Contributed by Elizabeth Sigety
I attended the Professional Athlete Franchise Initiative (“PAFI”) Summit, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia from July 11-13. The Summit was well attended by athletes and franchisors alike. Athletes included members of the NBA, NFL and MLB. Franchisors included Dunkin Donuts, East Coast Wings, Tilted Kilt, Lighter Life, The Little Gym, HMS Host, Jersey Mikes and Moes Southwest Grill. Much of the programming from the conference for the franchisors focused on the mission of the organization and the way for it to best connect the franchise community with professional athletes and build for the future. I was impressed by the dedication of the franchisors to PAFI’s mission and the energy and thought put into the plan for PAFI’s future.
The programming for the athletes was largely educational and was presented by the franchisors and other charter members who attended the conference. I was impressed by the energy and initiative showed by the athletes and their wives who attended. PAFI appears to have fully embraced the critical role that spouses of the athletes will inevitably play in the success of this initiative.
In addition, the International Franchise Association (IFA) had a strong presence at the Summit. Its representatives participated in many of the presentations and clearly supported the planning of the event. I expect that the support of the IFA should help bring much success to the future of PAFI.
Fox Rothschild is proud to be a charter member of this organization and looks forward to working with PAFI for years to come.