British Franchise Association returns to Tring this September

The BFA (British Franchise Association) is coming to Tring in September, to talk to younger people about the benefits of business format franchising.

The association, which has been the self-regulatory body for franchising since 1977, will be attending Ideas Fest, described as ‘the Glastonbury of business conferences’, which will be held at Champneys from 9-10 September 2026.

BFA’s educational agenda

The BFA is currently engaged in an ongoing campaign to educate younger people about the benefits of franchising. Despite having had a failure rate of less than 6% for the past 20 years, and contributing £19.1 billion to the UK economy annually, it remains a frequently misunderstood sector.

In a recent poll of its 2,500 members, the BFA revealed that the average age they found out about franchising was 33, and for 37% of them, that was through work.

In another poll 95.8% of respondents said they thought franchising should be taught in a formal education setting, either school or college/university, or both. In response the BFA is launching an educational resource pack for members to use to deliver information sessions in their local areas.

Franchise Launch Pad

In light of the poll results and following the success of their 2025 visit, the BFA will be co-hosting a ‘Franchise Launch Pad’ stand with Elite Franchise at this years’ Ideas Fest, in a bid to educate a new generation of entrepreneurs living in Hertfordshire, about business format franchising.

Panel discussions

Alongside running the stand, hosted by expert staff with information about franchising, the BFA and Elite Franchise, will be hosting two Q&A panel discussions in the ‘Greenhouse’ marquee at 10am and 2pm each day, entitled ‘Thinking about becoming a franchisee – stop dreaming start deciding’ and ‘Thinking about franchising your business.’

Expert franchising guests

Guest panelists will include Lisa Stead, CEO of Stagecoach, Liam Hobbs from More Than Loft Ladders, Natalia Shvarts from Excello Law, Suzie McCafferty from Platinum Wave Franchising and Rachel Brooks from Swimtime.

Positive conversations

Pip Wilkins QFP, CEO of the BFA said: ‘When we attended Ideas Fest in Tring for the first time in 2025 we didn’t know quite what to expect, but we had a fantastic time and had some great conversations with people who were thinking about buying a franchise or franchising their existing businesses, with many coming from the local Tring area. Second year in and we’re very excited to be playing a larger part this year with our Franchise Launch Pad. With such a young demographic, Ideas Fest is the perfect place for us to redouble our efforts to introduce the concept of franchising to younger people and keep having those meaningful conversations and we’re looking forward to meeting many more people local to the Tring and Hertfordshire area.’

To find out more about buying a franchise or franchising your business visit www.thebfa.org.

To buy a ticket to Ideas Fest visit ideasfest.uk.