TL;DR:
When/Where: Sept 29–Oct 1, The Diplomat Beach Resort, Hollywood, FL.
Who: Franchisors, consultants/brokers, suppliers—the people who actually move deals.
Why go: It’s an excellent franchise development event built for real conversations that turn into improved pipeline and Broker visibility. Go in with a plan and you’ll leave with momentum.
If you’ve been around franchising long enough, you know the difference between a show that burns days and a show that builds pipelines. IFPG Retreat sits in the second camp.
This event is packed with great networking and structured speed-dating to ensure franchise development teams and brokers leave with many opportunities to build rapport.
Additionally, they’ve added great forums for leading industry suppliers and franchise brand leadership teams to meet in roundtable discussions and other forums.
As someone who cares more about results than swag, this is an event that can really move the needle.
What makes the IFPG Retreat different?
The IFPG Retreat is built around conversations, not booths.
Franchise brands meet face-to-face with franchise consultants and brokers who place candidates all year long. The format leans into pre-planned matchmaking, small-group roundtables, and plenty of white-space for the talks that actually matter.
Because the agenda centers on practical networking and candid sessions, you hear what’s working in FranDev right now: messaging that lands, financing friction, category trends, and how consultants are qualifying serious buyers.
You’ll even learn from top suppliers about franchise software trends and leading FranDev technology giving brands the edge.
You’ll leave with clarity.
If you show up prepared, you’ll walk out with a short list of partners to cultivate, a backlog of candidate intros, and a tighter story for the quarter ahead.
Who should seriously consider attending?
- Emerging franchisors ready to build a consultant channel the right way.
- Growth-stage brands tightening their message and increasing close rates.
- FSOs and large brands development leaders managing multiple brands who need a faster, cleaner handoff from brokers to increase candidates making it to discovery day and beyond.
If you rely on consultants to source quality candidates—or plan to—you’ll find your people there.
How to maximize ROI (before you board the plane)
Here’s our 4-step plan to make the most out of your next franchise conference.
1) Set outcome goals—not vanity metrics.
Decide in advance: “We want 10 consultant follow-ups scheduled, 3 qualified candidate referrals, and 1 pilot partnership.” Aim small, hit big, repeat.
2) Tighten your 60-second story.
Consultants hear hundreds of pitches. Make yours clear and memorable:
- Who thrives in your system (profile, ramp time, total investment)?
- Why candidates choose you (3 proof-points, not adjectives)?
- How you support early wins (onboarding, franchise training, unit-level economics)?
- How do you benchmark against your peers in a crowded marketplace?
Pro Tip: If you’re going to bring Swag. keep it small and make it useful. Otherwise, it will be left in the hotel room or dropped in the hallway trash bins. Save your money or make it count.
3) Bring assets that answer objections.
One-pager for consultants, a short deck for candidates, and a clean landing page for additional reference. Don’t make people chase information. If you serve it to them clearly, it will be used.
4) Build the follow-up machine now.
Have automation loaded and ready: instant thank-you text, day-1 recap email, day-3 resources, week-2 check-in. Tag every conversation by source so your post-show reporting isn’t a guessing game.
Pro tip: If you’re using ClientTether, set up event-specific tags, UTM tracking, and a “Retreat Fast-Follow” action plan so your responses fire in seconds, not days.
Your day-of playbook
- Open strong. First conversations framed around fit, not features. Ask what kinds of candidates a consultant sees and where deals stall. Listen more than you speak.
- Document everything. Log notes on the spot (phone, QR form, or CRM app). No napkins.
- Book while you’re standing there. If it’s a good fit, schedule a post-retreat call before you walk away. Future you will thank the present you.
- Protect your energy. Pick your moments. You’ll win more by having eight meaningful talks than eighty forgettable ones.
Post-retreat: the 48-hour rule
This is where most brands lose the plot. Don’t.
Here’s the timeline you have to keep in mind to make the IFPG Retreat count:
- Within 24 hours: Send personalized recaps with the two points you discussed and a clear next step.
- Within 48 hours: Share a short asset that advances the conversation—unit economics overview, onboarding timeline, or candidate journey.
- Within 7 days: Host a group debrief with your team, update the pipeline, and align on the top ten relationships to nurture this quarter.
What you’ll take home (if you do it right)
- A prioritized list of consultants who actually know your brand
- Pending warm candidate intros with context, not cold names
- Sharper messaging for the rest of the year
- A clean, measurable pipeline bump—not just a stack of business cards
We’ll be there—come say hi
If you want to cut your speed-to-lead to seconds, keep every conversation moving, nurture and build broker relationships, and prove channel ROI without spreadsheets, grab us between sessions.
ClientTether will be on the ground all week.
We’ll show you how top brands use our franchise CRM to turn event conversations into closed deals, without burying their teams in admin.
See you in Hollywood. Bring your story, leave with momentum.
