There are so many reasons to join Smoothie King including being the global brand power of more than 750 stores, and more than 40 years of experience in defining an industry category. In order to celebrate this growing market share while capitalizing on momentum, Smoothie King will host its 2016 Smoothie King Conference at the Hyatt Regency in downtown New Orleans on March 21-22.
Approximately 1,000 Smoothie King corporate team members, franchisees and partner vendors from all over the globe will gather in New Orleans to celebrate the brand’s accomplishments in 2015 while discussing future plans for the leading smoothie franchise company. During this year’s conference, themed “People, Passion and Purpose,” attendees will have the opportunity to review sales statistics and new developments while networking with their peers and gaining incredible insight into the growth of the company.
Katherine Meariman, director of training at Smoothie King, said the conference is always a highly anticipated event, and it provides the perfect opportunity for the brand to reflect and plan.
“It is a time to reenergize our system and for franchisees to connect with each other and hear from home office and some our partners face to face,” Meariman said. “The positive energy that our entire organization feels during this event is unmatched!”
The event will feature a number of keynote speakers, including Smoothie King CEO Wan Kim, who will deliver a address about the direction the company is headed while reinforcing that Smoothie King inspires its guests to live a healthy and active lifestyle. Vice President of Marketing Chris Miller will discuss how the brand uses a smart blend of digital marketing, social media and traditional strategies to keep regular guests coming back, while attracting new ones too. Wan and Chris will be joined by Tom O’Keefe, President/COO and Brad West, Vice President of Operations, to celebrate Smoothie King’s incredible success in 2015 and the opening of 86 new locations last year. The brand’s dynamic growth is still ongoing as it plans to open 123 more locations in 2016.
Meariman said one event in particular she is excited for is the franchisee panel because it provides franchisees a tremendous opportunity to hear from their colleagues about what works at the unit level.
“The franchisee panel is a great opportunity for franchisees to hear from their peers and learn from the success of others,” Meariman said. “It’s a great way for our network to discover best practices all while helping our stores improve their performance and strengthen their base of loyal guests that love our products.”
Speakers and networking won’t be the only thing going on during the conference. In keeping with its mission, the brand will also sponsor the Smoothie King 5K and half-mile kid’s race to benefit CASA Jefferson Parish, the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children initiative designed to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect through volunteers advocating for safe, nurturing, and permanent homes for foster children in the Jefferson Parish community. The event will occur on Sunday, March 20 and will be open to anyone.
And while all of this excitement can hardly be contained, Smoothie King’s goal is to shine the light on the incredible accomplishments by the franchise community. In order to support franchisee success, Smoothie King provides prospective entrepreneurs all the tools they need in order to get their franchise off the ground. Smoothie King franchisees go through a thorough, 11-day management training program to educate them on the brand’s core products and its operational systems. The brand also has a dedicated staff of Store Openers that will help train franchisees and team members during the initial opening on general procedures such as ordering, budgeting, and guest relations, among many other facets of operations. And the Smoothie King corporate team is just a phone call away to help with any questions. Prospective franchisees can expect their initial estimated investment for a franchise to range from $181,100 to $422,950, including a $30,000 franchise fee.
For more information about franchising with Smoothie King, click here.