THIS YEAR, EVERYTHING CONNECTS.
FLDC is the only conference built around the complete franchise development lifecycle. You’ll leave with data, strategies and relationships that help you do every part of the job better.
For the first time, the conference will cover the complete franchise development lifecycle — from the moment a prospect fills out a form to the day they flip on the lights at their new location. That means the strategies, data and conversations that make every stage work better: recruitment and sales, real estate and site selection, construction and build-out, onboarding and opening, and everything in between.
Because here’s what every development professional already knows: closing the deal is only the beginning. What happens after the sale — and how well your whole team executes it — determines whether that franchisee becomes a great brand ambassador or a painful cautionary tale.
This year’s programming reflects three years of advisory board input and direct feedback from the people doing this work every day. We heard you. The agenda has been redesigned from the ground up to deliver what you actually need: exclusive benchmark data, practical playbooks and the kind of peer conversations that change how you think about your job.
Join us October 6–8 in Atlanta. Let’s move the lifecycle forward together.
FRANCHISE DEVELOPMENT
LIFECYCLE
Each stage strengthens the next. The whole loop compounds over time.
CHAIR WELCOME
Dear Attendees,
Welcome fellow franchise development leaders. I am truly excited to welcome you to the 2026 Franchise Leadership & Development Conference and serve as Chair. This has always been my favorite and most meaningful event of the year in franchising. I know with what’s in store and with your support, attendance and participation, you will walk away with meaningful ideas and actionable steps for your Franchise Development team and growth while building new relationships.
The theme of this year’s conference is “Winning in the New Era of Franchise Development.” As franchising evolves, the goal is to provide development executives with the education, inspiration and tools needed for a competitive advantage in growth. This year we really want to focus on what Franchise Development means beyond sales and lead generation and invite you to bring your team across all aspects of the lifecycle including lead generation, sales, real estate, construction and more. In essence - from “Lead to Lights On.”
Guided by insights from our seasoned advisory board, we’ve built a timely, opportunity-focused agenda to tackle evolving technology and economic shifts. This year’s program is all about delivering real value, equipping you with actionable strategies and providing a platform to exchange challenges and ideas so you can return home ready to drive growth.
All attendees will be the first to preview critical insights from the Annual Franchise Development Report and the highly anticipated Mystery Shopping results of other national brands. These findings will provide you with the data needed to drive better sales processes and learn from your peers while recognizing and celebrating our success together.
Another great learning opportunity is the time in the networking area with great suppliers to help you in all aspects of your franchise development efforts. This event is your go-to destination for connecting with vendors who specialize in franchise development support across all efforts and discovering the latest tools, technologies and services designed to accelerate your brand’s expansion.
I am incredibly excited to see you all in Atlanta and hope you bring your entire team, as I will. I can’t wait to catch up - and Win the New Era of Franchise Development - together.
See you in Atlanta!
Mark L. Jameson CDO
Propelled Brands 2026 Conference Chair
WHAT MAKES FLDC UNIQUE
1. Benchmark Data You Won’t Find Anywhere Else
Every registered franchisor receives the Annual Franchise Development Report –10-20 KPIs benchmarked against top brands in recruitment budgets, media mix and conversion performance — plus, if registered before August 3, a complimentary Mystery Shop assessment of your website, lead follow-up and phone process. You’ll arrive knowing where you stand and leave with a board-ready data package you can turn into dashboards, quarterly reports and a clearer ROI story for your CEO.
2. The Full Development Lifecycle — Not Just Sales
FLDC covers every stage from lead generation through real estate, construction and the critical post-award touchpoints that determine whether a signed deal becomes an open, performing unit. Sessions tackle cost-per-lead optimization, SNO management, value reengineering, resales and portfolio strategy — giving you a practical 3–5-year roadmap, playbooks and cross-functional processes to protect unit economics and drive capital-efficient growth.
