agenda at a glance October 28-30, 2026 | Austin TX

Designed for senior leaders navigating today’s most complex franchise challenges, this full-day, peer-driven session creates space for candid conversation and strategic problem-solving. Facilitated by Franchise Business Review and trusted partners, the discussion goes beyond surface-level topics to focus on real operational pressures, leadership decisions, and system-wide opportunities. Participants will: 

• Engage in high-level, confidential discussion with fellow C-suite leaders
• Share challenges and best practices related to growth, performance, and culture 
• Explore practical, real-world solutions that can be applied immediately
• Build meaningful connections with peers facing similar leadership realities

Sponsored by: Cheng Cohen, Stay In Your Lane

Built for VP and Director level leaders responsible for turning strategy into execution, this full-day interactive workshop focuses on practical challenges and real-world problem solving. Facilitated by Franchise Business Review and trusted partners, participants will connect with leaders across systems to exchange ideas, challenges, and proven approaches. Participants will:

• Collaborate with fellow VP and Director level leaders in a peer-driven setting 
• Share challenges and solutions related to operations, people, and performance
• Learn what’s working across other franchise systems
• Leave with actionable insights they can immediately apply

Sponsored by: Delightree, AC Inc.

Built for HR and People leaders responsible for building the cultures, teams, and systems that drive franchise performance, this full-day interactive workshop focuses on the real workforce challenges shaping franchising today. Facilitated by Franchise Business Review and trusted partners, participants will connect with peers across systems to exchange ideas, hard-won lessons, and proven people strategies. Participants will:

• Collaborate with fellow HR and People leaders in a candid, peer-driven setting
• Share challenges and solutions related to talent acquisition, retention, and franchisee support
• Explore what’s working across other franchise systems to reduce turnover and build strong cultures
• Leave with actionable frameworks they can bring back and implement immediately

Sponsored by: CareerPlug

Marketing funds. Local campaigns. Digital assets. Printed materials. Community outreach. Franchisees have a lot to manage, and when things aren’t working, ops teams hear about it first. This session is built for field leaders who want to stop fielding complaints and start driving solutions. You’ll learn how to set clear expectations around the franchisor’s marketing role versus the franchisee’s, how to coach franchisees on local marketing execution, and when outside partners can fill the gaps your internal team can’t. Leave with a practical framework for turning marketing friction into a competitive advantage for your franchisees and your brand.

Human-centered skills are often treated as “soft,” but in franchising they are some of the strongest business levers a brand can develop. The franchise systems that stand out are not the ones with the newest technology. They are the ones whose teams communicate clearly, connect quickly, and create experiences that build trust. This session shows how communication, empathy, and connection can be taught and reinforced just like any other operational skill. Using real examples from Prime IV Hydration and Wellness, Kate Savransky shares practical tools such as consultative selling, the IM GREAT method, and Wellness Plans that help teams build loyalty, improve retention, and deliver a more consistent client experience. Attendees will walk away with a simple playbook they can apply immediately to support stronger franchisee performance, better team culture, and meaningful improvements in revenue and client satisfaction.

Considering 64% of franchisees are first-time business owners, for many franchise brands, the first 90 days determine whether a new franchisee builds confidence, or becomes overwhelmed by operational complexity. New owners are often learning multiple systems at once while trying to generate revenue, manage staff, and deliver great customer experiences. Without clear operational structure, even highly motivated franchisees can struggle to gain momentum.

In this session, we’ll explore the critical operational milestones that set new franchisees up for success. We’ll examine common gaps in onboarding and highlight the processes successful franchise brands establish early to create clarity and confidence. Participants will leave with a practical framework for structuring the first 90 days of franchise ownership (from operational setup to daily execution) so new franchisees can move quickly from learning the business to successfully running it.

High-performing franchise systems don’t just report numbers—they coach franchisees to act on them. This interactive workshop provides franchise support professionals with practical frameworks for improving unit-level profitability and financial decision-making. Focused on real-world application rather than accounting theory, participants leave with tools they can immediately use to support new franchisees, address underperformance, or guide successful operators through growth decisions.

Franchisee frustration doesn’t show up overnight. It builds. And by the time it lands in your inbox as an angry email or in your voicemail as a threat, you’re already behind. This session brings together a franchisor, an independent franchise association rep, and a legal expert to tackle the real question: how do you resolve conflict before it gets expensive? You’ll hear candid stories from the field, learn a step-by-step framework for navigating tough conversations, and get clear on what your legal exposure actually looks like when relationships go sideways. The goal isn’t to avoid hard conversations. It’s to get better at having them.

Field business consultants spend a fraction of their time actually coaching. The rest goes to prep, admin, reporting, and follow-up. AI won’t replace your FBCs, but it will give back the hours that are keeping them reactive. This session cuts straight to the practical: which tools are franchise support teams actually using, what do they use them for, and what does that look like in the real world? A franchisor field team leader and an outside expert will walk through real examples, from pre-visit prep and post-visit summaries to identifying performance trends and drafting franchisee communications. You’ll leave with a short list of tools your team can test immediately, no IT department required.

The bottom performers get attention. The top performers get celebrated. But what about everyone in between? The franchisees who are compliant, comfortable, and completely checked out of growth? This is the coaching challenge most field teams aren’t trained for, and it’s sitting in the middle of almost every franchise system right now. This session tackles the tenure cliff head-on. You’ll learn why years five through ten are the highest-risk window for franchisee disengagement, how to tell the difference between a franchisee who CAN’T improve and one who WON’T, and what coaching approaches actually move the needle with owners who don’t think they have a problem. Roundtable discussions will give you the chance to work through the scenarios you’re already dealing with in your own system.

Most franchise systems have the answers to some of their biggest challenges sitting right inside their own network. The franchisee who figured out a smarter hiring process. The operator who solved a customer retention problem nobody at corporate had cracked. The multi-unit owner with a management development approach worth stealing. The brands that grow fastest aren’t just the ones with the best corporate playbook. They’re the ones that know how to find those people, learn from them, and scale what they know. This session digs into the formal and informal structures that make franchisee-led innovation possible: advisory councils that have real influence, peer mentorship programs that stick, and idea pipelines that turn field insights into system improvements. Bring your current approach to the roundtable. Leave with a better one.