BNI Wins Franchise Innovation Award for AI-Powered Member Assistant and Purpose-Built Meeting Platform

The global business networking organization was named a winner at the 8th Annual Franchise Innovation Awards for its groundbreaking AI-focused initiatives.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- BNI^® (Business Network International), the world's largest business referral network, was recognized at the 8th Annual Franchise Innovation Awards, earning top honors in the Most Innovative Product Introduction category for BNI+, its purpose-built Chapter meeting platform.

The award recognizes franchise brands that develop and execute original, impactful strategies that drive growth, strengthen customer and employee engagement, and support long-term business sustainability. Honorees are selected based on their ability to embed innovation into their vision, strategy and operations, demonstrating leadership and creating lasting value throughout their franchise systems.

"We're incredibly honored to receive this recognition for BNI+," said Robert Gorecki, VP of Product. "At BNI, we believe the future of business networking lives at the intersection of high-tech and high-touch. Technology is at its best when it helps people build stronger, more meaningful relationships."

BNI+ is BNI's purpose-built, meeting platform that guides Chapter leaders through every agenda item of a BNI meeting, including open networking, educational presentations, Member spotlights, and visitor introductions. The platform provides scripts, timing cues and on-screen content to help meetings stay on track, on time and on brand, eliminating the need to manage multiple files during meetings, or create new presentations.

The platform originated from Member innovation. After a BNI Member developed a tool to streamline Chapter meetings, BNI partnered with the creator to expand the concept into a scalable solution for its global network. The result is a secure, reliable platform built by Members, for Members, designed to improve consistency and efficiency across Chapter meetings worldwide.

Robert Gorecki also stated, "This award is especially meaningful because it recognizes our commitment to Traditions + Innovation. As we continue to embrace emerging technologies, our focus remains the same: building tools that strengthen authentic relationships, empower our Members, and help people do business in a more connected and impactful way."

About BNI^®
BNI (Business Network International) is the world's largest and most successful business networking organization. Today, more than 340,000 Member-businesses participate in more than 11,400 BNI Chapters that meet in person, online or in a hybrid format each week across 76 countries. Since its founding in 1985, BNI has helped 2.28 million businesses generate more than $228 billion in revenue. For more information about BNI or to visit a Chapter, visit www.bni.com.

SOURCE BNI