Three days, Monday 9th to Wednesday 11th, of sponsor presentations and workshops provided the best in networking opportunities for both franchisors/sponsors and MatchPoint consultants. This year`s event is the first of many International Annual Summits we plan for our rapidly growing international network of franchise consultants.

Highlights from this important event in the Group`s calendar included UK brands presentations and presentations by Sponsor representatives Snap Fitness, Sopra Brands, DLA Piper, Platinum Property Partners, Tutor Doctor and WSI Internet Franchise

Day Two events commenced with a presentation by Keith Gerson, CFE, Chief Operating Officer of Sopra Brands, titled “Leveraging Surrogate Behaviours To Build Trust”, Keith Gerson has over thirty five years of executive level franchise expertise in building rapid-growth companies able to generate sustainable profits.  Recognized in franchising circles for his extensive leadership experience within the franchise industry, Keith has guided companies to record levels of franchise development, the acceleration of multimillion-dollar revenue growth (and resultant royalties) along with significant EBITDA.

In his role as Chief Operating Officer for Sopra Brands, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, Keith oversees the Presidents of each of Sopra Brands companies which includes HouseMaster Home Inspection, EarthFruits Yogurt, Hogi Yogi, Teriyaki Stix, Lunchboxers and GFEazy. Sopra also acquires and grows companies and provides management and consulting services to companies in the franchise industry. Keith’s exceptional track-record of business success, revenue growth and profit improvements are based on his commitment to creating alignment around key strategies and accomplishing results through a strong interdependent relationship between franchisor, franchisee and all stakeholders.

Monday closed with a fun evening pre-dinner event “Hunting in Oxford.”  The event was based on the popular board game Monopoly and sent the six teams of five all over the historic city to locate clues. Team members were provided with a list of photo challenges that included taking a photo of their team with ten strangers, taking a photo with a celebrity lookalike and taking a photo of the team performing an optical illusion. The evening ended with a fabulous dinner at La Tasca restaurant and a viewing of all of the team photos provided exceptionally lighthearted entertainment. The winning team was Team 2 led by Senior Vice President of Operations of MatchPoint, Victoria Conte. The event and dinner was sponsored by Sopra Brands.

MatchPoint Franchise Consulting Network was born out of a vision shared by a group of leaders within the franchise industry, that there could be a better way of helping individuals find the franchise opportunity of their dreams and a better way of helping franchisors identify efficiently the best potential franchisees. Match Point`s goal is to build the world’s most successful international network of franchise consultants representing the industry’s premier franchise brands, delivering value as a trusted partner to the best franchise brands, and offering high-value services to  prospective franchisee clients.

The first Annual International Summit for the MatchPoint Franchise Consulting Network has just concluded, May 8 through to May 11, at The Oxford Belfry Hotel, Milton Common, Thame, Oxfordshire in England. The three days included an intensive schedule of sponsor presentations, workshops and networking opportunities for both franchisors/sponsors and the MatchPoint team of consultants.

This important event in the Group`s calendar, offering the best of best practices material developed by industry experts especially for MatchPoint, together with UK brands presentations, is the first of many International Annual Summits we plan for our rapidly growing international network of franchise consultants. The formula for the Summit, the excellence of the speakers and the appropriateness of their presentations, together with the opportunity for one on one meetings with the sponsors, was praised by all in attendance.

Day One events featured a presentation by Gary Findley, Snap Fitness Chief Operating Officer, titled “Handling Fear and Other Obstacles” and directed at why consultants need to be sensitive to the three greatest fears and five greatest obstacles a potential franchise owner must overcome. Snap Fitness was the Summit sponsor.  A franchise expert with over 25 years of experience, Gary has a wealth of experience in helping new and experienced entrepreneurs get on the right track to growing their business. Since joining the company as COO, Gary has been instrumental in expanding the concept into seven countries, while managing day-to-day operations at the corporate headquarters with a staff of over 50 employees.

Phil Heaven, the UK Regional Vice President, introduced the Summit with opening comments and later in the day was Moderator for a best practice workshop “Matching the Candidate to the Best Brands”  Phil joined MatchPoint on January 1st and is one of the top performing consultants.

Mark Dobson, Co-Founder WSI Internet Franchise, presented on the power of the Shapes profiling system that MatchPoint uses to determine their candidates natural strengths and weaknesses. Mark has been with WSI since its inception in 1995. He has an extensive background in business development in several industries dating back to the early seventies. His knowledge of the development of human potential and the understanding of behavioral patterns has been instrumental in developing the unique franchisee screening and selection process utilized by WSI.

Two fun social events organized for the evening of Day One were thoroughly enjoyed by sponsors, consultants, spouses and guests and sponsored by SOPRA Brands.

Watch this space for a report on Day two activities, giving more details on the Speakers and their presentations and the workshops.

MatchPoint Franchise Consulting Network was born out of a vision shared by a group of leaders within the franchise industry, that there could be a better way of helping individuals find the franchise opportunity of their dreams and a better way of helping franchisors identify efficiently the best potential franchisees. Match Point`s goal is to build the world’s most successful international network of franchise consultants representing the industry’s premier franchise brands, delivering value as a trusted partner to the best franchise brands, and offering high-value services to  prospective franchisee clients.

We have just released the agenda for the first Annual International Summit, this year taking place in Oxford, England. This is to be the first of many International Summits planned for our rapidly growing international network of franchise consultants. We expect the Summit will be a popular and important annual event offering the best of educational and networking opportunities for both franchisors/sponsors and the MatchPoint team of consultants. The Summit and attendee events have been organized by Victoria Conte, Senior Vice President of Operations of MatchPoint and her team.

The Summit is booked for May 8 through to May 11, at The Oxford Belfry Hotel, Milton Common, Thame, Oxfordshire.  Summit sponsor is Snap Fitness, and sponsors for other events during the three days of speakers, presentations and workshops are Platinum Property Partners, SOPRA Brands, DLA Piper, Tutor Doctor and WSI, Internet Consulting and Education.  Speakers include franchise expert Gary Findley, COO of Snap Fitness, and Phil Zeidman, Senior Partner, DLA Piper, who will be speaking about the legal landscape, both in the U.S. and International.  Day 2 includes a two-part workshop on the highly topical subject of Social Media. In addition to speakers addressing the specifics of building a franchise brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland, there will be special presentations of UK brands and time scheduled for one on one interaction with exhibitors and sponsors.

As well as some fun activities before dinner events, Summit attendees will relax with a range of extracurricular activities including Golf and an onsite Spa, and spouses have a program of a collection of activities to choose from including as the opportunity for sightseeing in and around the Oxford area.

Watch this space for timely reports during the Summit, giving more details on the Speakers and their presentations and the workshops.

MatchPoint Franchise Consulting Network  was born out of a vision shared by a group of leaders within the franchise industry, that there could be a better way of helping individuals find the franchise opportunity of their dreams and a better way of helping franchisors identify efficiently the best potential franchisees. Match Point`s goal is to build the world’s most successful international network of franchise consultants representing the industry’s premier franchise brands, delivering value as a trusted partner to the best franchise brands, and offering high-value services to  prospective franchisee clients.