3. Responsible, Relationship-Driven Sales in an AI World
FLDC is the only conference that deliberately balances high-tech and hightouch. You’ll hear from brands using AI-enabled search and digital tools to enhance — not replace — the human relationships that close deals and build healthy systems. Leave with concrete frameworks, scripts and playbooks your team can use immediately to qualify better, deepen relationships and hit growth goals without sacrificing your brand reputation.
4. Elite Networking with the Right People
300+ franchise development executives, CDOs, CEOs and 85+ solution providers — connected through structured roundtables, debate sessions and social events designed to create real relationships, not just collect business cards. You’ll leave with trusted peers and partners you can call when you hit your next hard problem, plus STAR Awards benchmarks that show you what great development performance looks like.
5. Professional Development at Every Level
From seasoned CDOs to next-generation leaders stepping into bigger roles, FLDC is the professional home for franchise development at every career stage. Programming covers the modern CDO mandate, portfolio management, capital allocation and the cross-functional skills emerging leaders can’t get at brand-only meetings or general franchise shows — plus the mentorship and connections to accelerate what comes next.
WHO SHOULD BE THERE
Chief Development Officers
The CDO role has never been more complex. You’re managing a pipeline, a team, a budget, a board and a set of brand promises all at once. The CDO Summit is your space to think out loud with peers who get it.
Real Estate & Construction Leaders
Site selection, lease terms, build-out timelines, vendor accountability — the deals that get closed depend on your team executing flawlessly. FLDC 2026 features dedicated content for the professionals who make that happen.
Next-Generation Leaders
You’re building a career in franchise development. You want to understand the CDO role, the full lifecycle and the data behind great development programs. FLDC is the best place in the industry to learn — and to build the network that will matter for decades.
Franchise Development Executives
You’re responsible for hitting the numbers and defending those numbers to your CEO. FLDC gives you the benchmark data, the cross-functional strategies and the peer network to do that with confidence — even in a challenging market.
CEOs & Founders
The CEO Summit gives franchise system leaders a private, peer-only environment to tackle the strategic questions at the intersection of growth, capital and brand health. Half-day, high-trust, non-competing.
FranDev Product & Service Providers
FLDC connects you directly with the franchise development decision-makers — CDOs, VPs of Development, CEOs and the cross-functional leaders who control real estate and construction — in a single focused environment designed to showcase solutions like yours. They are practitioners actively solving the problems your products and services are built to address, and they’re there specifically to find better ways to do it.
NETWORKING
“After four years of attending FLDC, this has been the best yet—packed with powerful sessions, movers and shakers, and relationships that turn into long-term business and personal friendships.”
Jim
Stapleton
| VP, Franchise Development | Caring Transitions
FLDC attracts more than 300 franchise development executives, CDOs, CEOs and 85+ solution providers. But it’s not just the size of the room that matters — it’s how the room is structured.
Every networking opportunity at FLDC is designed to create real conversations, not just card exchanges. That means:
Structured roundtables connecting you with the right peers, not whoever happened to sit next to you
Debate sessions that surface actual disagreements and make you think harder about your own assumptions
A first-time attendee meet-andgreet with advisory board members who know this conference inside and out
The STAR Awards — a celebration of the industry’s best franchise development programs that sets the benchmark for what “great” looks like
An opening reception that feels like an event, not an obligation
Year after year, FLDC attendees say the relationships they build here are worth as much as any session. That’s not an accident. It’s how the conference is designed.
THE DATA YOU CAN’T GET ANYWHERE ELSE
At FLDC, benchmark data isn’t a handout — it’s a working session. You’ll leave with a board-ready story connecting your development activity to revenue, unit growth and return on cash.
“ I attend FLDC and the CEO Summit because the candid conversations, AI-focused insights and collaborative problem-solving help me tackle real issues in my franchise business.”
Barb Moran Goodrich | CEO | Moran Family of Brands
The Annual Franchise Development Report (AFDR)
The AFDR gives you the KPIs that matter most to franchise development: recruitment budgets, media mix, cost-per-lead benchmarks, lead-to-award ratios and more — broken out by brand size and industry category so you’re comparing yourself to the right peers, not to brands with nothing in common with yours.
