2008 Conference Program—Symposium 4

SELECTING, NEGOTIATING & OPERATING A MASTER FRANCHISE
If you want to acquire or grant franchise rights for a country or a region, you will need to understand master franchising. Master franchising occurs when a franchisor grants a person (the master franchisee) the right to operate and sell franchises in a defined territory. The master franchisee is both a franchisee and, in his territory, a franchisor. Our course will teach you how to select a master franchise partner and how to negotiate a master franchise agreement, emphasizing transactions in which the franchisee and franchisor are from different countries. All symposium attendees receive admission to the exhibits on all three days.

Date

Friday, April 11, 11:00am – 1:00pm

Rates

Advance: $175 includes exhibit hall admission and seminars
On-Site: $225 includes exhibit hall admission and seminars

Individuals enrolled in the Certified Franchise Executives program will earn 100 Elective credits towards completion or recertification of the Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) designation by attending Selecting, Negotiating and Operating a Master Franchise. For more information about the Certified Franchise Executives program, please call or email Rose DuPont (202-662-0771 -- rdupont@franchise.org) or visit www.franchise.org/certification.aspx.

Who Should Attend

International investors seeking franchises which they can expand into their countries; officials who wish to learn more about how to facilitate franchising into their countries; and owners of master franchises seeking a better understanding of how to address common issues which arise in a master franchise relationship.

This Symposium Will Look At

Are you considering acquiring an international master franchise?

If you are considering investing in a master franchise, you should first invest two hours in understanding the most common challenges international master franchisees face. Learn the questions a franchisor must answer to help you evaluate whether it understands your market and whether a franchisor actually has the resources and experience to help you to achieve your goals.

You should know what to examine in a master franchise agreement in order to determine whether it will give you a fair chance to be profitable and to benefit from the equity you build in your business. You also should know what resources you will need to be a successful master franchisee.

Learn the best way to develop a business plan for a new master franchise. Find out how you can evaluate whether a franchisor has performed enough of an evaluation of you, your business, your financial skills and your home market to be realistically interested in more than just collecting an initial fee from you and hoping things work out for you thereafter. See how you can determine whether the fees a franchisor proposes to charge are fair.

Every master franchise has a development schedule, and your failure to meet its requirements could result in the termination of your master franchise rights. How can you determine whether the schedule is fair, and how can it be structured to protect your investment and the franchisor’s reasonable expectation that you will develop its brand in your market?

Because an international master franchise involves multiple parties—franchisor, master franchisee and unit franchisees in the territory—as well as multiple agreements, different laws, cultures and often different languages, they are complex relationships. Many resources are available to help master franchisees identify and address these issues. Our seminar will tell you where to find them, and cost effective strategies for finding and retaining franchise lawyers and other franchising professionals that you will want to have as a part of your team.

Presented by: Carl E. Zwisler, Attorney, Franchise and Distribution Law Group, Haynes and Boone, LLP (www.haynesboone.com)

Carl Zwisler represents franchisors, manufacturers and investors in structuring, negotiating and enforcing domestic and international franchise, licensing, distribution and acquisition agreements. With over 30 years experience, he has assisted companies in evaluating expansion of their businesses throughout the world, and has represented franchisors in renegotiating troubled international franchise relationships. Carl served as IFA’s Chief Staff Counsel or General Counsel from 1975 to 1983. He later chaired IFA’s Supplier Forum and served on IFA’s Board of Directors. He is a member of IFA’s Legal/Legislative and Franchise Relations Committees. He was an advisor to the U.S. State Department on the UNIDROIT Model National Franchise Law project. He has lead 3-day international master franchising symposia at the annual International Franchise Expo since 1992. He authored the book, “Master Franchising: Selecting, Negotiating and Operating a Master Franchise,” published in 1999 by Commerce Clearing House. He also authored “Franchising Basics: The Official IFA Course,” an interactive web based course. Carl is listed in the International Who’s Who of Franchise Lawyers.