RE:Igniting Blaze’s Franchise Conference
Challenge/Opportunity
To celebrate 10 years of success and their first in-person event since the pandemic began, Blaze Pizza turned to Bishop-McCann to produce their Los Angeles franchise conference. In order to create their Blaze Pizza Conference, the client contacted us to plan an event for over 300 franchisees. Because they were finally reconnecting face to face, designing an engaging, memorable meeting was a must.
However, due to remaining pandemic-related concerns, we had to be flexible with our planning. Sourcing for hotels began right away, but because of COVID considerations, a confirmed contract with the hosting hotel was not obtained until three months before the event date. This significantly condensed our time for planning and attendee registration. When identifying goals, their executives determined their objectives for the conference as motivating franchisees, addressing concerns, and generating enthusiasm for their new brand concept, on top of celebrating Blaze Pizza’s 10 years of success!
Though COVID restrictions had been lifted in Los Angeles, we knew keeping attendees comfortable, safe, engaged, and entertained would be top of mind. With all these goals in mind, we began working on a custom-branded event that acted as both a celebration of ten years of success and an immersive, motivational franchise conference to prepare guests for the year ahead.
Response/Solution
To create an event that connected with attendees, Bishop-McCann’s teams spent three months planning. Blaze’s relatively new corporate team had never attended any of the previous conferences, so we examined the details of past years to pinpoint what was valuable to the new team and what no longer served the brand and their attendees.
One of our first tasks was to ensure that the theme, “RE:ignite,” was utilized in a cohesive manner. To do so, we applied the visual of igniting “blazes” throughout every element. The conference included neon flame walls, neon centerpieces, motion graphics, and color-themed décor. In addition, every educational session used “RE:” before the topic, so that the theme was woven throughout. The program included a welcome reception, general session, vendor show, interactive workshops, an awards gala, and a grand reveal of the company’s new branding. Additionally, we utilized eco-friendly badges made from wildflower-seeded paper, which attendees could plant following the conference, thus reducing waste and creating a lasting memory.
With Blaze’s goals in mind, we made sure attendees had multiple opportunities to feel heard via the app, interactive breakouts, and intimate settings with access to leadership. When guests stepped into the event, we also ensured the feel of the franchise conference was vibrant and fun with interactive food stations, a custom t-shirt press station, a live DJ with a graffiti backdrop, and a strategically designed floor plan that drove foot traffic through exhibiting vendor stalls. We also worked closely with the hotel’s food and beverage team to give Blaze’s executive chef the opportunity to showcase Blaze food products and innovations throughout the conference.
Outcome/Results
Due to amazing teamwork, exceptional creativity, and careful collaboration, Bishop-McCann transformed Blaze’s vision for this franchise conference into an impactful, memorable experience. Even with only three months to plan, our team (including sourcing, operations, production, graphic design, and creative strategy) was able to create JOY for attendees, helping them reconnect after the pandemic had kept them apart.
Blaze’s CEO, Mandy Shaw, left the following message for our team:
BMC Team! I had so many people tell me this was the best Blaze conference ever (and even a couple said best ever period)! On behalf of the ELT at Blaze: Thank you for your hard work, PATIENCE, flexibility and work under the gun to create and pull off an amazing event. I am so proud of our team!
Attendee comments included:
I thought it was the best show we’ve ever had! Everyone was engaged and mingling and excited about everything.
I wouldn’t change anything. There was a lot of good energy in the room & was a great atmosphere.
Welcoming and classy
So happy for an informative serious conference that had actual value
Well planned and a lot of fun!
A ton of great information… Eric Chester (the Keynote) was excellent.
We love receiving positive feedback not only from those attending our events, but also from our clients who work alongside us to bring our programs to life. We can’t wait to plan our next event for Blaze Pizza! Our team even received pictures of the beautiful, pink flowers that attendees planted from our eco-friendly badges (see image in the gallery below). We love giving our attendees ways to remember the events we create, but it’s even better when they also happen to be environmentally conscious reminders!
