Don’t miss out on your chance to win attendance to the USG Interactive Franchise Development Bootcamp. USG will give away 10 seats for this highly acclaimed training valued at $10,000 each!

Through Social Media you will have the opportunity to garner unlimited entries for the drawing, so join Upside Group on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or connect with us on LinkedIn and check out our Newsletter... Learn more about this exciting opportunity!

IFA's 45th Annual Legal Symposium
Washington, D.C., May 20 - 22, 2012

Gain invaluable insight on the latest legal challenges facing franchised businesses today, in addition to important networking time with your peers. This is the only franchise legal program that gives you an all access pass to top franchise law practitioners and franchise business leaders sharing their knowledge about the hottest topics in franchise law.

International Franchise Expo
New York City, June 15 - 17, 2012

Join thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners at the International Franchise Expo, the largest franchise expo in the country. Meet hundreds of proven franchised businesses. Every industry. Every investment level.

Franchise Consumer Marketing Conference
San Francisco, June 26 - 27, 2012

Engage customers, build loyalty and grow your franchise. Two full days of strategies, tools and insights.  Topics include the latest advances in: customer experience management, social media and mobile strategies, marketing analytics, and aligning marketing and sales. Share challenges, share real world solutions.

IFA 2012 Public Affairs Conference
Washington, D.C., September 10 - 12, 2012

Be sure to mark your calendar for IFA's 13th Annual Public Affairs Conference, September 9-12, 2012 at the Grand Hyatt Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.  The International Franchise Association’s Public Affairs Conference is open to all current IFA members

The Public Affairs conference is your opportunity to speak directly to your representatives in Washington during this election year. Join more than 500 franchise business leaders this fall to tell Congress why the franchising industry is more important than ever to job creation and continued economic recovery.

Stay tuned for more program and registration information. There is no registration fee for this event, so mark your calendar now and plan to join us this September in Washington, DC!

Various IFA committee meetings will also occur on September 9, 10 and 12.

ABA Forum on Franchising
October 3-5, 2012

The mission of the Forum on Franchising is to be the preeminent forum for the study and discussion of the legal aspects of franchising.

Goals:

• To provide high quality educational programs and publications on the legal aspects of franchising.
• To stimulate discussion of the legal aspects of franchising in order to educate the legal community and the franchising community on issues of current concern.
• To promote full and equal participation of minorities, women and other under-represented groups in Forum activities.
• To enhance the professional growth of Forum members in other ways by encouraging practitioners in all areas of franchise practice to participate fully in Forum activities.

2012 Annual Meeting
October 3-5, 2012
JW Marriott Los Angeles at LA Live
Los Angeles, CA

The West Coast Franchise Expo
October 12-14, 2012, Anaheim, CA

The West Coast Franchise Expo is the premier franchise event in the growing West Coast market. It provides the perfect opportunity to meet face-to-face with the region’s most qualified prospects and get exposure to hundreds of franchise concepts representing every industry and virtually every investment level.  Sponsored by the International Franchise Association.

For more information, visit: http://www.mfvexpo.com/WCFE.aspx

Franchise Expo South
Miami Beach, FL, January 11 - 13, 2013

Join thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners at the Franchise Expo South, the premier franchise expo serving the Southeastern US, Latin America and the Caribbean. Meet hundreds of proven franchised businesses. Every investment level.

IFA's 2013 Annual Convention
Las Vegas, February 17 - 20, 2013

For more than 50 years, the International Franchise Association has worked to protect, promote and enhance franchising by advocating on behalf of the industry and hosting exceptional educational programming and networking opportunities. This year’s event will be no exception. Attendees will leave inspired, optimistic and ready to face the challenges that lay ahead. Learn best practices; engage your peers; and chart the future.

National Restaurant Association Show
Chicago, May 5 - 8, 2012

NRA Show 2012 is the one place where 58,000 industry pros from more than 100 countries can connect with 1,800 exhibitors. The only venue where both operators and suppliers can forge profitable business ties. And the only forum that showcases world-class innovations, talent and strategy from across the restaurant industry.

2012 IFA Annual Convention
Orlando, FL, February 11-14, 2012

For more than 50 years, the International Franchise Association has worked to protect, promote and enhance franchising by advocating on behalf of the industry and hosting exceptional educational programming and networking opportunities. This year’s event will be no exception. Attendees will leave inspired, optimistic and ready to face the challenges that lay ahead. Learn best practices; engage your peers; and chart the future.

To learn more, visit: http://www.franchise.org/convention.aspx

Upside Group Co-Presenting for Stark & Stark’s
2011 Best Practices Seminar – Moneyball for Franchising
Lawrenceville, New Jersey, December 6, 2011, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM

As detailed in the bestselling novel and major motion picture, “Moneyball,” the Oakland A’s discovered a way to compete in major league baseball through modernizing its analytical and statistical approach toward evaluating baseball talent and prospect selection. Through this new system, the Oakland A’s were able to assemble a competitive team at a fraction of the salaries being paid by richer clubs.

