Franchising in Africa Virtual Conference coming in August

Franchising has come to a crossroad as it looks back at the last year of upheaval and prepares for future recovery. The board of the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA) is calling on its members, its stakeholders and the public to join them in this key conference that will serve to review and reboot the sector. The team of directors who make up the FASA executive, under the chairmanship of Pertunia Sibanyoni, CEO of InspectaCar invite all those in the franchising space to join them on the 25th and 26th August for this crucial virtual conference.

Partnering with sponsor Absa

Leading the recovery in the financial space is Absa, whose dedicated franchise division, under the direction of James Noble, Head of Wholesale, Retail & Franchising – Absa Business Banking, has sponsored the conference as it plans to assist in the recovery and growth of the franchise sector. Together with Miyelani Malulani, Absa’s economist, they will be analysing the economy and the role of banking in the franchising space.

Adding value with local and international expertise

Giving their expertise as moderators and bringing in international speakers will be Sean Goldsmith of GroeGlobal and Elana Koral of Franchise Coaches whose links with franchisors and experts around the world will see key players participate in the panel discussions to give a broader perspective.

Putting things in Perspective

Giving the voice of reason to the start of the conference on Wednesday 25th August will be Clem Sunter, Scenario Planner and Futurist who is tracking the global flags that impact business and economies around the world. As we have seen with the pandemic, no one country is immune from foreign influences – whether political, health-wise or social – and the many flare-ups and socio-economy changes can have long-term effects on economic recovery. On the local front, who better to shake things up and make us wake up to a new world – post-apocalypse – but Mike Said – who, like his name, says it like it is.

Sectors under the Spotlight

Franchising which is represented in over 14 business sectors locally and even more internationally, has been affected by the pandemic in a variety of ways – some to a greater extent than others. The FASA Conference First Stream (taking place on the 25th & 26th August) will concentrate on four of the major sectors, bring in international franchisors to give their perspectives on panel discussions to debate the way forward.

• The Restaurant & Quick Service Sector – will focus on the fight to keep their doors open to how franchises tweaked their models to stay relevant and embrace changes. We speak to association representatives and top franchise brands.The Consumer Services Sector – from how some within the services sector could capitalise on specific demands to others who now face new challenges as consumer demands change. International franchise brands will join the panel discussion.
• The FMCG Sector – getting perspectives from local operators on how they had to adapt to meet consumer expectations and the challenges the consumer goods sector faces going forward.
• The Automotive Sector -already in a quandary as it faced IR4 changes to its very existence. We weigh in with international and local fuel retailer associations as well debate what the future holds for this sector.
  This stream of the conference -over two days – offers a platform for members and stakeholders to share their experiences, challenges and network with local and international delegates.

Finding out about Franchising

The Second Stream of the two-day conference (25/26 August) – which runs concurrently with the first stream will focus on steering the franchise sector to future stability and growth. Some of South Africa’s most respected franchise, business & legal consultants – who have their finger on the pulse of what is happening in the sector – will weigh in on where we’re at and what needs to be done to take franchising to its next level.

1.  Re-setting and maintaining the principles of franchising – presented by the top consultants in franchising will be invaluable not only to franchisors and franchisees needing to get advice and direction but will be invaluable to all those people out there who are looking to invest in a franchise. The nitty gritty’s of rebooting and resetting and getting franchisees back on track will be unpacked as franchising looks to the future.
2. On the legal front, the changes brought on by Covid-19 and how they impacted on franchising will be tackled by experts from FASA’s legal advising who will highlight development and changes to both contracts and operational manuals and to advise on other statutory issues that impact on franchising.
3. The 4th Industrial Revolution took a back seat to Covid-19 in 2020 and in some ways we were catapulted into a new way of doing things. How technology will change how we operate is a crucial side to making franchising relevant for the future and experts in this field will unpack how technology is changing how we do business.
4. As FASA is an active member of the World Franchise Council, the Conference has invited representatives from various franchise associations from around the world to discuss how they have coped with the pandemic and how their franchise members are planning for renewed growth.

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FASA Franchise Association South Africa

To protect, lobby, promote and develop ethical franchising across all sectors in South Africa with specific focus on transformation.

www.fasa.co.za