The First Facility Management Blog

The International Facility Management Association has combined its 2010 spring events into one conference offering facility professionals a fusion of new ideas, best practices, and leadership and management training. IFMA Facility Fusion will help built environment professionals recharge their careers through instructor-led educational programming; an expo showcasing the latest products and services; cutting-edge facility tours; and other professional development opportunities.

Held April 13-15, 2010, in Philadelphia, Pa., at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Facility Fusion will feature an Energy Forum hosted by a panel of government experts; three industry-leading power speakers; and an opportunity for attendees to meet new IFMA President and CEO Tony Keane, CAE.

Facility Fusion kicks off with an Energy Forum on Tuesday, April 13, featuring a panel of authorities from federal and state government agencies. Representatives from the U.S. State Department, U.S. General Services Administration, Naval Facilities Engineering Command and the City of Philadelphia have been invited to speak. Panelists will discuss energy as it relates to federal buildings as well as carbon capture and new legislation impacting sustainability in the built environment.

“As decisions made in Washington increasingly affect the built environment, it’s critical that we routinely engage those agencies at the forefront of promoting energy efficiency and sustainable practices,” said IFMA Director of Government Relations Jeffrey Johnson. “We’re pleased to have a growing list of government members who can provide perspective on the current administration’s approach to energy policy, how it’s affecting their agency and what effect those priorities may have on the private sector.”

The first day will also feature educational sessions highlighting sustainability case studies, resource conservation best practices and more. Representatives from the City of Orlando, Green Building Services and Texas A&M University’s Health Science Center will present. Conference attendees will get to meet Keane, who will address the audience during lunch on the first day and share his vision for IFMA in 2010 and beyond.

Day two of Facility Fusion, Wednesday, April 14, will begin with a presentation from power speaker William Rodgers Jr., president and CEO of GoodCents and former president and CEO of EMCOR Facilities Services. Rodgers will present “How to Make the Case to the C-Suite,” a presentation in which he teaches facility professionals how to develop clear sustainability initiatives and programs and then sell them to upper management.

The conference’s second day will include educational sessions on strategic portfolio management, environmental responsibility and reducing corporate food service costs. Representatives from Harrah’s Entertainment, SCAN Health Plan and the University of Reading will present. Additionally, day two will offer tours of local Philadelphia facilities including the state-of-the-art ARAMARK Innovation Center in Philadelphia’s Wanamaker Building; the Philadelphia Museum of Art, one of the largest museums in the U.S.; the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, one of the leading pediatric hospitals and research facilities in the world; PECO, the largest electric and natural gas utility in Pennsylvania; and the Keystone Helicopter/Sikorsky Global Helicopters facility.

The Facility Fusion expo will also debut on Wednesday and remain open until the close of the conference on Thursday. The expo will feature dozens of exhibiting companies promoting the latest workplace products and services. Companies including Bentley Prince Street, CORT, GCA Services Group, Munters and ServiceMaster Clean, among others, will be on the expo floor.

The conference will conclude on Thursday, April 15, with presentations from power speakers Jim Mathis and Sheila Brown. Mathis, an author, business consultant and president of The Mathis Group, will present “Reinventing Yourself for the New World of Work: 7 Bold Truths to Becoming a Market Leader.” His presentation will focus on responding to the recession through a market-oriented, consumer-driven business plan. Brown, an associate with Stantec consulting who helped develop Canada’s LEED® credentials, will present “Green Buildings: Trends for 2010.” She will discuss the latest energy, environmental and sustainability issues impacting the built environment and provide tips for making the business case for green building operations.

The final day of Facility Fusion will also include a variety of educational sessions covering topics such as strategic facility planning, ENERGY STAR® utilization and organizational cost savings. Representatives from ARAMARK, Facilities Solutions Group, Pacific Building Care and State Farm Insurance will present.

Those interested in attending Facility Fusion may register here. Members of the media may register for the event at no cost by e-mailing communications@ifma.org.

To learn more about the IFMA Facility Fusion conference and expo, or to learn about the Certified Facility Manager® and Facility Management Professional courses being offered in conjunction with the event, visit www.ifmafacilityfusion.org.

IFMA is the world’s largest and most widely recognized international association for professional facility managers, supporting more than 19,000 members in 60 countries. The association’s members, represented in 125 chapters and 16 councils worldwide, manage more than 37 billion square feet of property and annually purchase more than US$100 billion in products and services. Formed in 1980, IFMA certifies facility managers, conducts research, provides educational programs, recognizes facility management certificate programs and produces World Workplace, the world’s largest facility management conference and exposition. To join and follow IFMA’s social media outlets online, visit the association’s LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages. For more information, visit the IFMA press room or www.ifma.org.

