Engaged in 2024: IFA uses a balanced approach to protecting franchising

As we ring in 2024, many of us have begun mapping out goals for the year to come. As you think about your year ahead in franchising, I encourage you to keep IFA in mind as a reliable partner and source for you in this year and many to come. Throughout 2023, we delivered on our promise to protect, enhance, and promote franchising—and we are only just getting started. 

There’s no better place to set your year up for success than at the 2024 IFA Annual Convention, Feb. 17–20, in Phoenix. Recognized as the “Best Event” by Entrepreneur Media, our convention consistently attracts the industry’s most prominent figures. Over the years, we’ve hosted showstopping keynote speakers, such as NBA star and Big Chicken franchisor Shaquille O’Neal and NFL legend and multi-unit franchisee Drew Brees.

This year will be no exception and will feature a star-studded roster, including influential personalities and business leaders on the main stage. It will also provide unparalleled opportunities, lessons, and best practices woven through the exhibit hall and each breakout session and networking reception. 

The 2023 IFA Annual Convention marked a milestone as the largest and most successful yet with more than 4,000 participants, and attendees can expect an even more impressive experience at our 2024 convention.

The event is a key opportunity to bring the franchise community together each year, but each day at the IFA headquarters in Washington, D.C., our team is fighting to protect you and your business from policies that could disrupt franchising as we know it. That includes fighting the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) new joint employer standard, which is set to go into effect in February.

In my recent testimony before the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, I shared with lawmakers the power of franchising. I also discussed the detrimental effect this new expanded NLRB standard would have on the franchise business model. I explained that, nationally, franchising is a driver of economic growth, and individually, it’s a creator of generational wealth for people from all walks of life. 

Rest assured, IFA is doing everything in its power to stop the new joint employer standard from taking effect. Joined by stakeholders from across the business community, IFA has filed a lawsuit against the NLRB for this expanded rule. On a separate track, we are also encouraging lawmakers to support a bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Review Act resolution that would put a stop to NLRB’s regulatory overreach. 

But we don’t just oppose policies at IFA. We are for many policies that will improve franchising from the earliest stages. IFA is working to establish a strong framework for the franchise relationship through improved pre-sale disclosure. We are doing so by encouraging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to focus on enhancing the information available to potential franchise buyers in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) rather than stepping in to regulate the franchise relationship once an agreement is in place.

We believe that proactively providing the information a buyer needs in order to make an informed purchasing decision improves the chances of a successful relationship and benefits both sides. We will continue to work with the FTC to improve the information available to prospective franchisees so that the franchise business model can continue to thrive well into the future.

The IFA team is unwavering in its commitment to improving the outlook for franchising, and we look forward to continuing to deliver on our mission to protect, enhance, and promote the franchise business model in 2024. Whether it’s advocacy, events, education, or engagement, we’re here for you however and wherever you need us. We hope to see you this Feb. 17–20 in Phoenix for a great start to the new year.

Matthew Haller is president and CEO of the International Franchise Association.