The First Facility Management Blog

Workplace professionals from around the world will meet in Orlando, Fla., to analyze the trends and new products impacting today’s built environment during the International Facility Management Association’s World Workplace 2009 Conference & Expo, Oct. 7-9 at the Orange County Convention Center.

Recognized as the world’s premier educational and networking conference for facility managers and those in related fields, 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. Now in its 30th year, the conference will feature more than 75 educational sessions and new product demonstrations by manufacturers from around the globe.

“World Workplace is regarded as the single most informative facility-related event in our industry for good reason — it’s the ‘one-stop shop’ for the solutions facility professionals need today in preparation to meet the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow,” said Thomas L. Mitchell Jr., CFM, CFMJ, incoming chairman of the IFMA board of directors. “It’s more than just a conference and expo providing education, new products and services, and peer networking. It’s a professionally and personally rewarding experience, and holding it in the ‘land of entertainment’ this year will enhance what will already be a memorable event.”

In a year when many people are focusing on less, World Workplace is offering attendees more. This year’s conference will feature an opening keynote presentation from Andrew Winston — esteemed author, speaker and globally recognized expert on green business — as well as presentations from four concurrent power speakers, who will replace the conference’s traditional closing keynote session.

On Wednesday, Oct. 7, Winston will deliver the presentation “Green Recovery: Get Lean, Get Smart and Emerge from the Downturn on Top,” based on his upcoming book. He will make the case that going green — especially during an economic slowdown — saves money to help you survive, drives innovation to create value for the long run and represents a fundamentally new and better way of doing business.

The conference will also offer attendees a glimpse into the future of the workplace, as they get the first look at the new products and services debuting in 2010. The World Workplace expo floor will feature more than 200 exhibiting companies — including 3M, ARAMARK, IBM, Lowe’s and UGL Unicco — and will be freely open to the public this year. Additionally, expo hours have been extended, giving exhibitors and attendees 11 dedicated hours of interaction on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 7-8.

Another highlight of the World Workplace 2009 expo will be the Green Zone, an exclusive section of the expo floor reserved for those companies offering environmentally friendly products and services. More than 75 exhibitors will be featured in the Green Zone this year, including organizations such as the Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments and the U.S. Department of State, as well as companies including AT&T, CORT, Kimball Office and Kohler.

Complementing the expo will be World Workplace 2009 educational sessions. Organized into eight different tracks, these sessions offer facility professionals the continuing education courses they need to meet the challenges posed by today’s workplace. Session topics include strategies for greening the office, the impact of new legislation on sustainable building design, and how to deal with workplace violence and natural disasters. Representatives from AOL, Duke University, and the U.S. Air Force and General Services Administration, among others, will present. World Workplace educational sessions will be held on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 8-9.

Conference attendees can add to their Orlando experience by attending any of six different facility tours throughout the city. Among the facilities open for touring will be the Walt Disney World® Resort, Lockheed Martin, Darden Restaurants corporate headquarters and JetBlue University. Facility tours will be held before the conference begins, on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 5-6.

Following in the tradition of previous conferences, this year’s event has 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.

Early registration for World Workplace 2009 is available through July 17. To learn more about the conference or to register, visit www.worldworkplace.org. Members of the media may register at no cost 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. This year’s conference will be held Oct. 7-9, 2009, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit www.worldworkplace.org. To join and follow IFMA’s social media outlets online, visit the conference’s NETworkplace page.

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.