Organizing a successful In-person or Virtual Franchise
Organizing a franchisee event can demand considerable time and effort and you need to get the formula right if you want to motivate the business owners working under your brand. The present blog sheds light on the key steps you should take as you make preparations for a perfect franchise conference or gathering.
At Franchise Insider, we have plenty of tips for franchisors who want to grow their business effectively. The present blog will dilate upon how to organize a fantastic franchisee event, whether it’s in person or virtually.
18 tips for franchisors creating a franchisee event:
- Know your purpose – Before you start to mull over the finer details and intricacies of the franchisee event, you should consider its ultimate objective. Ask yourself the reason behind organising this gathering and what you want it to achieve. Perhaps you’re briefing franchise partners on a new product or service, providing training, creating a networking opportunity to improve company culture or simply giving attendees some tips to multiply sales. Once you know your purpose, you can tailor the event to meet your expected goals.
- Create a budget and stick to it – Franchisee events are crucial, but you don’t want to spend the better part of your annual budget on them. Work out how much you can afford to put towards your get-together, and plan it with your chosen amount of budget. You might be able to include complimentary refreshments or a free event programme, For instance, for virtual events, you can get away with having a much smaller budget, so this can be an option if you need to tighten the purse strings.
- Ask your franchisees for suggestions – Your event will be hit if it gives franchisees what they desire. Set out a poll or ask your followers to comment on a social media post telling you the elements they’d like to see at a franchisee event. Then, try incorporating as many of their ideas as possible, prioritizing the most celebrated ones.
- Secure interesting speakers – Choosing the guest speakers wisely is extremely important while organizing a franchise event. Don’t feel pressurized to approach cut-throat businesspeople if they have little charisma and struggle to engage an audience; a high-flying franchisee or a relevant influencer could do the job nicely.
- Make it interactive – If the audience is actively involved, there are least chances that they get bored and leave halfway through – particularly if you’re hosting a virtual event. You can introduce debates, games, competitions and Q&A sessions. You should have an aim to generate a two-way conversation, rather than talking at your guests. One of the ways to promote a collaborative atmosphere during an online event is to persuade guests to keep their webcams on.
- Provide networking opportunities – One of the major perks of franchise conferences for franchisees is the chance to make contacts within the business. So, allow for a mingling session or give investors time to chat during games or workshops.
- Add an original touch – Guests will not be interested in attending your franchise event if it uses the same old formula used by many organizers before you. Ensure that your gathering offers something different or valuable to give franchisees a reason to stay.
- Choose your venue or platform – When it comes to hosting an ‘in-person’ franchise conference, you should select a convenient location with a car park, close to public transport terminals. If you’re running a virtual event, choose a platform based on the features you require. Some offer the chance to chat, share screens, upload files and host live polls. Most significantly, ensure that your platform can support the right number of guests for your event. For small gatherings, you might decide to use Google Hangouts, Whatsapp or Skype; larger conferences might require Zoom, Demio, Webinar Ninja or Huddle.
- Choose your moment – Timing has a crucial role to play if you want a good turnout. You should deliberate upon whether it makes more sense to operate your franchise event during the day, in the evening or at the weekend. It’s good if you try avoiding school pick-up times and, if you’re hosting a virtual gathering, try keeping away from lunchtimes as well, when parents might have to serve and feed their children.
- Take advantage of tech – Technology isn’t just crucial for virtual events but you should use it for a ‘face-to-face’ gathering as well. You’ll be able to present requisite information in an engaging way by using projectors, video clips, conferencing tools and interactive app games during your event.
- Think about Corporate Social Responsibility – You just cannot afford to risk damaging your brand’s reputation by disregarding Corporate Social Responsibility. While planning, do think about how your franchisee event can celebrate diversity, inclusivity and sustainability. These factors should be reflected in everything from the speakers you appoint to the marketing materials you use to the accessibility options in the venue you hire.
- Introduce a registering system – You’ll be better prepared for your franchisee event if you have a right idea of the number of people you’re expecting to attend. You can use Eventbrite or Google Forms and ask prospective guests to register in advance.
- Create an itinerary – When you are done with planning your event in detail, provide franchisees with a run-down of everything due to take place. That way, they’ll be able to plan their day and start to get excited.
- Introduce a hashtag – Starting a hashtag campaign on social media can be one of the best ways to create a buzz around your event. Ensure that all the attendees know how they can spread the word online, and encourage them to upload photos of their day.
- Share resources – Your franchise partners will be able to get the most out of the event if you provide them with useful resources. If you plan to discuss an engaging topic, you should consider creating a document with the key points you’ve covered or helpful tips. By doing this, you can give guests something to take away with themselves.
- Incorporate breaks – If your franchisee event will last for more than an hour, you should ensure to allow time for guests to go to the loo, grab a bite to eat or stretch their legs. People will not be able to focus and stay engaged for hours at a time, so it’s in your best interest to provide breaks.
- Measure results – Not to forget evaluating how successfully your franchisee event reached its goals. Go back to step one and ensure that you’ve got a way of quantifying the effectiveness of the gathering. When you are done with collecting your findings, you’ll have the information you require to make your next event even better.
- Follow up with franchisees – In order to gather even more insight, get in touch with your attendees to find out how useful they found the event. You can create a survey with key questions and space for comments.
For any queries, feel free to contact Franchise Insider:
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