International Franchise Association

The Case for Autonomous Marketing
📅 Today, May 12 at 1:00 PM ET | Webinar
Starting soon — secure your spot now: https://franchise-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/7317768685237/WN_9_0fyLIwQHeXe3J-RoO1-A

In today’s Lunch N Learn, ActiveCampaign’s Director of Product Marketing, Camille Cohen, outlines why autonomous marketing should be part of your next budget conversation, and how to approach the discussion strategically.

What You'll Learn:
🔹 How autonomous marketing moves beyond traditional automation
🔹 Real examples of marketers implementing autonomous workflows
🔹 Measurable ROI and business impact of adopting this approach

Step into your next budget discussion with a clear, compelling case for autonomous marketing.

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: The Case for Autonomous Marketing. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Most marketers are still treating AI as a shortcut for individual tasks. The ones pulling ahead are building something different: autonomous marketing systems that make decisions, run campaigns, and optimize results with far less hands-on effort. The gap between those two groups is widening fast, an...

Join the SE Michigan Franchise Business Network and Women’s Franchise Network on May 28 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM ET at the Born In Detroit Store for an evening dedicated to strengthening connections within your local franchise community.

Moderated by Larisa Walega, Chief Growth Officer of Ziebart, this conversation brings together local perspectives on what’s working, where there are opportunities, and how franchise systems can better support success.

What You’ll Gain:
🔹 A clearer view of what’s driving performance in today’s environment
🔹 Insight into how franchisors and suppliers can better support operators
🔹 Applicable lessons from franchisees navigating real-world challenges

Secure your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/operators-at-the-center-what-it-really-takes-to-win-in-franchising-tickets-1987693508792?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

AI tools like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and voice assistants are no longer surfacing a list of options—they’re recommending one. For franchise brands, that shift creates both a challenge and a significant opportunity.

Join Matt Connolly, Vice President of Enterprise SEO at Scorpion, on May 19 at 1:00 PM ET for the webinar What the AI Search Shift Means for Franchise Brands as he shares what’s driving AI recommendations and what your brand can do to influence them across every location.

Walk away with:
🔹A clear picture of the new search landscape
🔹The local visibility factors that matter most at scale
🔹A framework for measuring what’s working

Building a system-wide approach to AI search visibility starts here. Sign up: https://franchise-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/4017776431918/WN_whqYoNlASXmqcoQ0cRQMRg

Last Chance to Register for the 2026 IFA Legal Symposium — Get In On The Action 📅 May 17–19, 2026 | Washington, D.C.

Franchise law is shaped in real time by regulators, legislation, and the challenges playing out across brands every day. There’s a difference between reading about changes in franchise law and being in the room while it’s being worked through.

Join your peers across legal, business, and advisory roles to compare approaches, challenge assumptions, and stay up on what’s next.

Why Washington?
🔹 The conversations shaping enforcement and policy
🔹 The people interpreting and applying the rules
🔹 The real-time shifts impacting your system

⚖️ IFA26 Legal Highlights:
🔹 Federal Trade Commission insights from Christine Todaro
🔹 Franchisor–franchisee alignment with Matthew Haller and 2026 IFA Chair Sam Ballas
🔹 Joint Employer Reckoning
🔹 Gabe Karp on transforming conflict to collaborative growth
🔹 Tough Conversations with Franchise Gladiators featuring Michael Joblove, Norman Leon, and Robert Zarco
🔹 Working sessions, roundtables, and peer exchange

Optional Add On - Progressive Dinner: Build relationships across the franchise ecosystem in a setting designed to help understand the franchise legal landscape. Open to first-timers and rising franchise legal professionals.

See how others are navigating the same pressures, and how they’re preparing for what’s ahead. Join the franchise legal community at IFA26 Legal.

▶️ Last Chance to Register: https://bit.ly/IFA26LegalFB

Franchise brands have long relied on Unit-Level Economics to guide growth, performance, and investment, but inconsistent data, delayed reporting, and non-standardized financials often make those metrics unreliable. Without a trusted data foundation, true insight and action aren’t possible.

In this Wednesday Wise Webinar, May 20 at 2:00 PM ET, John Babcock, Brand President of Lash Lounge, and Qvinci Software CEO Brad Adams provide the playbook on how leading franchise systems operationalize Unit-Level Economics across every location.

Learn how to:
🔹 Standardize financial and operational data across units
🔹 Benchmark true apples-to-apples KPIs
🔹 Gain near real-time visibility into performance
🔹 Make smarter growth decisions

This is where franchise performance management evolves from fragmented reporting to clarity and control.

Register Now: https://franchise-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/4017768687061/WN_VUEfiqFBS9q8iZpBKntZHg

If you’re talking about “supporting small businesses” but leaving out franchise owners — you’re missing the full picture. 🧵

Franchise growth doesn’t follow a one-size-fits-all model. The right development strategy depends on where you are today — and where you’re trying to go.

Join the IFA Franchisor Forum webinar, Build, Buy, or Borrow: Choosing the Right Franchise Development Engine for Your Growth Stage, on May 14 at 12:00 PM ET to evaluate which approach aligns with your current stage, internal infrastructure, and long-term vision.

This virtual session delivers lessons learned from the field, along with a framework you can apply to assess your development strategy with greater clarity.

As part of The Franchisor Forum Growth Lab series, the conversation continues after the presentation with interactive breakout discussions — giving you the opportunity to ask questions and learn from your peers.

Register today: https://franchise-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/P9ggUdKES7eLgLA47yMx7g #/registration

⏰ Happening today at 2:00 PM ET — Get Involved in America’s 250th Anniversary

July 4 is always an important occasion for local brand visibility, but this year’s 250th anniversary presents a whole new opportunity for brands to celebrate and mark the occasion in communities across the nation.

Join Matt Haller, IFA’s President and CEO, and Rachel Gerli, Chief Partnerships Officer for Freedom 250, today, May 7 at 2:00 PM ET to learn how to get involved with the celebration and support IFA’s advocacy for the American Franchise Act along the way.

Rachel will introduce Freedom 250 and share how the initiative is shaping a year-long celebration at the federal level — and, more importantly, how franchise brands and local operators can plug into it in meaningful, creative, and profitable ways.

We’ll walk through the key themes and government-led moments planned for each month, highlighting where consumer attention will be focused and how franchisees can align promotions, community engagement, and in-store experiences to match the national conversation.

You’ll leave with:
▪️ Activation ideas you can roll out across your brand
▪️ Examples from the 1976 bicentennial — how franchise brands celebrated the last landmark anniversary
▪️ Ways to align national brand messaging with local events

Sign up today to learn how to use this momentous occasion to make a mark in the communities you serve: https://franchise-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/9217768672769/WN_Jc4c_6vyRbKe5Sfm7aQoZA