From July 9 through 12, the Walt Disney World Yacht Club Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, came alive with hundreds of FranServe Affiliate Franchise Consultants, franchisors and special guests for the annual FranServe Convention and Expo.
Franchise experts Jack Johnson, Mike Halpern and Jeff Dudan helped kick off the conference with a highly anticipated consultant training session. Johnson, CFC, founder and CEO of The Franchise Insiders; Halpern, CAFC and CEO of Franchise Freeway; and Dudan, chairman and CEO of Homefront Brands, joined forces to share their sought-after tips. Their session highlighted topics about staying focused on your business, taking advantage of all the support that FranServe provides – including Success Builder Leads™ opportunities and its annual convention – and the importance of attending brand discovery days.
Halpern shared his thoughts about the convention. “The 2023 FranServe convention was a game changer for my franchise consulting business,” he said. “I left with several key learnings that will help me help my candidates more effectively. Can’t wait for next year!”
In addition to learning about countless franchise opportunities and meeting the faces behind successful brand names, attendees had their picture taken with Mickey Mouse and Pluto during a special event. Another highlight included a private viewing of the spectacular fireworks show in EPCOT.
There were also many celebrations! The Yellow Team won the Team Spirit Award, which is given to the most engaged consultant team that participates in breakout sessions. Team Yellow was led by Laura Rolfe and consisted of Brian Beers, Randy Scott Chitwood, Emily Chocron, John De Witte, Vicki De Witte, Pierre Dion, Mike Halpern, Scott Italiaander, Jack Johnson, Jim Karagiannis, Kevin Laleman, Sherri Laleman, Karen Lavin, Bob McKenna, Kim Moore, Daniel Purim, Tom Quinn and Matt Rieder.
This year, a new award was born: the Fran-tastic Award! Hand-picked by Alesia Visconti, CFE, CAFC, president and CEO of FranServe, Inc., this year’s awards went to Jack Johnson and Doug Schadle, CEO of Rhino7. Additionally, Visconti was recognized by Disney for her dedication to “dreaming and inspiring” and received the My Magical Triumph award.
As in years past, FranServe’s Convention and Expo created a dynamic space in which the best of the best in the franchising world gathered to share strategies for success and build memories that will last a lifetime. One attendee, John P. Hayes, CFE, director of the Titus Center for Franchising at Palm Beach Atlantic University, reflected on his experience at the convention.
“As you know, I speak at many franchise events annually, and I say with some authority the FranServe event was amazing – and the differentiator, I think, is your team. Whatever you’ve done to recruit, train, lead, manage and motivate your team, Alesia, should be in a book,” he said.
FranServe also continued its tradition of giving back and donated $20,000 to VetFran, an initiative of the International Franchise Association.
“We were thrilled to donate $20,000 to VetFran. Giving back to veterans by helping them get started as franchise owners is directly in line with FranServe being a purpose-driven organization (PDO),” Visconti said.
Although this year’s educational and fun events have come to a close, all can look forward to next year’s convention, which will return to Walt Disney World Yacht Club Resort from July 14 through 17, 2024.
Nancy E. Williams