At FLDC 2026, you won’t just receive the report. You’ll sit through a session that translates the data into board-ready insights and an action panel that tackles the question every development executive leaves asking: “Okay, but what do I actually do with this?”
Your Complimentary Mystery Shop Assessment
Every brand registered by August 3rd receives a complimentary Mystery Shopping assessment of their franchise development program. That means an objective, scored evaluation of how your website performs for prospects, how your team follows up on leads, how your phone process holds up under scrutiny and how your digital presence stacks up.
You’ll walk into the conference already knowing where you stand. You’ll leave knowing what to do about it.
STAR Awards
We are honored to present the annual STAR Awards, celebrating outstanding franchise development performance. Brands registered for the conference by August 3rd will receive a complimentary Mystery Shopping assessment of their franchise development program, making them eligible and in the running for a STAR Award.
Our research team, composed of sales and lead generation experts, evaluates key areas such as franchisee satisfaction, website response, social media engagement and franchisee recruitment websites. Top performers in each category, along with the overall winners, will be recognized with STAR Awards at a special event on the final night of the conference.
October 5, 2026 Pre-Conference CFE Workshop
10:00AM – 5:00PM IFA Fran-Guard™ - Building a Culture of Compliance, Ethics and Brand Protection Workshop hosted at Greenberg Traurig, LLP office
October 6, 2026 Conference Day 1
8:00AM – 9:00AM Breakfast & Open Networking
9:00AM – 10:15AM Concurrent Content Pathways – Round 1
Content Pathways are curated learning journeys designed to guide attendees through the topics and skills that matter most to them. Each pathway connects workshops, breakout sessions and discussions around a common theme—helping participants dive deeper, build expertise and explore subjects in a structured yet flexible way.
Franchisee Recruitment & Sales
How AI, Search and NextGeneration Lead Tools Are Transforming Franchise Recruiting
10:15AM – 10:30AM Break
Franchise Development Lifecycle
What Happens After the Sale: Launching the Lifecycle
10:30AM – 11:45AM Content Pathways – Round 2
Franchisee Recruitment & Sales
The New Lead Generation Playbook: Integrating New and Old School Tactics That Are Working Right Now
Prospect/Franchisee Lifecycle
Sold & Not Opened – Maximizing the Franchisee Lifecycle; Unlocking the SNO
11:45AM – 12:15PM Opening General Session & Lunch
12:15PM – 12:45PM Sponsor/Brand Case Study Presentations
Growing the Lifecycle – Adding
New Units, Preparing to Exit, Resale and Capital Events
Succession Planning Programs for Franchisees – Franchisor -Sponsored Programs
Leading the Modern Development Organization
CEO Summit (Half-dayexclusive to Franchisor CEOs, Presidents and Founders)
Closing the Lifecycle –Exit, Resale and Capital Events
Growth Strategies for Franchisees – Preparing for the Long-Term
1:00PM – 1:25PM Chair Welcome – Mark Jameson, CDO, Propelled Brands
1:30PM – 2:15PM Keynote Speaker – The Real Impact of AI on Franchise Development
2:15PM – 2:30PM Break
2:30PM – 3:45PM Content Pathways – Round 3
Franchisee Recruitment & Sales
The Future of Using Brokers in 2027 & Beyond
Prospect/Franchisee Lifecycle
Value Engineering Start-Up Costs for a 3-Year ROI
8 AGENDA AT A GLANCE
Leading the Modern Development Organization
CEO Summit Continues (Halfday - exclusive to Franchisor CEOs, Presidents and Founders)
Closing the Lifecycle –Exit, Resale and Capital Events
Franchisee Exit Strategies: Creating the Practical Franchisees Exit Playbook