Join us for a complimentary, full-day seminar to explore how franchise systems can adopt some of the lessons from Moneyball to profile and recruit better quality franchise prospects.

PRESENTED BY:

Mario Altiery, CFE, President – Upside Group
Ronald Feldman, CFE, CEO – Franchise America Finance
Ricardo Roman, Vice President – Caliper Corporation
Adam J. Siegelheim, Esq., Shareholder – Stark & Stark

Registration is required. RSVP by November 30th to
Megan at (609) 895-7307 or mearney@stark-stark.com

West Coast Franchise Expo
Los Angeles, November 4-6, 2011

The West Coast Franchise Expo brings together hundreds of the leading franchise companies along with thousands of entrepreneurs, interested in starting a business, from California plus a dozen western states. It’s a unique chance for prospective franchisees to meet face-to-face with from the most exciting franchise concepts, available at every investment level, full time or part time, you'll find the franchise that’s right for you at WCFE.

There’s a franchise to fit every lifestyle - so make your plans to visit the WCFE at the Los Angeles Convention Center, November 4-6, 2011.

To learn more, visit: www.wcfexpo.com or www.mfvexpo.com.

Upside Group to present at the 2011 ABA Forum on Franchising
Baltimore, October 19-21, 2011

Upside Group will present at the 2011 ABA Forum on Franchising October 19-21 in Baltimore. The Mission of the ABA Forum on Franchising is to be the preeminent forum for the study and discussion of the legal aspects of franchising. Upside Group is the only franchise consulting firm which has been asked to present at this year’s conference. An Upside executive will discuss “The Use of Consultants and Paraprofessionals in Franchising: Are you Aiding and Abetting the Unauthorized Practice of Law.”

To learn more, visit: http://www.americanbar.org

Upside Group Sponsoring IFA’s Annual Convention
Las Vegas February 13-16, 2011

IFA’s 51st Annual Convention theme, Building the Future Together, reflects the meeting’s focus on solutions to position the industry for the future as the economy begins to improve. Franchise industry experts and business and management professionals will share with convention attendees multiple strategies to recover from the recession and how to drive sales. Mitt Romney and Steve Forbes are the scheduled keynote speakers for this year’s event.

Upside Group is proud to serve as a primary sponsor for IFA’s 51st Annual Convention. Mario Altiery, our President and Founder, has been selected as a Facilitator for the Convention’s Business Solution Roundtables for the fifth consecutive year. In addition, several USG staff members have been asked to serve as Ambassadors during this year’s convention.

For more information on this event, please visit: http://franchise.org/convention.aspx

Franchise Expo South in Miami on January 14, 2011
Presenter: Mario Altiery of the Upside Group

Your Questions Answered! - Most Requested Topics for 2011
Presented by Mario Altiery - President, Upside Group Franchising Consulting

With the start of a new year and an ever-changing business climate, we have created the first and only franchise education seminar that addresses the most requested topics submitted by both established and early stage franchisors, as well as those thinking about franchising an existing business. Don’t miss the Franchise Expo South’s only customized, multi-topic seminar and an opportunity to interact directly with your peers, business associates and other industry professionals.

For more information, please visit: http://www.franchiseexposouth.com/FES_FS_Friday.asp

The West Coast Franchise Expo
November 5th - 7th, 2010
Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA

Join thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners at the WEST COAST FRANCHISE EXPO, the largest franchise expo in the west. Meet hundreds of proven franchised businesses. Every investment level.

Register now for the largest franchise expo in the west.

Turning Franchise Portal Leads Into Franchise Candidates -
Beginning October 14th, 2010
Presenter: Mario Altiery of the Upside Group

Franchise Gator will be hosting a series of webinars, the first of which will take place on October 14th, 2010 at 2:30pm. The focus of the series will be Turning Franchise Portal Leads Into Franchise Candidates. In this series of sessions we don’t want to simply instruct, we want to use real life examples, including a review of your lead follow up emails and one-on-one consultation.

Franchise Business Network Event
September 21, 2010 in Phoenix, AZ

On September 21, 2010 Upside Group Senior Consultant, Larry A. Schwartz gave the feature presentation at the Franchise Business Network (FBN) Event in Phoenix. The event was sponsored by Upside Group Franchise Consulting, Snell & Wilmer L.L.P., and the International Franchise Association. The event attracted a variety of individuals from the Arizona franchise community including local franchisors, franchise attorneys and suppliers as well as those thinking about franchising an existing business. The focus of the event was on one of the key elements of franchise development, the Discovery Day. Industry experts led in-depth discussions and answered questions regarding some of the most effective Discovery Day strategies and associated compliance issues. Feedback was extremely positive and attendees eagerly voiced excitement about attending future Phoenix area Franchise Business Network Events.