The Helen O’Grady Drama Academy team of franchisees and head office staff came together for a training seminar recently. This was the perfect opportunity to share news, stories and advice across the network and provided franchisees the chance to socialise with the wider business in-person for the first time since the pandemic began.
Helen O’Grady is an international franchise specialising in teaching drama to nurture the confidence, creativity and communications skills of children and young people. Over 40 years ago, teacher and actress Helen O’Grady opened a drama class in Perth, Australia and since then the business has grown and grown into the franchise it is today. Now, Helen O’Grady Drama Academy provides drama education to 100,000 students around the world each week. Franchisees are the Principals of their own schools and work with their teachers to deliver a world-class programme.
UK franchisees, including three band new Principals, came together in Manchester for the first seminar since the pandemic put a temporary end to live events. Alongside the training from the head office team in marketing, there were updates on expansion plans and further collaborations and cross-promotion across the theatre and entertainment group that own the franchise, Trafalgar Entertainment. Following this, franchisees also had a dinner and quiz and everyone was encouraged to dress as storybook characters to add an extra element of fun to the gathering.
There was also a series of awards to celebrate the achievements of Principals over the last year including the Innovation Award for Lauren Steel, Principal of Rotherham, the Inspiration Award for Steph Budski-Fleming, Principal of Swansea, Outstanding Achievement Award for Alison Mazanec, Principal of Bristol and the Franchisee of the Year Award for Caryn Walton-Binns, Principal of York.
At Helen O’Grady, supporting each and every franchisee as they develop their business and take it from strength to strength is a vital part of being a franchisor. Alongside the seminar, franchisees are supported with a marketing programme and guidance from the central marketing team. They also receive materials to help them run their classes and operate a successful Academy. All curriculum content is written by experts and provided to franchisees by the Helen O’Grady team so franchisees are equipped with all they need to deliver a quality drama education to their students.
This year’s training seminar was a hit with Helen O’Grady franchisees and a great opportunity to support business growth and celebrate the core of what makes being a Helen O’Grady franchisee special; providing quality and inclusive drama education to children and young people.
This article comes courtesy of Helen O’Grady Drama Academy. If you’re interested in becoming a Helen O’Grady Drama Academy franchisee, click here.
