IFA 2018 Recap: The Thriving World of Franchising

Every year, the International Franchise Association’s annual convention provides our team with the opportunity to connect in-person with franchise client partners, learn about the latest trends that are impacting franchise brands, and get incredible insight into what is working (and not working) for franchisors and franchisees when it comes to both running and growing their businesses. From the moment we entered the Phoenix Convention Center and strolled around the Exhibit Hall, you could tell there was a lot of energy and excitement among the convention attendees – even more so than in years past. Keynote sessions highlighted data that showed franchising’s impact on the economy. Round table sessions covered myriad topics like how to improve operations, marketing, international expansion and more. There was even a wildly entertaining leadership keynote presented by Roger Nierneberg, called The Music Paradigm, that received multiple standing ovations throughout.

When reflecting back on the wealth of informative content presented at IFA 2018 and the multitude of conversations with key stakeholders in franchising, one theme became quite clear – franchising, as a whole, is thriving. This sentiment has been confirmed by the IFA’s annual Franchise Business Outlook report:

And so, as we continue to evolve our franchise digital marketing offering and advance our LOCALACT platform at Location3, we remain cognizant of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for both franchisors and franchisees. We’re excited to see the impressive growth in this space, and will continue to do our part in fostering a culture of thought leadership among the franchise community. Location3 CEO Alex Porter’s official designation as a Certified Franchise Executive at IFA 2018 only serves in highlighting our long term commitment to franchising.

While this year’s convention kept us quite busy from sunrise to sunset, we also managed to have some fun in Phoenix.  As mentioned previously, connecting with our franchise partners is always one of the highlights for us, and this year we asked a few of them to give us their thoughts on the event itself and franchising in general…

Looking forward to seeing everyone again next year at IFA 2019 in Las Vegas!