The International Facility Management Association has opened registration for World Workplace 2009 Conference & Expo! This event is one you don’t want to miss. Held Oct. 7-9 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., World Workplace brings industry leaders from the world’s top business and government organizations together with educators and exhibitors to focus on the future of the work environment.

World Workplace 2009 Conference & Expo is going to be best youniversal FM experience yet!

Here are some of this year’s conference highlights:

• The opening keynote will begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
• The welcome reception will be held at Universal Studios Fla., where World Workplace attendees will have exclusive access to a designated area of Universal City Walk Orlando.
• There will now be several power speakers for attendees to attend—you get to choose who you want to hear. This allows for a broader range of subject matter and extended question and answer time.
• Friday, Oct. 9 will be completely dedicated to educational sessions and provide more variety and hours of education than ever before. More than 80 educational sessions will be available!
• Attendees will have an unprecedented 11 dedicated hours on the expo floor on Oct. 7 and 8, with no conflicting educational sessions, keynotes or facility tours. The expo will be closed on Friday, Oct. 9.

Companies registering 10 or more people will receive the tenth full registration free. To learn more about conference registration rates and options, click here or e-mail registrations@ifma.org. To register for World Workplace 2009, click here.

The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) has opened registration for the World Workplace 2009 Conference & Expo, held October 7-9 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. World Workplace brings industry leaders from the world’s top business and government organizations together with educators and exhibitors to focus on the future of the work environment.  

Companies registering 10 or more people will receive the tenth full registration free. To learn more about conference registration rates and options, click here or e-mail registrations@ifma.org. To register for World Workplace 2009, click here.

IFMA’s World Workplace Conference & Expo is an annual three-day educational and networking event focused on the future of the built environment. Building on the professional development opportunities available through the association year-round, the World Workplace experience includes a conference focused entirely on education and an exposition incorporating product demonstration and instruction.

In 2008 the World Workplace Conference & Expo was held in Dallas, TX from October 15-17, attracting an estimated 4,500 attendees from nearly 40 countries. The event generated nearly $12.9 million in revenue for the city, according to estimates from the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau.

As the “youniversal” workplace event, World Workplace 2008 marked IFMA’s 29th annual conference. Industry leaders, educators, and government representatives joined more than 300 international exhibitors from companies such as AT&T, IBM, and Microsoft to focus on the future of the work environment.

Back for the second year was the World Workplace Green Zone, an exclusive section of the expo floor reserved for exhibitors offering environmentally friendly products and services. More than 100 exhibitors were featured in the Green Zone this year, including organizations such as the U.S. Green Building Council and companies such as Bentley Prince Street, Herman Miller, and Kohler.

Chip Heath, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, and European business guru Dr. Jonas Ridderstråle, a visiting professor at Ashridge Business School in the U.K., delivered the conference’s keynote addresses. Heath discussed how to use “naturally sticky” ideas to design more effective messages, while Ridderstråle offered evolved thinking and commentary on the state of business in the latter half of this decade.

The event also featured 83 educational sessions on topics such as sustainability, emergency preparedness in a post-September 11 world, and global facility planning. Educational session speakers included representatives from ARAMARK, ConocoPhillips, and Nokia, as well as from universities around the world.

In addition to continuing education, industry partnerships took center stage at the conference. World Workplace 2008 saw IFMA enter into a memorandum of understanding with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). The two groups agreed to collaborate on projects, publications, sustainability research, educational offerings, and legislative and regulatory issues.

IFMA also renewed Partners in Excellence agreements with the British Institute of Facilities Management and the Facility Management Association of Australia. Originally signed in 2004, the agreements call for collaboration between the organizations on standards, research, knowledge sharing and other activities.

Conference attendees had the chance to see Dallas firsthand during IFMA facility tours throughout the city. Among the facilities open for touring were the Dallas Morning News corporate offices, the American Airlines Center, the Dallas Convention Center, and the 115 year old, newly restored Old Red Courthouse.

Following in the tradition of 2007’s World Workplace, the 2008 conference again received Cleaner & Greener certification from Leonardo Academy, a non-profit environmental consulting group. Organizations seeking Cleaner & Greener certification make a commitment to gather emission reductions, offsetting the emissions caused by events.