Special Report: Total Facility Management Hits Chicago!

By Heidi Schwartz
Published in the March 2003 issue of Today’s Facility Manager

Recognized as the total facility management event, The TFM Show™ is the most comprehensive conference and exhibition designed for the diverse needs of facility professionals. In fact, it is the only facility management event that consistently attracts and satisfies its attendees-top-level facility executives from around the world.

When Construct America™ opens, it will offer everything CSI Show attendees have come to expect-and much more. The goal of the event, scheduled for April 9-11, 2003, is to serve the needs of the nonresidential construction and building industry through partnerships with leading industry organizations and associations.

CSI developed Construct America™ in response to a number of trends within the trade show world: the construction industry is evolving fast; other shows are aggressively competing for attendees; and attendees and exhibitors are looking for fewer, larger events to save travel and marketing dollars. It’s also the only event that brings together all construction industry disciplines under the same roof, so the networking opportunities are unprecedented. And for a single registration fee, attendees will be able to participate in both shows’ educational sessions and visit all 1,400 trade floor exhibits.

Here are just a few of the features that Construct America™ will have on site:
• The Construction Specification Institute’s The CSI Show™, one of the country’s largest annual gatherings of representatives from all disciplines involved in creating and sustaining the built environment. It typically draws more than 9,000 attendees and features approximately 1,000 booths representing 600 participating companies.
• Group C Communications’ The TFM Show™, the most comprehensive conference and exhibition designed exclusively for the needs of the facility professional. The 2002 event attracted more than 2,500 qualified attendees and 200 companies.

The organizations propose to use the Construct America™ banner to provide their members, customers, and other construction and building industry professionals with access to co-located exhibit shows, expanded continuing education programs and seminars, and opportunities to network with colleagues, clients, and friends. Construct America™ offers everyone who participates in the construction industry a forum second to none to contact all portions of the build environment. We hope to see you in Chicago, April 9 through the 11!

McDade is president of The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), based in Alexandria, VA. Founded in 1948, CSI has 143 local chapters and more than 18,000 members nationwide, including architects, specifiers, engineers, contractors, product representatives, building owners, and facility managers.

That Toddlin’ Town

The location of this year’s show has attracted registered attendees from as far away as China and Japan. Naturally, program participants from around the U.S. are also excited about visiting the “Windy City.”

Registered attendee Richard Sanfilippo, facilities manager of the Los Angeles Firemen’s Credit Union, notes, “Chicago is beautiful as spring rolls around, and I look forward to spending some time in the city.”

Easy to reach from anywhere in the country, Chicago events actually attract 9% more attendees than those held in other cities. Thanks to recent transportation improvements, it is now possible to get from downtown hotels to the world-class McCormick Place exhibition center-home of The TFM Show™-in less than eight minutes.

Busy facility professionals will be eagerly packing the hall to meet, learn, and brainstorm. To date, influential decision makers from companies like Cushman & Wakefield, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, FedEx, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, IKEA, Lockheed Martin, Pfizer, Purdue University, Tennessee Valley Authority, GSA, and many others have already registered.

Getting To Know You

Year after year, the profession’s most interesting and knowledgeable facility executives make it a point to attend The TFM Show™. Numerous networking opportunities, such as the ice breaking facility tours on April 8 and the Chicago Blues Welcome Reception on April 9, are extremely popular with attendees looking to exchange ideas with peers.

Facility Manager Thomas Cook of Romeoville, IL-based World Kitchen confirms the need for networking. He says, “I am looking forward to The TFM Show™ for a chance to network with my peers, experience all of the new innovations and concepts, and exchange ideas that might make our jobs easier.”

Sanfilippo adds, “I’m attending The TFM Show™ this year based on a recommendation from a fellow facility manager. By attending last year, he made some excellent contacts that helped him significantly during a construction project. As my company prepares to embark on a major expansion project, I hope to make the same kind of contacts.”

