Franchise Networking That Actually Works — Why Industry Leaders are Heading to the Mountains This June The Service Franchise Summit was created to bring franchise leaders together through shared experiences — not boring ballrooms and forced networking.
By Trevor Rappleye Edited by Carl Stoffers
Key Takeaways
- Traditional franchise conferences focus on transactions, but real relationships are built through shared experiences.
- The Service Franchise Summit creates an immersive environment where leaders can connect, learn, and grow outside of the usual conference grind.
- By prioritizing quality over quantity, this event ensures meaningful conversations and actionable insights for franchise marketing, operations, and leadership teams.
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For a long time, I felt like an outsider. I didn't start in franchising, I came from industries where I didn't have connections and didn't get invited to the after-hours gatherings where real relationships were built. Then I found franchising and I closed down my wedding and B2B video business and went all in with www.FranchiseFilming.com . It was the first industry that truly opened its arms to me. People welcomed me, shared advice, introduced me to others, and over time, I realized that this industry thrives on relationships, not just business transactions. That feeling of belonging changed everything for me, and I knew I wanted to create that same experience for others.
Last year, I was hiking with a friend, Dave Hansen from ClientTether, when we started talking about how most franchise events only cater to development teams. If you work in franchise marketing or operations, you don't get the same kind of events built for your unique challenges. The more we talked, the clearer it became: We needed to build something different. That's why we created the Service Franchise Summit (SFS), which will take place June 11-13 in Midway, Utah. The SFS will be an event where franchise marketing, operations, and leadership teams can build real connections in an environment that makes those relationships last.
Relationships are built on experiences
Think about your closest friends in the business world. You probably didn't form those relationships through forced networking sessions or quick introductions on a trade show floor. You built trust over time — maybe through a shared challenge, a long conversation over dinner, or an experience that brought you closer together. That's how relationships form in real life, yet most business events still rely on superficial meet-and-greets that rarely lead to anything meaningful.
That's why SFS focuses on shared experiences. Instead of rushing through business card swaps, attendees will zip-line, hike, ride ATVs, and sit together in the evenings over dinner and poker. These moments create trust, camaraderie, and long-term friendships — the kind that matter in business and life.
Related: Here's how we determined the annual Franchise 500 ranking — and what we learned from the data.
Learning happens best in nature
Most of us spend our lives in front of screens, moving from one meeting to the next. But when you step outside — into fresh air, open spaces, and the beauty of nature — your mind works differently.
A study from the University of Utah found that spending time in nature boosts creativity by 50%. Yet almost every industry event keeps people indoors, under artificial lighting, sitting for hours on end. No wonder so many people leave conferences exhausted instead of inspired. At the Service Franchise Summit, learning happens outside. Instead of staring at slides in a ballroom, franchise leaders will brainstorm while overlooking mountains, discuss strategies in fresh air, and soak in insights in ways that actually stick.
Smaller, niche events have the biggest impact
Large franchise conferences have their place, but they come with a challenge: scale dilutes connection. When thousands of people are in the same room, it's hard to form deep relationships or have meaningful conversations. That's why we intentionally kept the summit small and specialized:
- 50 franchisors. No overwhelming crowds, just the right people in the room.
- Only service-based brands. A home services franchisor has different challenges than a restaurant franchisor — this event is designed specifically for their needs.
- For CMOs, C-suite, and operations teams. Development teams already have events — this one is for the people focused on brand growth, marketing, and operational success.
A curated group means stronger conversations, deeper learning, and takeaways that apply to the unique challenges these leaders face.
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Stepping away leads to breakthroughs
Most franchise leaders are caught in the day-to-day grind — constant emails, back-to-back meetings, and putting out fires. The problem? There's no space to step back and think. Some of the best business breakthroughs happen when you step away from your normal routine. When you're outside of your daily environment, your mind has the chance to process challenges differently, gain fresh perspectives, and come back with ideas you never would have thought of in the office.
The SFS isn't just about work — it's about resetting, gaining clarity, and leaving re-energized.
Conferences shouldn't be draining
Somewhere along the way, the business world decided that conferences should be a grind. Endless panels, packed schedules, rushed networking, and exhausting travel — it's no wonder so many people leave events feeling drained instead of inspired.
But what if professional growth didn't feel like work? What if learning felt exciting? What if networking felt natural? What if events left you energized instead of exhausted? That's what we set out to create with the Service Franchise Summit — a franchise event that gets it right.
Related: The One Factor the Top Franchises of 2025 Have in Common
The future of franchise events
The best ideas, partnerships, and friendships don't happen under fluorescent lights. They happen in real conversations, in inspiring settings, and through shared experiences. That's why we created the Service Franchise Summit. Because franchise events should be better — and now, they are.
