A Comprehensive Approach to Coordinating Speaking Engagements Helps No Limit Agency Turn One Presentation into a Series of Wins for Franchise Brands

For emerging brands looking to break into the franchising industry, boosting their awareness is critical to long-term success. From introducing a concept as something that’s attractive to consumers to offering a simple and proven business model for aspiring business owners, franchise brands need to position themselves as something new and unique in order to stand out from the crowd.

Between securing positive press in local, national and trade news outlets and establishing a strong digital presence through content marketing and social media, there’s no shortage of ways for brands to get their name and opportunity in front of the right audience. But there’s another tactic that has the potential to quickly spread the word about an emerging brand that’s often overlooked: speaking engagements.

Booking and securing speaking engagements for members of a brand’s leadership teams has the potential to propel an emerging brand forward. That’s why No Limit Agency has created a comprehensive approach to not only confirming speaking engagements for brands, but also preparing clients for their presentations. And that process begins long before an opportunity is even booked—NLA begins coordinating speaking opportunities by determining which events and presentations are right for specific brands.

“Whenever we come across an opportunity that would help boost a brand’s exposure and overall awareness, we thoroughly vet it to make sure that it aligns with their messaging and development goals. Whether a speaking engagement is providing the opportunity to network with other industry professionals and influencers or get in front of prospective franchisees, we go above and beyond to ensure that our clients are only participating in events that are a good fit for them,” said Brian Jaeger, No Limit Agency’s vice president of media relations.

For Buffalo Wings & Rings, MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes and Saladworks, it’s clear that No Limit Agency’s unique approach to securing speaking engagements is working. In 2017 alone, NLA has coordinated a speaking opportunity for Buffalo Wings & Rings CEO Nader Masadesh at the Finance & Growth Conference, which is made up of representatives from the top franchise lenders in the industry. The engagement gives Buffalo Wings & Rings a chance to present its overall growth strategy as well as gain insight into best practices from other brands operating within the franchising industry.

No Limit Agency has also been able to make an introduction and coordinate a speaking engagement for MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes’ vice president of marketing Natalie Anderson Liu at the 2017 Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit in the brand’s hometown of Dallas. Anderson Liu spoke as part of a panel on “Taking Your Loyalty (Or Rewards) Program Digital” alongside representatives from other leading restaurant brands in the industry, ultimately positioning MOOYAH as an expert in its field.

Executives from Saladworks are also making presentations at some of the franchising industry’s top events. Last year, for example, CEO Patrick Sugrue participated on a panel titled “Build Your 2017 Plan” at the Franchise Leadership & Development Conference. Saladworks’ CMO Steve McMahon is also set to speak at this year’s Consumer Franchise Marketing conference.

But NLA’s work surrounding speaking engagements extends far beyond coordinating a time and date for a presentation to take place. No Limit Agency’s team of media relations and franchise development experts also prepare their clients in order to help them give the best speech possible.

“Confirming speaking engagements for our clients is just the first step in ensuring that they’re a success. From a behind the scenes standpoint, we coordinate headshots and bios to be included in promotional materials for their specific event or conference. But our services don’t stop there,” said Jaeger. “We also work directly with our clients to prepare them for their upcoming presentation or speech. Our goal is to help people feel as comfortable and confident going into a speaking engagement as possible so that they can focus solely on their own expertise. We make ourselves available for coaching in order to talk through potential questions that might come up, ultimately enabling our clients to be prepared for any scenario.”

By engaging No Limit Agency’s comprehensive services surrounding speaking engagements, brands like Buffalo Wings & Rings, MOOYAH and Saladworks have all been able to transition from emerging concepts into expert leaders within their specific segments. Buffalo Wings & Rings, for example, has gained impressive momentum since starting with NLA back in December of 2013. After ending the year with zero franchises sold, NLA’s unique blend of traditional PR and media outreach efforts, franchise development consulting, content marketing and other services designed to boost brand awareness—including speaking engagements—helped the brand secure 600 leads and 17 new signed franchise agreements by the end of 2014. Since then, new signings and openings have become par for the course across Buffalo Wings & Rings’ entire franchise system.

By treating speaking engagements as a starting point for its clients instead of viewing them as a final destination, No Limit Agency is then able to leverage its list of services to make the most out of every presentation and get more mileage out of the experience.

“As with everything else that we do at No Limit Agency, we make the most out of the speaking engagements that we secure for our clients. Whether it’s spinning one speech or presentation into a story that can be pitched to the media or covering an event on 1851 Franchise and social media, we’re able to leverage each engagement to maximize its potential for increased awareness,” said Jaeger. “By being a full service agency that’s focused on creating brand biographies, we’re designed to connect the silos and capitalize on every opportunity for exposure that comes our way.”