The Franchise Supplier Showcase Puts Food on the Table
Brian Duckett and Nick Strong presenting a cheque for £1860.00 to Foodbank Director Chris Mould
The Franchising Centre has again donated all of the delegate entry fees from its Supplier Showcase event to the Trussell Trust Foodbank project.
Chairman Brian Duckett said “The Franchising Centre is pleased to continue its support for this outstanding charity which takes direct action to put food on the table of those that really need help. In the business world we often talk about it being ‘Tough out there’. But ‘Tough’ is when you can’t feed your children and we are delighted to support a charity that helps people do that so effectively.”
Event manager Nick Strong commented “I have noticed over the years that as franchising continues to grow and establish itself as an important part of the UK economy, activity with charity work from all parts of the franchising sector has also noticeably grown. We are happy to be a part of this trend and use the Supplier Showcase event to support such a good cause.”
The Trussell Trust Foodbank Project is a not for profit franchise and now has over 170 centres around the UK.
5 Reasons Why You Should Enter the bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards
Cathryn Hayes - HSBC’s Head of Franchising and member of the Awards judging panel
The 2012 bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards, supported by Express Newspapers, is open for entries until 30 March 2012. Franchising is continuing to perform strongly despite the challenging economic climate, and we would like to encourage UK franchisors of any size or sector to tell their stories and inspire the next generation of franchisors.
But what’s in it for you, as one of these successful franchisors? Here are my 5 reasons why you should enter these prestigious awards, open to bfa members only:
- It gives you a chance to evaluate your business and focus on your successes. To enter, franchisors need to provide a 1,000 word entry outlining the reasons why they should win. How often do you take the time to look at your business with a critical eye? Previous entrants have told me they have found entering a real boost as it has given them a chance to revisit successes.
- It can be a great talking point with franchisees and staff and it never hurts to tell people about the great things you do. This leads on from point 1 above – it can boost your confidence as a franchise and bring the whole network together. Preparing your awards entry will provide you with a short document to share with staff and franchisees and enable the whole network to remind themselves how successful they are!
- A chance to set yourself up against your peers and find out how other successful franchise networks operate. There isn’t always a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way – but great franchisors often look at other successful businesses and take on board some elements to suit their own network.
- Go through the judging process. It might seem strange to put that as a benefit, but for the bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year awards, there are two judging stages to go through. The first is the preparation of your 1,000 word entry as mentioned above – if this gets you through to the short-list, you get to present your entry to the judging panel and are then questioned about it. It is a thorough judging process which puts you through your paces – but it really means something to win an award in this way!
- Get positive PR for your business. As sponsors, we cover the cost of professional PR support for the awards, not just writing the releases but also ‘selling’ your success story to national, regional and trade press. The value of the Awards PR coverage last year alone was nearly £750,000 with over 55 million ‘opportunities to see’ generated – don’t miss out on your share of that great coverage!
Full details including terms and conditions and downloadable entry forms can be found at www.thebfa.org
A taste of The Franchise Show at ExCeL
On the 24th – 25th of February 2012, The Franchise Show at ExCeL in London provided a platform for budding entrepreneurs and those interested in franchising as a route to self-employment, to meet over 100 franchisors from all over the country. It was a great opportunity to find out about the myriad of different franchise buisness systems currently on offer in the UK as well as playing host to many specialist seminars on a wide range of franchise business related topics. Select Your Franchise were there on the day and are pleased to present a little taster of what you might have expected if you were there. Look out for the next Franchise Show on the 7-8 September 2012 at Earls Court.
