CARROLLTON, Texas - FASTSIGNS International, Inc., franchisor of more than 550 locations worldwide, recently held its annual convention in Anaheim, Calif. This year, a record-breaking 79 FASTSIGNS centers were recognized for exceeding $1 million in annual sales, including 71 locations in the U.S., four in Canada, three in Australia and one in the United Kingdom.

“Our annual convention is always an exciting time to celebrate the FASTSIGNS network’s accomplishments. We also use this time together to share best practices and learn from each other,” said Catherine Monson, CEO of FASTSIGNS International, Inc. “This year, we had record attendance including 15 franchisees who opened within the last year, and four co-brand owners who recently opened a FASTSIGNS location within their existing print business.”

Held at the Disneyland Hotel, over 475 franchise owners and employees from 5 countries attended the 2014 FASTSIGNS Convention. During the three days, there were more than 25 educational sessions and peer roundtables. Notable speakers included business leader Steve LeFever, sales productivity expert John Boyens, digital signage expert Lyle Bunn and award-winning author Neal Petersen.

During the awards dinner, more than 140 franchisees were recognized for outstanding performance and special accomplishments. For the first time, the highest volume FASTSIGNS center exceeded the $7 million threshold in annual sales.

This year’s FASTSIGNS Award, which recognizes the owner who best represents the FASTSIGNS name both in the business community and within the FASTSIGNS network, was awarded to Laurie Sigillito from Durango, Colo.

Presented by Wide-Format Imaging magazine’s editor Denise Gustavson, FASTSIGNS Project of the Year was awarded to Susan and Sam Cilone of FASTSIGNS of Louisville for the signs and graphics they provided Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

The annual FASTSIGNS vendor show, which took place for two days during the convention, featured 130 different exhibitors showcasing a variety of innovative imaging technologies, products and services. Special thanks to the 2014 FASTSIGNS Convention sponsors including Diamond Sponsors Grimco and N.Glantz & Son; Platinum Sponsor Epson; Gold Sponsors 3M, FELLERS, Abex, Esko, Georgia Printco, HP and Fujifilm; and Silver Sponsors RMG Networks and Frameless USA.