Leading the Modern Development Organization
CEO Summit Working Session (Exclusive to Franchisor CEOs, Presidents and Founders)
3:45PM – 4:00PM Break
4:00PM – 4:30PM General Session Panel – Multi-Unit Franchisees & What They Look for in a Brand
4:30PM – 5:00PM Keynote Speaker – From Leads to Legacy: Building a Franchise Growth Roadmap That Scales
5:00PM – 7:00PM Opening Reception in Networking Area – Supplier-Sponsored Tables Open
October 7, 2026 Conference Day 2
7:30AM – 8:00AM Breakfast
8:00 AM – 10:30AM General Session
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM Welcome to Day 2 – Mark Jameson, CDO, Propelled Brands
8:00AM – 9:00AM Business Solution Roundtables
9:00AM – 9:30AM CDO Keynote – From Aspiration to Reality
9:30AM – 10:00AM Franchise Development – Today’s Stats
10:00AM – 10:30AM Economic Impact on Franchise Development
10:30AM – 11:00AM Coffee Break
11:00AM - 1:30PM General Session Continues
11:00AM – 11:45AM AFDR – Presentation of Results & Fireside Chat
11:45AM – 12:15PM Lunch Break & Open Networking
12:15PM – 12:45PM Sponsor Case Studies – Presentation w/ Franchisor Client
12:45PM – 1:30PM STAR Awards Results & Presentation of Franchise Development Innovation Awards
1:30PM – 2:00PM Networking Break
2:00PM – 3:15PM Content Pathways – Round 4
Franchisee Recruitment & Sales
Franchise Sales Basics
Prospect/Franchisee Lifecycle
Financing & Recapitalization Support for Franchisees
3:15PM – 3:45PM Networking Break
Closing the Lifecycle –Exit, Resale and Capital Events
M&A Preparation and Brand-Level Readiness to Support Franchisees
3:45PM – 5:00PM Keynote Speaker Roundtable Challenge Session
5:00PM – 7:00PM Opening Reception in Networking Area – Supplier-Sponsored Tables Open
October 8, 2026 Conference Day 3
8:30AM – 9:00AM Breakfast
9:00AM – 10:30AM Closing Pathway Workshops
Workshop 1:
Data & Dashboards Driving the Franchisee Lifecycle
10:30AM Conference Concludes
Leading the Modern Development Organization CDO Summit - The Expanded Role (Exclusive to Franchisor CDOs and VPs)
Workshop 2: Creative Content Strategies to Grow Awareness and Drive Leads
THANK YOU SPONSORS
*As of press time
Silver
ActiveCampaign HQ
American Franchise Academy
Consumer Fusion
Curious Jane
Fulton Bank
The Huntington National Bank
IFA World Franchise Show
Latitude Learning
Akerman LLP STAR
First Bank of the Lake
Franchise Ventures
FRANdata
Coffee Break
ClientTether
Conference Handbook
Citrin Cooperman
Notepad
Elysium Marketing Group
Hospitality
Lumin.ai
Quarem
CEO Summit
American Franchise Academy
Careertopia Franchise
Executive Search
Bronze
Careertopia Franchise
Executive Search
F.C. Dadson
Fishman Public Relations
Guidant Financial
Hera Group
MSA Worldwide Scorpion
MSA Worldwide
Revenue Management
Solutions, LLC
Scorpion
Signal Lift
Pathway
Mobile App
Awards
Gold
REGISTRATION
Ticket Type Policies
Please visit the conference website for full details on registration policies.
Refunds & Cancellations
Please provide cancellations to Franchise Update Media by FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11th, 2026 to fldc@franchiseupdatemedia.com. Your registration fee will be refunded, less a $100 processing fee PER PERSON. After September 11th, 2026 no refunds or credits will be issued.
We reserve the right to cancel any registrations that do no abide by our policies.
Welcome to the Intercontinental Buckhead Hotel
ROOM BLOCK EXPIRES: 9/14/26 (or when room block is full)
SPECIAL ROOM RATE: $279 PER NIGHT
To book, please call (877) 622-2115 and identify yourself as part of the Franchise Leadership & Development Conference to receive our special rate.
Please note we do NOT work with third-party room brokers.
Rob Lancet | VP, Franchise Development | Stratus Building Solutions