The pressure to top last year’s annual franchisee meeting is high. Brand trust and confidence are on the line. This meeting is an important opportunity for thousands of owners and operators to come together to:
- Re-energize their commitment to your brand
- Cross-share best practices
- Learn how to launch the latest product offerings
Creativity and responsiveness are critical. Maintaining franchisee/manager allegiance requires hosting a flawless event that strikes the balance of introducing new trends and continuing time-honored traditions. Unfortunately, expectations often grow at a faster pace than event budgets.
That’s why the right experts can find efficiencies and design an unforgettable experience for franchise owners and operators. From sharing fresh activations and engagement ideas to sponsorship strategy to staging design and even food and beverage management—a full-service partnership makes it possible to do more with less.
Trend 1: Shorter sessions, more connection
Event formats are evolving. Take an immersive approach with an interactive agenda. We're moving away from slide-driven general sessions. Today, it’s all about “guide to the side” presentations, interactive keynotes and unscripted panels.
Increased interest in collaboration and digital-first experiences invite new ways to combat short attention spans. They also connect attendees to one another, maximizing the benefit of in-person events.
- VR/AR simulations leverage the latest technology to engage attendees in simulations that couldn’t otherwise happen on an expo floor.
- Gamified break-out sessions plug into franchise owners’ competitive spirit and facilitate problem-solving around issues important to them.
- Hands-on demos utilize custom-built environments that create brand-forward moments.
Lasting benefit: Research shows experiential learning isn’t just fun and games. Its takeaways are stickier than content that’s simply shown on a screen. This is especially important when it comes to issues of uptake and compliance.
Trend 2: Sponsorships that enhance attendee experiences
Event marketers often worry about topping last year’s event as rising costs put pressure on budgets and attendee and decision-maker expectations grow. Sponsor funds remain one of the most underutilized opportunities to boost your event budget and underwrite unique and memorable experiences for attendees. These highly visible moments, like a drone display finale, connect your audience to the brand in the most positive way possible.
A dedicated Sponsorship Event Manager:
- Starts from a financial model
- Identifies opportunities to increase revenue
- Creates a tiered prospectus targeted to the right partners
- Streamlines sponsor management, including on-site logistics
Lasting benefit: Seeing the same sponsors at events throughout the year gives attendees a sense that your brand trusts their products and/or services, which in turn builds respect and strengthens the attendee/sponsor relationship.
Trend 3: Personalized experiences with proven ROI
Don’t guess about what will resonate best with your audiences. Franchisee meetings can use the latest technology to capture information, segment and plan event experiences that position operators as VIPs. A simple, playful quiz can collect valuable personal information and inform attendee personas that define targeted event communication and journeys.
Put data collected across your tools to work to prove they are valued and respected partners:
- Event registration systems
- Radio frequency identification technology (RFIDs)
- Online surveys
- Event apps
Analytics help marketers predict what messages, activations and opportunities will resonate with attendees. It also more effectively proves progress towards business objectives.
Lasting benefit: Mining attendee data leads to more personalized gifting options and swag that gets the social media spotlight. The best brands think deeper than “stuff,” though. They look for opportunities to help attendees find the people around them who share their affinities. These connections evolve a transactional function into a transformational relationship.
Related: 8 overlooked metrics to improve measurement and prove your annual meeting ROI
Turning trends into lasting franchisee benefits
Experienced event professionals know that creating a successful event is about much more than knowing the trends. It takes connecting the “why” and the “how” to deliver human-centered experiences that serve your business goals.
An annual meeting must lead to lasting benefits. That only happens when information is paired with inspiration. Take time to discover the moments that excite, motivate and engage your people—then elevate them to the next level.
Raise the bar on your franchisee meetings with expert tips from our latest lookbook.