The future of franchising starts at IFA Annual Convention, and you need to be here. Get up to speed on all the latest technology, gain valuable knowledge and best practices from experienced industry professionals, and source solutions for your company—all in just one trip.

To help you communicate the value of being part of this exciting, future-focused event, we’ve put together the Justification Toolkit. The tips and ideas provided here are designed to help you make a strong and effective case to your supervisor for attending IFA 2022 Annual Convention. Use any or all of them to suit your unique situation.

Emphasize the Benefits of Attending

Talk to your supervisor about how your organization can profit from the new ideas, information, connections and innovations you will acquire as a result of attending.

Here are some key points:

• "I will gain a big picture perspective on franchising across all industries and find new ways to save the company money."
• “The new strategies, best practices, and innovative solutions available here will help me gain insights into how to better perform my job function.”
• “The event offers new solutions and actionable ideas that I will be able to put into practice immediately upon return.”
• "What I gain from three days participating at the event would take months to acquire any other way."
• “This is a terrific opportunity for me to learn all that is new in franchising and have in-person time to collaborate with other professionals across the franchise community.”

Demonstrate How You Intend to Spend Your Time

Put your plan on paper to show your supervisor that your time at IFA 2022 Annual Convention will be productive. Study the education tracks and sessions and choose the ones that best apply to your position, as well as your company's specific objectives. Then use the agenda to build an itinerary that includes the sessions and networking functions you plan to attend.

Is money the make-or-break issue? If so, see if you can quantify the value of certain aspects of attending. For instance, can you attach a dollar estimate to the savings you can come up with by implementing the new ideas you learned about in a session?

Crunch the Numbers to Illustrate the Value

Your supervisor will want to know, not just what it costs to send you to the conference, but what it is worth. Use a cost and budget analysis to break it down and be sure to emphasize the discount if you register before the early bird deadline. Write out the key takeaways and the estimated value or contribution to the company so they can see the breakdown in writing.

• Roundtrip Airfare: $
• Ground Transportation: $
• Hotel: $
• Meals: $
• Registration Fee: $

Make the Ask

Address all of these points or just some of them - do what most aligns with your reasons for wanting to attend. Need a sample of how to pull all of the above together in one ask? Check out our email template below.

Follow Up After the Conference

Assure your supervisor that you will give a full report on your conference activities upon your return. Send them a Trip Report to demonstrate the value of your attendance!