Key Benefits of Membership
There are many compelling reasons to join the Irish Franchise Association
01
Benefit from additional credibility with prospective franchise owners through accreditation by the representative body for franchising in Ireland.
02
Receive an official certificate of Membership.
03
Use the official Irish Franchise Association logo on all correspondence, marketing collateral and stationery.
04
Display your company profile on the Irish Franchise Association website.
05
Be recognised as a ‘best practice’ franchisor.
06
Use the opportunity to assist the development of the franchise sector in Ireland, maintain its profile and ethical standards.
07
Increase the value of your business within the franchise sector.
08
Profit from exclusive access to hyperlinks for enquiries from our website to members websites.
09
Enjoy discounts on certain exhibitions and the annual Irish Franchise Expo – the most important franchise event in Ireland.
10
Attend Irish Franchise Association events (including regional seminars for potential franchise owners, Irish Franchise Expo, CPD training seminars, social events etc).
11
Attend the prestigious annual black tie awards ceremony.
12
Access to any databases of people interested in franchising collected on behalf of member.
Membership Criteria
The key blocks to building a successful business format franchise are as follows;
- Protect the Intellectual Property associated with the business model. Before proceeding to grant any kind of franchise in respect of intellectual property rights, it is necessary for you to ensure that you have those rights available to you as a Franchisor. Once you as the Franchisor has the trade/service mark registered, they are then afforded certain statutory protections.
- Development of your Legal Agreements with a franchise specialist solicitor: The purpose of the agreement is to protect your franchise and outline in contractual terms the relationship between you the Franchisor and the Franchisee. The franchise agreement simply frames the relationship and outlines the obligations of both parties under law.
- Document your Operations Manuals: The operations manual documents how you expect your franchisees to operate your business model albeit they are running their own business as franchisees. It is imperative to develop a comprehensive operations manual in order to protect your brand reputation and intellectual property.
- Develop your Training Curriculum and Content: A comprehensive training programme is key to successful franchising. As franchisor you are obliged to prepare the necessary document which supports training your franchisees up in “all aspects” of how to run the business.
- Prepare the required Marketing Collateral to promote your franchise: Remember good franchises are not sold they are bought, so you need to ensure that your marketing materials and platform messaging properly represent the business opportunity to suitable candidates.
- Decide on your On-going Support Programme. Agree what support resources are going to be provided to your franchisee partner. It is imperative that there is absolute clarity on the levels of support provided and there are no mis expectations from either party.
Membership Categories
There are 5 categories of membership:
Full Membership
Applicants for full membership must have been operating their franchise business for at least two years prior to their application and have a minimum of three established franchisees in Ireland. Full membership is renewable each year.
Associate Membership
Applicants for associate membership will be either new to franchising or have been operating their franchise for less than two years.
It is available for a period of up to one year after it must be either renewed or the applicant must submit an application for full membership
Provisionally Listed Membership
Available if the applicant:
- Does not qualify for any other form of membership
- Operational for a minimum of 2 years and provides evidence that it is financially sound
Affiliate Membership
Is in one or more of the following categories of business:
- Accounting
- Business Broker
- Banking
- Franchise Consultant
- Educational Body
- Legal
- Other relevant Service Providers
Business Support Membership
Available if the applicant:
- Does not qualify for any other form of membership
- Is dedicated to supporting the franchise sector
- Operational for a minimum of 2 years and provides evidence that it is financially sound
