outweigh the “effectiveness.”
By Steven Rafsky
Franchisor annual meetings, more often, are being pitched as “the ‘blockbuster’ meeting of the year” by many franchisors and, depending on the key goals of the meeting, that may be the right emphasis. That is, provided the franchisor’s and franchisees’ needs are being met. Increasingly however, we seem to be focusing on the “epic-ness” and not on the “effectiveness” of the event.
Until a few years ago, our system had one annual meeting until a major system wide change drove us to try a regional meeting format to provide access to more of our franchisees’ employees. It further provided a more interactive and hands-on event, although this can be accomplished in any format. Four years later, we are still in the regional meeting format and benefiting from it. That said, this is not to suggest that one format is better than the other, nor a suggestion that “one size fits all.” However, it may be time to assess the format of your meeting, especially if your focus is on how to out-do last year’s blockbuster event. If that’s the case, then you may be missing some of the key considerations.
Listen to the Franchisee Advisory Council
Having shared this with several franchise executives and, even though the information is fairly basic, peers have found it helpful, if not interesting. As background, a few years ago, our annual meeting priorities and our system needs were in conflict. We decided to hold regional meetings as we were announcing a major technological platform change and we wanted to bring the message closer to our franchisees and their employees.
By all accounts, the meetings were successful. They were deemed a success as attendance increased to an all-time high number. The regional meeting format was also deemed a success as, to our surprise, our franchisees wanted to continue with the regional format. In fact, we did not understand (or maybe we did not listen to) our franchisees at first. We almost hired a consultant to help us re-introduce the annual meeting concept “with a bang.” However, before that process got started, we started to listen to our franchisee advisory council and others throughout the system.
What did we learn? Many things. However, more were validations of what we should have known rather than revelations. We learned that yes, people enjoyed the outside speakers and the feel of a national meeting. However, franchisees felt that the content that helped them run their businesses better and the interactive meeting format were the real stars. Some missed seeing all of their fellow franchisees in one venue, but when it went to a vote, that did not carry the weight. Easier access for all franchisees to receive important content carried the day. Of course, this process validated what franchisees wanted from a meeting. We also learned more about ourselves as a company. We updated our goals for having an annual meeting and we updated the way we execute major change.
One additional point we heard from several franchisees was about interaction with home-office staff members, as well. The regional format allowed for more quality interaction between franchisees and key members of the staff because they were together for more time. This is simply the math component — one annual meeting was two-and-a-half days, whereas the regional meetings have been one-and-a-half days. As there were four regional meetings, the staff was engaged with franchisees for six people-days instead of three. Having three or four smaller meetings instead of one larger meeting gets the team closer to more people for more quality interaction time.
Key Goal: Strong, Positive Franchise Relations
Annual meetings offer a venue to accomplish many varied and important goals. They can be viewed as the yearly event to get out the message, as the annual motivation event, as the once-a-year vendor relations event, as a revenue source, as a large budget item… the list goes on. Hopefully, a key goal of any such event is also to further strong, positive franchise relations, as well. When discussing this topic with other franchise executives, I have been surprised to hear their feedback. In my unscientific poll, most say that they ought to reassess what they do at their annual meetings. Let’s address some basics that might apply universally.
- Quality. When considering the venue, the content, the presenters, the speakers and the food, err on the side of quality.
- Interaction. When finalizing the agenda, assess how much of the meeting time is lecture time, as compared to interaction time. Also consider who the interaction is with -- presenters or peers. Both should be prominently included. The interactive component will not only keep the audience engaged, it will enhance the effectiveness of most sessions. In addition, peer-to-peer interaction, with the right topics and facilitators, is usually rated as one of the top three most meaningful highlights.
- Attendee Benefits. Of course, the franchisor has a message to deliver and that message should be front and center. However, the best way to measure success is when attendees affirm that the content was meaningful for them. In this era of constant technological, regulatory, and business climate change, there are many topics that would help the attendees feel more connected to the system or improve their bottom lines.
Effectiveness, not cost, drives the decision
The cost of the event may or may not weigh heavily when deciding on the format. There may be savings with regard to hotel costs due to not booking as many rooms in a single property and you may not need as much of the meeting facility either. Of course, having more than one meeting increases travel budgets for staff and presenters. Again, even if there are savings, they may not be enough to drive the decision. The effectiveness of the meetings and the attendance should be what drives the decision. Candidly, we could have accomplished our overall goals in either format. However, when layering in attendance, the regional format was a clear winner for us.
It is clearly easier to have an “epic” event when everyone is at the same event. Having that blockbuster event makes a clear statement of investment in the system and goes a long way to making everyone involved proud of the franchise system. However, as stated earlier, the goal is to not let the “epic-ness” out-weigh the “effectiveness.”
Steven Rafsky is CEO of Padgett Business Services.