July 05, 2019
On Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th June, Stagecoach Performing Arts hosted their annual international conference, welcoming franchisees from around the world to join together at Whittlebury Hall in Northamptonshire. With a theme of ‘health, wealth and happiness’, Stagecoach invited specialists in mental health, business coaching and wellbeing to share insights with their global network of franchisees.
The two-day conference was kicked off by Sarah Kelly, CEO at Stagecoach, and a thought-provoking keynote on mental health by Professor Tanya Byron. The renowned clinician, journalist, author and broadcaster brought to life the science behind mental wellbeing. In recent years, Stagecoach has partnered with Young Minds, the children and young people’s mental health charity, and this keynote reinforced the importance of being mindful of your mental wellbeing as an adult.
In the last few years, franchisees have embraced the changes at Stagecoach, engaging the network in positive developments by tapping into their talent, creativity, and innovation. This prompted the wealth-related sessions at the conference focusing on how to build profitable businesses, where franchisees are now able to become Managing Principals and run multiple territories. Keynote speaker and experienced business growth coach, Joanna Martorana, introduced the steps to build a million-pound business.
Kate Parkinson, franchisee at Stagecoach Chorley, Oldham & Preston is looking forward to putting these new strategies into practise, “After close to 13 years with Stagecoach, I’m really proud to work with such an innovative brand. As a franchisor, Stagecoach continues to provide us with all of the tools we need for success, really giving us the edge. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me and the whole network.”
Helen Golstein, self-compassion coach and Master NLP Practitioner, brought the conference to a close. She reminded everyone how important personal reflection and work-life balance is to reach personal fulfilment. In fact, the Stagecoach team took time to celebrate franchisees who had been part of the network for 10, 20, 25 and 30 years.
The Franchisee of the Year Awards were then awarded to franchisees who had demonstrated the quality of service, growth and performance. Heidi Rees, franchisee at Stagecoach Pontypridd & The Valleys was amongst the winners, named ‘Newcomer of the Year’ for a successful takeover of her business, rapid recruitment of teachers and enrolment of students.
“I’m thrilled to be recognised after less than a year of running my franchise. I’m really proud to be part of the Stagecoach network – I live and breathe our mantra of Creative Courage for Life. Children need the skills they develop through their Stagecoach lessons and I’m happy to bring the opportunity to students across South Wales,” said Heidi.
Following four years of consecutive growth and with 85% of UK-based schools operating at capacity, these recent developments in the franchise have come at a pivotal time for Stagecoach Performing Arts.
“We’re proud to have achieved so much as a network and look forward to witnessing continued growth as our franchisees put these new processes into action. Our goal, as a franchisor, is to continue to innovate and be known as the performing arts opportunity of choice for children around the world. We’re very thankful to the franchisees who make this goal a reality, every single day,” said Sarah Kelly.