The 2017 Multi-unit Franchise Conference
The Editorial Team , writer
Published at 28/09/2017, Updated on 04/05/2022 , Reading time: 4 min
The UK’s first Multi-unit Franchise Conference will take place at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC) on 13th October, offering driven entrepreneurs the chance to learn all about the success that can be achieved through multi-unit franchising.
The event is sponsored by HSBC and is exclusively for those seeking to build their franchise empire beyond one or two units. Whether you’re an existing franchisee or are new to franchising, but have the available capital to invest in multiple units, this conference is for you. You’ll have the opportunity to listen to industry specialists and learn from established multi-unit and multi-brand franchisees.
The conference schedule covers sessions on topics relevant to different stages of the multi-unit franchising journey. Some of the subjects covered will be:
Managing your cash flow – the complexities of multi-unit financial management
Developing a marketing strategy to support a multi-unit franchise operation
Planning your exit strategy
All the speakers are experts in their field and will share invaluable insights into what it takes to run a multi-unit franchise.
Who will be there?
The day will be crammed full of presentations and discussions led by inspirational leaders in the multi-franchising industry. Some of the big names that you’ll hear from are:
Speaker: Chris Holmes, Chief Development Officer - KFC Session: Do you have the entrepreneurial spirit to be a world class franchisee?
Speaker: Simon Vardy, Managing Director, Sim Trava Holdings – Costa Coffee & Pita Pit Session: Managing the performance of a multi-unit franchise company – Technology to enable effective management
To end the morning section of the conference, there will be a panel session with industry experts including Raja Adil, a multi-unit franchisee. His portfolio boasts franchises with Costa Coffee, Burger King, Anytime Fitness, Taco Bell, and KFC. The panel will be addressing the important topic of knowing when it’s the right time to grow your business.
How much will it cost?
The delegate package includes:
Full day conference
Delegate pack
Access to The National Franchise Exhibition (co-located with the conference)
Lunch
Refreshments throughout the day
Networking drinks reception
Cost: £115 + VAT
Early bird rate: £35 + VAT (if booked before 5 October)
Why attending conferences is a good idea
Whether you know that it’s the right time to expand your business by investing in multiple units, or you’re just interested in finding out what’s involved, the Multi-unit Franchise Conference will have something for you. Benefits of attending include:
- You get valuable time with experienced professionals Getting quality advice from the experts is crucial when contemplating investing heavily into additional units to add to your portfolio. Hearing from experienced multi-unit franchisees and having the opportunities to ask them questions will help you to decide if this big decision is the right one for you.
- You get to meet other multi-unit franchisees As well as having access to the professionals, you’ll also get the chance to speak to existing multi-unit franchisees from a wide range of industries. Finding out first-hand what it’s like to transition from a single-unit to a multi-unit business an important step in the consideration process.
- Learn about what’s new Like most industries, franchising is always changing. Franchise events allow you to find out about what’s new and what changes are on the way. How do I know if multi-unit franchising is for me?
Multi-unit franchising takes significant investment, time and hard work and is very different to running a single-unit franchise. Just because you love being a franchisee and are running a profitable business, this doesn’t always equate to job satisfaction and success if you expand to a multi-unit operation. Here’s 5 things you should know before you decide to expand your portfolio:
You will have to take a less hands on approach – When you manage a single-franchise, all focus and effort is spent trying to make it a success. Whether you do the job yourself, or hire a small team of employees to support you, you’ll still be responsible for managing the day to day running of the business. All this changes when you become a multi-unit franchisee. Attention will move from managing the processes to managing people. This doesn’t suit everyone and requires a different set of skills.
You need to trust your staff – Having a robust team of employees, and in particular, managers, is essential for a multi-unit franchise to be a success. No longer can the franchisee be involved in every aspect of the business, so a mutual trust needs to be built with the team surrounding them. The franchisee may not be able to visit a unit for a couple of days and they need to be confident that everything is running smoothly when they’re not around.
You can spread the risk of failure – Running businesses can be unpredictable and there may be occasions where one or more of your units is not performing as well as the others. The advantages of owning several units is that the successful franchises can support the lesser performing units during difficult times.
You’ll become a full-time franchisee – Many people choose the franchising option when starting a business because of the flexibility that some opportunities provide. Being able to work part-time or non-standard hours are perceived benefits of being the boss. However, when you’re responsible for managing multiple units, you may have to sacrifice your work / life balance as your business can become all encompassing.
Keep your passion – When you run just one franchise, all your blood, sweat and tears goes into making it a success. It can be easy to lose that passion, when the stresses and strains of managing multi-units takes hold. Try to remember the reasons why you extended your franchise empire and take pride in what you have achieved.
If you’re still not sure whether you’re ready to operate multiple units, find out more about the advantages and disadvantages of multi-unit franchising by reading our article.
The Editorial Team , writer