DailyFranchiseNews.com

IFA Convention Still Rocks After 50 Years!

Ok this one is going to be long.  First of all I cannot say how wonderful it is to be one of the "old ones" in the IFA--some of the greatest people I have ever met are in franchising--yes this blogger had a life before entering the franchise community in 1982-but never have I met better people. So being treated like a rock star and getting lots of hugs in a year that I have been ill and things were not sunny-well that was just amazing.  And VP of IFA Debbie Moss never ceases to amaze me with how she and her team get the job done! This place and event are massive yet everyone manages to get here and there and smile doing it. Maybe because we are all good to each other and the events are stellar. George Bush was actually very amusing and since this convention was in San Antonio, Texas, and the Chair Persons of the IFA this year (Dina Dwyer-Owens) and next year (Ken Walker) are both Texas natives, well he was the perfect Keynote Speaker and the luncheon was packed!  Sessions were good and social media is the stellar topic.  Good thing this blogger has a PR firm with a whole division devoted to social media and graphics (like avatars for your Twitter!) So enjoy along with me some of the great photos from event! Top left: Subway founder Fred DeLuca and Sanderson & Associates PR account exec Megan, founder Rhonda Sanderson and account exec Christine. Top right: Stuart Mathis (MBE president) and wife Mary who had a broken foot--(this blogger borrowed her scooter-see fuzzy phone photo of that here!) And finally the Jack Nicholson and Rod Stewart of Franchising-bottom left!!    

IFA Convention Still Rocks After 50 Years!

Ok this one is going to be long.  First of all I cannot say how wonderful it is to be one of the "old ones" in the IFA--some of the greatest people I have ever met are in franchising--yes this blogger had a life before entering the franchise community in 1982-but never have I met better people. So being treated like a rock star and getting lots of hugs in a year that I have been ill and things were not sunny-well that was just amazing.  And VP of IFA Debbie Moss never ceases to amaze me with how she and her team get the job done! This place and event are massive yet everyone manages to get here and there and smile doing it. Maybe because we are all good to each other and the events are stellar. George Bush was actually very amusing and since this convention was in San Antonio, Texas, and the Chair Persons of the IFA this year (Dina Dwyer-Owens) and next year (Ken Walker) are both Texas natives, well he was the perfect Keynote Speaker and the luncheon was packed! 

Sessions were good and social media is the stellar topic.  Good thing this blogger has a PR firm with a whole division devoted to social media and graphics (like avatars for your Twitter!) So enjoy along with me some of the great photos from event! Top left--Stuart Mathis (MBE president) and wife Mary who had a broken foot--(this blogger borrowed her scooter-see fuzzy phone photo of that here!)

Hungry Howie’s Pizza Raises $100,000 For Breast Cancer Awareness

Breast cancer hits close to home here at DFN. According to the American Cancer Society, 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer were found in 2009. In an article on QSRMagazine.com, Hungry Howie’s Pizza joined the fight this past October and helped raise $100,000 to support the cause. The company featured bright pink pizza boxes emblazoned with breast cancer awareness ribbons instead of the original classic Howie yellow boxes. For every pizza purchased, Hungry Howie's made a donation to the cause. Through this campaign, Hungry Howie’s supported the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s mission of providing free mammograms for needy women and to promote early detection awareness education.

South Florida Residents Turn to Franchising in Down Economy

In a time where jobs are scarce, the unemployed are reinventing themselves by turning to franchise ownership. In a story by The Miami Herald this week, four local residents have not let the economy stand in their way from achieving their goal of running a business. Robyn Vescovi is a month away from opening her Tasti D-Lite franchise and believes a troubled economy won't keep people from indulging in the healthy frozen dessert. Raj Patel and his partner Rudy Puig recently opened the first Panchero’s Mexican Grill in the region and Lisa Simpson left her career in banking and to invest in CertaPro Painters. After being unemployed for a year, Pauline Hamian ditched the résumé and decided to take matters into her own hands and opened a ShelfGenie franchise. MatchPoint consultant Jim Sebastiano points out that there are more than 3,500 different franchises available and says to do extensive research to find out which one is a fit for you and your skills.

FES Still Rocks

Despite cold weather and a still shaky economy, the FES held at the Miami Convention Center last weekend was thick with people up and down the aisles. A few new "green" concepts caused some to stop and scratch their heads-but popular exhibits such as the Delightful Tasti D-Lite were surrounded with visitors who couldn't get enough of the tasty frozen treat for just about 80 calories a cup. Mr. Clean Car Wash returned and even though fairly new to the franchise scene, they worked it like veterans! Photos below.