Stagecoach hosts global conference

Stagecoach welcomed franchisees from around the world to its international annual conference.

Stagecoach hosted its annual conference, which was centred around the topics of ‘health, wealth and happiness’ and showed franchisees how looking after themselves and growing their businesses can work in tandem for maximum success.

The two-day conference was held on the 24th and 25th of June at the grand Whittlebury Hall in Northamptonshire. Special guests who are experts in the fields of mental health, business coaching and wellbeing shared valuable insights with attendees from the kids & children’s franchise.

To kick off the event, franchisees heard from Sarah Kelly, CEO of Stagecoach, who welcomed everyone and set out what they could expect from the knowledge-packed sessions. Professor Tanya Byron followed up with an insightful keynote speech on the topic of mental health, informed by her background as a renowned mental health clinician.

She explained the science behind mental wellbeing and gave franchisees a look into the importance of looking after your mental health, for both the franchise’s young students and its hard-working franchisees. The talk tied in well with Stagecoach’s charity partner, Young Minds, and left the attendees with plenty of food for thought on how to look after the mental health of themselves and those around them.

Franchisees also heard from Joanna Martorana, experienced business growth coach, who shared her top tips for increasing the profitability of a business. She also introduced the audience to her proven steps to build a million-pound business, for the most ambitious franchisees in the Stagecoach network.

Kate Parkinson, franchisees at Stagecoach, said that she felt inspired by the talk and is looking forward to putting Martorana’s strategies in place.

“After close to 13 years with Stagecoach, I’m really proud to work with such an innovative brand. As a franchisor, Stagecoach continues to provide us with all the tools we need for success, really giving us the edge. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me and the whole network.”

Self-compassion coach and Master NLP Practitioners Helen Golstein rounded off the inspiring speeches. She reminded franchisees of the importance of cultivating a good work-life balance and how personal reflection can be a vital tool in growing as a businessperson.

The conference ended with the eagerly anticipated awards ceremony. Franchisee of the Year Awards were handed out to those who had really shone during the year in areas like the quality of their service, how quickly their business had grown and its financial performance. Heidi Rees, who runs the Pontypridd & The Valleys branch, was named as ‘Newcomer of the Year’ and expressed her delight at receiving the award.

“I’m thrilled to be recognised after less than a year of running my franchise. I’m really proud to be part of the stagecoach network – I live and breathe our mantra of Creative Courage for Life. Children need the skills they develop through their Stagecoach lesson and I’m happy to bring the opportunity to students across South Wales.”