MSA Worldwide had a wonderful experience at the IFA Convention in Las Vegas. It was great to be back to in-person meetings, and to see so many new members – first time franchisors, franchisees, and suppliers. We reconnected with old friends and met with MSA clients. The IFA staff put together a great show, and we were very pleased with the location for our sponsorship. We were honored to be recognized by Global Franchise Awards as the “Best Franchise Consultancy”– our second year in a row!
Michael Seid, Managing Director of MSA, was reelected to the IFA Board of Directors after an absence of three years, having previously served on the Board for over 13 years. The Board has expanded from 39 to 70 members to include representation from all areas of the membership.
Michael’s speech at the annual Prayer Breakfast was a tribute to and history of the International Franchise Association, honoring the contributions of past members who built the foundation of the IFA’s culture – Lew Rudnick, Phil Zeidman, Admiral Bernie Browning, Bill Rosenberg, Jim Bugg, Steve Lynn, Joe Francis, Don Dwyer, Sid Feltenstein, Steve Siegel, Nicki Sells and Dennis Wieczorek.
Kay Ainsley, Managing Director of MSA, was asked to serve as Vice Chair of the International Committee, which will be chaired by Larry Weinberg. The Committee includes franchisor, franchisee, and supplier members, and works to provide companies with the tools they need to need to grow beyond their borders via international franchising. People from many international markets attended the convention learn and to share their experiences.
Marla Rosner, Senior Learning & Development Consultant at MSA Worldwide, and Chair of the IFA Social Sector Committee, led a meeting of the Committee that debuted its first “explainer” video, featuring Vice-Chair Peter Holt introducing the video series, which is a top priority of the Committee. The video series is being developed to inform and inspire those interested in understanding social franchising and evaluating its appropriateness for their social enterprise. Organizations anywhere in the world will be able to access the videos and grasp how to adapt commercial franchise approaches to expand their impact, and to provide business ownership opportunities to those that may otherwise never have such access. (Fundraising for the video project is almost at the halfway mark; sponsorships are welcomed at: https://bit.ly/3uSrexy.)
2023 is looking to be a strong year for franchising. We hope you will give us a call and let us show you why our clients benefit from having MSA on their team.