The IFA announced Wednesday that former President George W. Bush will be the keynote speaker for the International Franchise Association 50th Annual Convention. On Saturday February 6th, 2010 at the San Antonio Convention Center George W. Bush will kick of the annual convention by discussing the chanellenges he faced as President, including a global financial crisis.

If you are considering buying a franchise then attending the IFA convention is a very wise choice. These 4 days will be packed with educational sessions, roundtables, many networking opportunities and of course hundreds of franchises to meet with. Mark your calendars!

Mark your calendars for the International Franchise Association's (IFA) Annual Franchise Convention. The IFA is the largest and oldest global franchising organization. It is a non-profit association that represents more than 1,300 franchise systems as well as over 10,000 franchisees. The IFA's goal is to protect, promote and enhance franchising by advocating on behalf of the industry.

This year will be the IFA's 50th Annual IFA Convention. According to their website, it is the largest gathering of franchise business professionals. So far over 400 franchises and franchise related companies are registered to attend this years convention in San Antonio, Texas at the San Antonio Convention Center.

The 50th Annual IFA Convention
February 5-8, 2010

Click Here to Register Online

According to the International Franchise Association, a $3.4 billion shortfall in lending to franchise businesses in 2010 will result in 134,000 jobs not created and $13.9 billion in economic output lost.

"Our data shows that while there will be sufficient capital for franchise development in 2010, banks' continued risk aversion is limiting their willingness to lend," said IFA President & CEO Matthew Shay. "A slow recovery with limited job growth underscores the importance of protecting and encouraging lending to small businesses, which account for 60 percent of all U.S. jobs. Immediately passing enhancements to government lending programs can shore up the $3.4 billion shortfall in lending. New franchise businesses can create much needed jobs - which will speed the U.S. economic recovery."

The updated version of Small Business Lending Matrix and Analysis prepared for the IFA Educational Foundation by FRANdata, demonstrates the impact of the continuing credit crisis on the franchising sectors' ability to recover from the recession, to develop new franchise units, and in doing so, create more jobs for the U.S. economy. Shay said that the Lending report and a new IFA Business Leader Survey are key components of the IFA 2010 Economic Outlook for Franchise Business that will predict the outlook for total jobs, units and economic output across 10 franchise business format sectors. The 2010 Outlook is scheduled for release mid-December.

We discussed What to Look for When Buying an Existing Franchise with Richard Parker the founder and President of Diomo - The Business Buyer Resource Center.

Richard points out 3 really great questions that can actually can also be used if you are buying a new franchise and discussing the success of the franchise with the current franchisees:

If you had to do it over again, would you buy the franchise again and why?

If you were me, what would you look for specifically when analyzing the business?

Do you believe the franchisor has delivered the level of support they promised when you signed up for this franchise?