Google and the International Franchise Association (IFA) recently partnered to present the inaugural GIFA (Google International Franchise Assembly) Franchise Summit at Google’s Headquarters in Mountain View, CA. The GIFA Franchise Summit was created to offer franchisors access to market opportunities, Google tools and data that will help them to grow their business.
Held on Friday, March 29, 2013, the Franchise Summit was an invite only event attended by 90 brands representing over 
25,000 franchisees. Attending from Qiigo were CEO Rick Batchelor, Howard Medoff and Harry Palles, both Directors of Sales.
“We are honored to be among the select few franchise suppliers asked to join this ground breaking event,” said Batchelor.
The GIFA Franchise Summit is a unique event which introduced cutting edge market insights to the franchise industry. Industry thought leaders and local search experts explored a variety of topics currently shaping the franchise world including Local Search Market Opportunities, Franchising in the Digital World and the Importance of Digital Expertise.
The Summit welcomed speakers from Google, BIA Kelsey and Data Doctors. Representing Google were Todd Rowe, Director, Global Head of Channel Partnerships, and Ben Wood, Director of Channel Sales Americas. Mr. Rowe leads Google’s Channel Partnerships organization. He is responsible for selling Google AdWords to small and mid-sized companies. Mr. Wood runs the team responsible for selling Google AdWords, display, video and mobile products to SMB’s. He has wide ranging experience in print, digital and events sales and marketing.
Representing BIA/Kelsey was Michael Bond. BIA/Kelsey is the local internet marketing industry’s leading analyst company. Mr. Bond is the program director focused on Mobile and Local Media. His areas of expertise include new mobile, social, and video technologies and business.
Mr. Colburn is active in the franchising community as a member of the International Franchising Association (IFA) where he serves as the Chair for the Information Technology.