PROGRAMME

8:00 am – 8:15 am : Welcome & Introduction
8:15 am – 9:30 am : Plenary I - World­Wide Economic Distress
This plenary will address how franchisors have dealt with system­wide economic distress when either they or their master franchisees and franchisees have developed financial difficulties. It will review the range of options available to franchisors (e.g., transfer, termination, buyback, loans, royalty reductions or holidays, etc.).
Moderator: John Baer, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Speakers: Andrew Loewinger, Nixon Peabody LLC, Washington, DC, USA Remi Delforge, Manasse & Delforge, Nice, France Andrew Wiseman, Allens Arthur Robinson, Sydney, Australia

9:35 am – 10:35 am: Concurrent Interactive Roundtable Discussions
Choice of Law, Dispute Resolution Mechanisms and Forum Selection
What considerations are involved in choosing applicable law, dispute resolution mechanisms and forum, and when can they be traps for the unwary?
Discussion Leaders: Michael Brennan, DLA Piper LLP, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Christoph Wildhaber, Streichenberg und Partner, Zurich, Switzerland

Financial Disclosure and Financial Performance Representations
When are they required and in what form may they be made? When is it a good idea to disclose and when is it not?
Discussion Leaders: Shelley Spandorf, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Los Angeles, California, USA Lee Plave, Plave Koch PLC, Reston, Virginia, USA

Managing the Use of the Internet in Sales and Advertising in an International Franchise System
When a franchise system expands internationally, a franchisor must adapt to multiple cultures and languages. This round table will address issues related to control of advertising for the goods and services of the system.
Discussion Leaders: Michael Lindsey, Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker, Los Angeles, California, USA Marco Hero, Tigges Rechtsanwalte, Dusseldorf, Germany

10:35 am – 10:50 am: Refreshment Break

10:50 am – 12:15 pm : News From Around the World
This session is the traditional roundup of developments in franchising from jurisdictions around the world.
Moderator: Penny Ward, Baker & McKenzie, Sydney, Australia
Speakers:
Canada : Bruno Floriani, Lapointe Rosenstein, LLP, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
United Kingdom : John Pratt, Hamilton Pratt, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
European Union : Karsten Metzlaff, Noerr Stiefenhofer Lutz, Berlin, Germany
Brazil : Luiz Henrique do Amaral, Dannemann Siemsen, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
United States : David French, International Franchise Association, Washington, DC, USA
Japan : Dr. Souichirou Kozuka, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan

12:15 pm – 1:30 pm : Buffet Lunch and Hotel Check­out

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm : Concurrent Interactive Roundtable Discussions
Choice of Law, Dispute Resolution Mechanisms and Forum Selection
What considerations are involved in choosing applicable law, dispute resolution mechanisms and forum, and when can they be traps for the unwary?
Discussion Leaders: Michael Brennan, DLA Piper LLP, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Christoph Wildhaber, Streichenberg und Partner, Zurich, Switzerland

Financial Disclosure and Financial Performance Representations
When are they required and in what form may they be made? When is it a good idea to disclose and when is it not?
Discussion Leaders: Shelley Spandorf, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Los Angeles, California, USA
Lee Plave, Plave Koch PLC, Reston, Virginia, USA

Managing the Use of the Internet in Sales and Advertising in an International Franchise System
When a franchise system expands internationally, a franchisor must adapt to multiple cultures and languages. This round table will address issues related to control of advertising for the goods and services of the system.
Discussion Leaders: Michael Lindsey, Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker, Los Angeles, California, USA Marco Hero, Tigges Rechtsanwalte, Dusseldorf, Germany

2:30 pm – 2:45 pm : Refreshment Break

2:45 pm – 4:00 pm: Plenary II - When Insolvency Strikes
What are the implications for an international franchise system when several master franchisees and unit franchisees in different jurisdictions become insolvent? How may a franchisor protect its interests across borders in different jurisdictions before and after bankruptcy filings? This program will address these issues in the context of a global financial crisis.
Moderator: Rocio Belda, Garrigues, Madrid, Spain
Speakers:
Dean Waldt, Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, Voorhees, New Jersey, USA
Mark Abell, Field Fisher Waterhouse, London, England, United Kingdom
André Lombart, CMS De Backer, Brussels, Belgium

4:00 pm : Conference Adjourns