Learn Your Lessons Well

Once again, The TFM Show™ is featuring educational sessions on a broad range of topics. With strong offerings in the key facility management “disciplines,” participants will select from classes in applied management, energy and the environment, interior furnishings/space planning, real estate, security, safety/recovery, and information technology. Popular presenters like Alex Lam, Ernest Schirmer, Richard Mauer, Joan Stein, Christopher Batterman, Lawrence Vanderburgh, Bill Davies, Christopher Lee, and many others are planning to return to the classroom this year.

Bruce Allehoff, director of administrative services at the Chicago, IL-based American Hospital Association is looking forward to a repeat success of last year’s educational sessions. He says, “I attended my first TFM Show last year in San Diego. The knowledge I brought back was extremely useful concerning facility operations. We immediately implemented a company-wide AED program as part of our health and safety program. Getting first-hand information at The TFM Show™ expedited our development in new ways of doing business. I recommend all facility professionals attend the 2003 TFM Show for deeper insight into our ever-evolving profession.”

TFM “Tricks Of The Trade” Columnist Jim Elledge will be speaking once again, and TFM “Facility Technologist” Tom Condon will be delivering his maiden presentation to TFM Show audiences. Other exciting newcomers to The TFM Show™ will be speaking as well. Particularly noteworthy will be “green pioneer” and Thursday morning general session speaker William McDonough.

Best of all, participants will have no problem securing the continuing education hours they need in order to maintain their licenses. Since education sessions will not conflict with exhibit hours-a feature few other shows offer-attendees won’t have to miss any exhibits in order to attend sessions.

Attendance at The TFM Show™ will count towards certification and continuing education credits from the following organizations: Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), International Facility Management Association (IFMA), Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International, BOMI Institute, American Institute of Architects (AIA), and International Interior Design Association (IIDA). In addition, the Association for Facilities Engineering (AFE) will offer its popular Certified Plant Maintenance Manager (CPMM) and Certified Plant Engineer (CPE) programs in conjunction with the show.

Curtain Up! Light The Lights!

The exhibit hall at The TFM Show™ promises to have its own share of excitement and activity. In fact, this is precisely why some attendees, like Marie Kaysen, VP at Thiensville, WI-based Lakeside Development, registered early for The TFM Show™. Kaysen explains, “I am attending the show to find out more about the newest building products and services. We are starting two new commercial office buildings, and this information will enhance my ability to lease Class A office space at top rental rates.”

Adds Ed Grotte, director, buildings and grounds for Chicago Heights, IL-based Flossmoor School District 161, “I’m interested in new ideas and products, [because it’s] important for any one who operates a building to have every possible option open. With this comes service; believe me, when something breaks down, you [have] to be very responsive.

As the largest marketplace for products, materials, and services spanning the entire life cycle of the built environment, The TFM Show™ has consistently attracted exhibitors who showcase “the ‘latest and the greatest’ developments in total facility management for application in government work,” says returning attendee Edward T. Butkiewicz, spec analyst for the Philadelphia Department of Commerce/Philadelphia International Airport.

In recognition of the “latest and greatest” products, the exciting “Best Of Show” competition will be a highlight at this year’s event. Winners in each of the show’s previously mentioned key disciplines will be honored prior to the William McDonough General Session on April 10.

The Grand Finale

In 2003, The TFM Show™ is co-locating with the CSI Show™ at Construct America™. (For more on Construct America, see article below). Registrants for either show will have access to far more product information than a single exhibition can offer, because when they sign up for one show, they can view the other co-located show’s exhibits at no extra charge.

Says registered attendee John Blumenshine, vice president, facilities at S&C Electric Co. of Chicago, IL, “From my perspective, TFM and CSI Shows allow me the opportunity, in a close geographic area, to interface with my peers and review what’s new in the facilities and plant engineering professions.”

Cheryl J. Josephson, manager of facilities services at Chicago, IL-based R.R. Donnelley, sums up her reasons for attending the event this year. She states, “Facilities managers touch everyone every day, and I want to bring back some hard information and ideas on how my department can improve its effectiveness-both financial and strategic-while creating a physical environment that positively influences workers’ attitude and productivity….I am so excited about the sessions and am planning on bringing several people from my organization.”

Do you have a comment? Share your thoughts by writing to tfm@groupc.com, or search for additional articles on this subject in the TFM online archives.