Jim’s Pool Care has cancelled its national conference, due to be held on the Gold Coast at the end of August, coinciding with the pool and spa SPLASH trade show.
General manager Brett Blair said with more than 100 delegates set to attend it was a difficult decision to make but with the lockdowns now affecting multiple states it was the correct move.
“It’s been almost a year of planning and a lot of money,” he said.
“The annual Jim’s Pool Care conference is an amazing opportunity for our national team and all our great suppliers to get together, share ideas and implement strategies to sustain and grow their businesses in coming years.
“Our priority is always our franchise owners’ wellbeing, and with the SPLASH trade show also having to postpone it was the right decision to postpone also until 2022.”
Blair said the rescheduling of the conference to next August necessitates finding ways to engage franchisees in ongoing professional development through digital channels such as live online meetings and training opportunities.
“All businesses are in the same boat and with national organisations adapting through 2020/2021 we have had some great outcomes from the varied delivery strategies being implemented.
“This now includes online learning modules and recorded meetings that franchisees can consume in their own time, on any device and from anywhere.
“This means all team members are getting the same consistent information in a timely manner,” he said.
Inconsistencies between state governments in their approach to lockdowns and the interpretation of data from multiple sources have proved a headache for the pool sector so the four major franchisors in this arena have joined forces.
Some months ago Jim’s Pool Care, Poolwerx, Swimart and Clark Rubber formed a pool franchise advisory group with industry association SPASA.
“With any lockdown we have a snap meeting, we meet for 15-30 minutes and interpret the data. SPASA acts on our behalf, makes the call on whether pool retailers can trade, whether it’s click and collect, and whether or not mobile pool services can trade,” explained Blair.
So in Victoria pool services can trade as one person in a back yard but the 25 Sydney-based franchisees in the Jim’s network have been unable to work for weeks, he said.
The good news is that despite the back end dramas over lockdown rules, Jim’s Pool Care is still receiving plenty of franchise enquiries and the quality of candidates is increasing, with corporates reflecting on their lifestyle choices among those interested to invest.
There is also a swathe of potential franchisees from Victoria and New South Wales moving to coastal Queensland and looking for a more flexible lifestyle.
