If you were to visit the Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) offices, depending on the time of year, you might find anything from signage being sorted to a photo backdrop being steamed to a cardboard cut out of our Senior Director of Events Lou Gervasi in the corner. You’d also find the CFA’s staff preparing for the Association’s next event, ready to provide our members with the welcoming environment, networking opportunities, high-quality education, and connection they value most.
The CFA is the voice of franchising in Canada, the only organization advocating on behalf of the franchising industry, and is dedicated to providing educational opportunities and resources as well as generating greater awareness of franchising, in Canada and around the world. But of the four strategic pillars that guide our mission as an organization—community, education, advocacy, and brand awareness—we put “community” first, for a reason.
The strength of the CFA is the strength of our community.
A strong franchising community is what enables us to do all of the other work that we do. As a membership organization, it is the bedrock of our work. When members are engaged, committed to supporting one another, and happy to share their time, energy, and resources with one another, it strengthens each pillar of our organization—it’s how we can build such strong advocacy programs, cultivate educational offerings from our industry’s leading experts, and make a huge impact for our industry with brand awareness initiatives like World Franchise Day.
One of the ways we show our commitment to Community is through our events program. Each year, the CFA runs many events that bring our community together, from weekly webinars to our tradeshows to our annual National Convention.
Gathering Together and Growing Together
In 2025, the CFA put on more than 70 events—that’s more than one per week! We are deeply committed to making opportunities for our members to connect with one another and develop professionally.
Nearly every one of those 70+ events had an educational component, and over the course of the year we welcomed more than 400 speakers who shared leading insights and best practices for our industry.
Our tradeshows in Toronto and Vancouver also offered members lead generation opportunities and a chance to connect with the public, such as the more than 8,000 prospective franchisees who registered for the most recent show, eager to start living their dream of business ownership through franchising.
Events, whether in person or virtual, offer a chance to learn and connect, but they are also important when it comes to celebrating this thriving industry. Just last month, the CFA celebrated the second annual World Franchise Day. A CFA initiative which was then adopted by the World Franchise Council (WFC), this annual day celebrating and raising awareness for franchising around the world has already made an immense impact since it was launched in 2025.
Members joined us at the CFA offices or on zoom, and millions more leant their voices online to this day devoted to raising the profile of franchising around the globe. Garnering more than 58 million impressions across social media over the single day, it was an exciting way to celebrate the amazing accomplishments of the local small business owners who impact their communities every day as franchisees.
Everyone’s Invited
While technology enables us to connect in so many new ways, across distance and time zones, it has also taught us the value of human connection. Coming together to share our challenges, successes, new ideas, and achievements is important to the strength of a community. At CFA events throughout the year, I’m always happy to see new connections forming. I like to hear our members telling each other, “I’ve had that same issue,” or “I know just the supplier you need to speak with!”
If you’re not yet a member of the CFA, I encourage you to get involved. Contact our membership team to hear about the many benefits and ways you can share your knowledge, learn more, and help you and your business grow.
If you are a member or want to know what CFA events are coming up in the near future, visit our website, cfa.ca. There you’ll find our full calendar of events, including free virtual Learn & Grow webinars, online workshops and seminars, in-person educational intensives like Franchise Development Day, annual events like Franchise Law Day and Marketing & Operations Day, networking Meet & Greets, a special C-Suite Circle for franchise leaders, tradeshows, and more.
There’s a world of franchising events to explore and a community waiting for you. We can’t wait for you to join us!
Key Takeaways
- The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) focuses on community, education, advocacy, and brand awareness in franchising.
- In 2025, the CFA organized over 70 events, providing essential networking and educational opportunities for members.
- The annual World Franchise Day has garnered 58 million social media impressions, raising awareness of the franchising industry.
- CFA events foster human connection, allowing members to share challenges and successes.
- Interested individuals can explore CFA’s calendar of upcoming events on cfa.ca to engage with the franchising community.
