Top 10 Takeaways from the International Franchise Association Convention

The International Franchise Association (IFA) Convention is something our office has coined the “Super Bowl of franchising.” All of the agency influencers are present and it’s up to our team to soak up all we can in the three-day conference. Here were our top takeaways from the conference in terms of what we can pass on to our clients and what we can improve upon in order to continue disrupting the franchising industry.

Franchising is a community.

I was reminded about how much the franchising community supports each other. I am so proud of the relationships and the friendships I have built over the years and the convention in San Antonio reaffirmed that. Franchising is a big industry, but we're a small knit community that cares about each other. – Vice President of 1851, Chad Cohen

Youth is the new face of the industry.

There is certainly a youth movement in the franchise industry. There was vibrancy and young energy throughout the entire conference, which bodes well for the industry as a whole as we continue to find ways to be innovative, tap into new technology, and attract a new generation of inspired entrepreneurs. In part, I feel like the powerful, positive energy in the industry is due to the increased youth voice. – Director of Media Relations, Brian Jaeger

Mobile interaction increases top-of-mind awareness.

Mobile First design needs to be top of mind from a digital marketing perspective as so many consumers are interacting with brands from their smartphones be it through a brand’s website, social pages or mobile apps. Brands need to focus on the user experience and interaction (UI/UX) with mobile at the base as opposed to the other way around. -Vice President of Digital, Ryan Paul

Many franchises fear change but offer solutions.

I saw some palpable fears about the unknown—particularly on legislation and regulations for the industry moving forward. Both outgoing IFA Chair Melanie Bergeron, from and incoming Chairman Aziz Hashim, of were very transparent about their concern—and the IFA’s concern—about the effects of decisions like the NLRB’s Joint Employer Standard on the industry moving forward. I heard the word “attack” used frequently, but I also heard the word “solution” often used in the same breath.

It’s clear that the industry, led by the IFA, is prepared for the long haul to fight back and push the success of the franchising model.

Content marketing is key.

Define franchising.

Franchising needs to change its narrative and communicate the positive message of franchising. It's clearly evident that the top three challenges the industry faces are:

1. Non-franchises are viewed more favorably than franchises

2. Franchising is not entirely understood by the public and its employees at the franchisee level

3. Franchising is vulnerable on joint employer and minimum wage, due to a perceived need to hold large employers accountable - Vice President of 1851, Chad Cohen

Elevate your digital footprint.

There were a lot of conversations about producing unique content to increase brand awareness, which helps elevate your digital footprint organically in search engines. Think of ways to utilize media outlets outside of your own website such as social, PPC, content and public relations in order to increase consumer sales and franchise development efforts. – Vice President of Digital, Ryan Paul and Chief Development Strategist, Sean Fitzgerald

Create a concrete message.

We need to evolve from our traditional hierarchical methods of communication to make sure we're becoming more efficient and productive in the workplace. All too often it seems that communication gets cloudy and key nuggets of information get lost when messages go up and down a multi-pronged ladder. Getting a team on the same page by clearly communicating objectives is a great way to avoid mistakes or failure in the future. - Director of Media Relations, Brian Jaeger

Franchising remains a powerful industry.

The franchising industry has consistently grown faster than the rest of the U.S. economy and is predicted to do that again this year. I think franchising currently makes up about 3% of the U.S. GDP. It’s just proof of the influence franchising can have locally and nationally. - Account Manager, Matt Diaz

Our No Limit Agency and 1851 Franchise team is filled with dedicated, driven people, and I’m proud of the response I got from total strangers who validated the reputation our agency has worked so hard to build. We had such a diverse range of talent present at IFA and I was so proud to be a part of that. -Director of Client Services, Troy Kehoe