FANZ prepares for their National Conference and Annual Awards

FANZ Conference 2012
12-15 July, Bay of Islands

This year’s Franchise Association of New Zealand Conference will be held in the Bay of Islands, Northland. This location remains completely unspoilt and with its ancient Kauri forests and hundreds of kilometres of stunning coastline, the region is a natural paradise.

The Copthorne Hotel & Resort Bay of Islands will be a superb waterfront conference venue and offers uninterrupted bay views surrounded by 60 acres of subtropical gardens and the historic Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

The grounds are described as New Zealand’s premier historical and cultural site, where our nation’s founding document, the ‘Treaty of Waitangi’, was signed.

The Franchise Association of New Zealand’s conference, will bring together the franchise community over three days to network, exchange ideas and interact with other systems and service providers, as well as catch up on industry trends and hear what experts in the growing field of franchising have to say.

Conference registration includes invitations to three social events where delegates can relax, recharge and enjoy their surroundings. An array of talented speakers will be led by Geoff Bryan, our MC. Geoff is a New Zealand television broadcaster, currently a sports presenter for TVNZ, and most well-known for presenting the Olympic and Commonwealth Games since 1988.

Afternoon workshops provide delegates with an opportunity to drill down on some specific areas of interest. Smaller groups made up of like-minded individuals, facilitated by an industry expert, provide a valuable insight into the world of franchising.

Speakers drawn from the franchising community have scored particularly well with past delegate audiences and will again feature prominently. The conference will end on a high note with an address from John Anderson, New Zealand businessman, author, celebrity speaker and founder of Contiki Holidays.

The natural beauty, collegial environment, and inspirational speakers will combine to ensure a conference that is vital dynamic and must do for those in franchising.

Franchise Awards 2012/13
17 November, Auckland

This year will be the 18th Annual New Zealand Franchise Awards, which will celebrate and showcase many of the country’s highest performers in the franchising community. The award nominations are open to any member of the Franchise Association or the member’s franchisees.

The Awards Gala Dinner and presentation night this year will be a very special event as it coincides with the meeting of the Asia Pacific Franchise Confederation, which FANZ will be hosting in the days prior to the Awards night. (See Chairman, David Foster’s article in the Jan/Feb issue). Award winners will, therefore, be showcasing their achievements in front of the delegates to the meeting and their invited trade attaches.

Once again, the award entries will be evaluated by a panel of franchise industry experts who will rigorously analyse and test each entrant – looking at their planning, return on investment and customer satisfaction, as well as overall performance.

The panel will operate under the guidance of the New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation and entries will ultimately be judged under the internationally recognised Baldrige criteria.

Baldrige Awards promote awareness of performance excellence as an increasingly important element in competitiveness and information sharing of successful performance strategies and the benefits derived from using them.

To receive a Baldrige Award, an organisation must have a management system that ensures continuous improvement in the delivery of products and/or services, demonstrates efficient and effective operations, and provides a way of engaging and responding to customers and other stakeholders.

Last year’s Supreme Franchise System was awarded to Paper Plus New Zealand Ltd and the Supreme Franchisee of the Year to Columbus Coffee, Ashburton.

The Award categories include: Business Services, Food and Beverage, Home Services, Retail, Service Provider, Master Franchisee Award, Media Campaign of the Year and a new category this year, Franchise Export Award.