(CARROLLTON, Texas) — FASTSIGNS International, Inc., the leading sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise with more than 750 locations in nine countries worldwide, recently held its 2022 FASTSIGNS® International Convention in Grapevine, Texas. Themed Building Your Future, the multiple-day event taught best practices as well as celebrated franchisee achievements and the continued growth of the franchise network in both sales volume and number of locations.

Over 900 people attended which included FASTSIGNS franchisees, center team members, 220 first-time attendees, exhibitors, and corporate staff members. Attendees represented 400 center locations in the US and International locations.

Attendees had the opportunity to participate in general sessions, educational sessions, peer panels and roundtable discussions. Highlights from the event included hearing from Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher of the Dallas Cowboys, Dancing with the Stars champion, and successful real estate investor.

Additional speakers included Trent Shelton, Former NFL wide receiver and now one of the most authentic and powerful voices in the area of personal development as an inspiring motivational speaker and author; Scott Greenberg, author of The Wealthy Franchisee; and Scott Bornstein, a memory expert and business author who is world-renowned for his brain-changing memory systems that unleash the brain’s ability to learn deep and fast, and achieve exceptional and enduring recall.

In addition, corporate team members educated franchisees in various breakout sessions, and attendees also had the opportunity to gain insight from a panel of high-profile vertical industry sign and visual graphic buyers at the Secrets of Success Customer Experience Panel.

Highlights from the 2022 convention include:

• 2021 System-wide Sales for FASTSIGNS was $638M
• 170 FASTSIGNS/SIGNWAVE centers exceeded $1 million in annual sales, including 37 centers achieving over $2 million, 13 centers achieving over $3 million, 8 centers achieving over $4 million, 4 centers achieving over $5 million, 3 centers achieving over $6 million, 2 centers achieving over $17 million and one center achieving over $18 million.
• The FASTSIGNS Award, which recognizes the franchisee who best represents the FASTSIGNS name in both the business community and within the FASTSIGNS network, was awarded to Stan Gray with FASTSIGNS of Long Beach and FASTSIGNS of Torrance.
• The WhatTheyThink | Printing News |Wide Format & Signage FASTSIGNS Project of the Year was presented to Jon Toy from York, PA for their team’s work with Shippensburg University.
• FASTSIGNS held their Vendor Show Training Events that included 7 different sessions from Bodaq Finishes (Nelcos), Zund America, Unibind/Peleman, GSG, Avery Dennison, Ricoh and ASI.
• Grimco was presented the FASTSIGNS Vendor of Year Award for the US, and ND Graphics was presented the FASTSIGNS Vendor of the Year Award for Canada
• Franchisees and their center teams were recognized for outstanding sign and graphic projects in the 2021 FASTSIGNS Customer Solutions Awards, which included grand prize winner Jon Toy, FASTSIGNS of York, for their work with Shippensburg University.

During each convention, FASTSIGNS hosts Breakfast with a Purpose, a Community Giveback project to make a difference in the community where the event is held. This year, FASTSIGNS worked with the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth with a focus on addressing food insecurity. The Fleet and Family Services department at the base was in need of perishable items as well as hygiene products and baby care items, so the outreach from FASTSIGNS was perfectly timed. Together, FASTSIGNS franchisees and employees as well as the corporate staff at FASTSIGNS International Inc., along with vendor partners, helped support over 6,000 military and family members in the Ft. Worth area. Vendor partners included Avery Dennison, Click2Sell, Colex, Grimco, GSG, Ornamental Post & Panel, Plasticade, PromoMatting, Ricoh, Sinalite.

“2021 was a record year for FASTSIGNS. Same center sales exceeded 16% in the US, 17% in the UK and 24% in Canada. The number of FASTSIGNS locations grew to a record 761 locations in nine countries” said Catherine Monson, CEO of FASTSIGNS International, Inc. “Our annual convention brings our franchise network together to recognize, honor and celebrate their many achievements, as well as to engage in educational and networking opportunities to kick off the year. This one-of-a-kind event enabled us to celebrate our connections through FASTSIGNS, and it set the stage for an even more successful 2022.

To learn more visit fastsigns.com. Follow the brand on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fastsigns, Twitter@FASTSIGNS or Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS. For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or call 214.346.5679).