The second edition of the Think Tank Franchising Brasil took place between August 17th and 26th. The initiative, which aims to promote online meetings to exchange experiences about the economic recovery, is organized by Franchising Brasil – Program for the internationalization of the Brazilian franchise sector, conducted through a partnership between the Brazilian Franchising Association (ABF) and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil).
The remote meetings brought together 87 people, among them franchisors, consultants, representatives of associations, and service providers from the franchising chain, from 12 countries besides Brazil. Representatives of brands such as Spoleto, Maple Bear, Mr. Black Café and Burger King were present.
The event had two rounds, both discussing the following topics: “Expansion of physical units vs. e-commerce (brick & click)”; “Digital transformation in franchising”, “Transformation in the relationship between franchisors and franchisees”; “Internationalization in the post-pandemic” and “The new role of social media”.
In the panel “Expansion of physical units x e-commerce (brick & click)”, which took place on the first day (17), the speakers discussed the role of emerging platforms that bridge the gap between the physical and the digital. During the meeting, Cristian Figueiredo, CEO of Mr. Black Café, affirmed that digital is not here to kill physical retail. According to him, technologies can help franchises adapt to consumer needs. “Customers want options, they want that capillarity in the restaurant and in the delivery,” the CEO explained.
“The pandemic accelerated several aspects of the retail relationship and the relationship between franchisor and franchisee,” said Bruno Amado, executive manager of the Franchising Brasil Program, during the panel. One of the technologies discussed at the meeting was the dark kitchen (or cloud kitchen, or ghost kitchen), which is the growing trend of restaurants that serve only take-out food – and by nature have no dining room.
On the 19th, during the panel “The new role of social media”, the conversation approached the best way for franchises to guide their franchisees when it comes to social media. In addition, the discussion also raised the question of the relationship between brands and the use of digital influencers. For Livia Cravo, from the Brazilian brand Billy the Grill, influencers need to be part of the strategy: “but in an authentic and true way.”
Second Round of Meetings
In the second week, the Think Tank continued promoting round table discussions and bringing together global market players. The meetings took place on August 24th, 25th, and 26th.
On the last day, the event included a panel on the relationship between franchisors and franchisees. The panel discussed how these relationships have become more complex over the years. “Before, the franchisor would give instructions to the franchisee and that was it, it was blindly obeyed. Today, relationships are much more complex,” says Jose Hernandez, from the Federación Iberoamericana de Franquicias. “The recommendation is to implement franchisee committees in the chains, by means of communication. Formal committees. Not only to have them listened to, but to have intelligent consulting among those who are working with these franchises.”
Closing the event, Bruno Amado, international project manager at ABF, notes the difference between the two editions of the Think Tank Franchising Brasil: “Last year, the focus was on the pandemic itself. This year, the themes that have been built by us are the themes concerning the resumption of economic activities. “
The event was supported by international partners: the Federación Iberoamericana de Franquicias; Asociación Ecuatoriana de Franquicias; Cámara Venezolana de Franquicias (Pro Franquicias); Associação Portuguesa de Franchising (APF), Cámara Colombiana de Franquicias (COLFRANQUICIAS); Cámara Uruguaya de Franquicias; Centro Nacional de Franquicias Costa Rica (CENAF); Asociación Argentina de Marcas y Franquicias (AAMF) and Asociación Guatemalteca de Franquicias (AGF).
About Franchising Brasil
Franchising Brasil is a sectorial project, carried out by the Brazilian Franchising Association (ABF) in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), which aims at supporting the internationalization strategy of the Brazilian franchise networks and their international commercial promotion. The initiative was designed to promote this recognized business model in key international markets.