Connect to WW08
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Event Code: October 2008
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ENJOY!
Friday
There comes a time when business supersedes everything else. As much as I wanted to attend sessions today, there was too much else that took precedence . However, Anita and I made a pact that we would go through the WWP proceedings and study the sessions we had planned to take and report on them after the event was over. (Making a deal with someone else is more effective than making a pact with yourself…sometimes being beholden to others forces you to do things you wouldn’t otherwise prioritize.)
The Closing keynote speaker was fun (fun-ky?) Because of the prior evening festivities and/or the early start of the presentation, this closing normally draws fewer attendees than the opening sessions. This is too bad, as Dr. Ridderstrale was engaging and informative and delivered a different perspective to business as we know it.
We then popped over to the Expo Show Office to reserve our booth space for next year in Orlando. As always, Kim Coffey & T.J. were a great help to us and we reserved a good location on the floor.
Another honor that I enjoy experiencing is the ability to attend the Fellows luncheon. This year it was held at the Adolphus Hotel restaurant…they had a private function room set aside for us. Even after a year it still amazes me that I am in the company of IFMA’s major luminaries. It was an enjoyable and gratifying break from the hectic pace of the WWP experience.
After lunch, it was time to break down the FMCC booth on the Expo floor. The process has gotten easier with time…we now understand the requirements and methods of shipping from the Expo floor, which facilitated the process. It was nice, too, that Anita and I were helped by Kit Tuveson & Tim O’Malley…two of the FMCC Executive Board members. Many hands really do make light work
All of a sudden, it is time to get ready for the Awards of Excellence. Being a recipient of an award this year, I need to be ready for a dress rehearsal in mid afternoon, spoiling all my other social engagements for the day. Oh well.
So, here we are at the stage. The Emcee is going through his spiel and we are given our marching orders (literally) about where to walk, X marks the spot, stay in line, remember who is in front of you and behind you and keep smiling no matter what. Having been through this before, the whole process isn’t as intimidating as it once was; however, for the umpteenth time, I know I’m going to trip on stage, about three steps before I get to Dave Brady for my award.
Once we arrive at the rehearsal, we are invited to a VIP reception in the “Green Room”. This sounds fairly prestigious, but it is really an attempt to corral us all and ensure that no one is missing for the Award ceremony. More than once I have witnessed staff running around, searching for a recipient who is due on stage and is no longer with the group. This tends to disrupt the carefully orchestrated event.
Chablis & Jeff Tafel, have been through this before, so when I ask (very nicely) if I can run up to my room and change my tie (just kidding!), they whip out the handcuffs and chain me to a table.
This is a great time for some really good networking. Everyone in the room has performed outstanding service for the Association, so there is plenty to talk about.
I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with Linda Beverly & Shari Epstein from IFMA. Both of them tend to keep very busy all the time and the demands of World Workplace increase their responsibilities exponentially, so it was great to actually sit and talk with them without feeling too guilty about taking them away from other duties. It was very gratifying to hear that they were accepting an Award for all of the IFMA staff. If any group of people deserves recognition for what they do, it is the hard & dedicated workers who contribute so much to the success of the organization.
Time to queue up for the presentations. I’m number 11 in line. As my predecessors make their way on stage, I hear the Emcee joking with them. Great! Something else to worry about. What’s he going to say to me? How will I react? After all, there are only about 2000 people watching me. I console myself with the thought that, no matter what happens, the crowd will be entertained.
I make it on & off stage. I don’t fall flat on my face. The Emcee leaves me alone. I clutch my award and head to dinner.
This was a wonderful Awards ceremony. The format for recognizing new IFMA Fellows was an innovative and effective way of creating a true understanding of what being an IFMA Fellow means. Everyone I talked to commented on this.
Two other highlights of the evening were being able to go to the IFMA Staff table and congratulate them on their award, and being asked to pose for a picture with Andrea Sanchez & Laurie Steiner from the FMJ. I am ever thankful for their support and willingness to publish my articles.
And then to bed, to another flight home, to anticipation of the next World Workplace. After all, we all need something to which we can look forward to in life.
-Bill C.
Thursday
5 out of 4 members who attend WWP plan to return next year.
( Yes…it’s a concept stolen from Norm’s Restaurant in Anaheim, CA. But, does it stick? Will you join us in Orlando? Today will reinforce your decision. Today classes begin!)
I was only able to moderate one session this year. I guess all the volunteer moderators wanted the same classes that I did. But the quality of the one session I drew was well worth it. It was an excellent presentation by Cynthia Smith from Vision Service Plan and Laurie Gilmer from Facilities Engineering Associates on a LEED Platinum project. The room was packed and the session was very well received by the audience.
Another great presentation was www.future.2020 by Meredith Thatcher, CFM IFMA Fellow. Meredith always has informative and thought provoking sessions and this one was no exception
One of the lessons I learned from Meredith a while back was the term “So What” . When giving a presentation or listening to one, I am always thinking about answers and solutions and making sure that the lessons are relevant and contain a solid take-away. Meredith has never failed to deliver on that premise.
Between presentations there is another huge aspect of WWP to explore: The Trade Show.
Experiences on the Expo Floor- With over 300 booths on the floor, this is a safari in itself. There is a lot of territory to cover and limited time in which to do it. It is also important to spend a little quality time with the suppliers. That’s why they are here, and you never know what you can learn from them.
We started in the Green Zone- swinging by the USGBC booth to check on new developments with the LEED process, then visiting booths along the way, to Pacific Building Care, our company booth where we talked with Dana & Russ, our co-workers (self-serving) and then the FMCC booth (also a shameless plug). Of course, the information we gleaned from this small area was worth the price of the whole trip alone.
However, there was plenty more to learn. Some of the other booths we visited were:
As we traversed the floor, we stopped for the drawings that Francis Kuhn was orchestrating and visited with IFMA staff at their booth at Expo central.
Then, as I was experiencing some problems with the blog set-up…so I stopped by the Press Room and Sonal helped me out.
Tonight is the designated Party Night- when regions, Chapters, Councils and FM Support groups open the doors and open the bars. First we hit the West Coast reception, where the Orange County & LA Chapters were graciously invited to join the Office Moving Alliance for snacks and drinks. From there, we were privileged enough to be invited to the Chairman’s Reception. This was held at the Stoneleigh Hotel; one of the more beautiful, older hotels in Dallas. We were in the Penthouse suite, replete with outside terrace, formal dining room, library and a side room where the baseball playoffs were on TV. Something for everybody!
We totally missed the Foundation Education Reception. Sometimes confusion leads to missed opportunities. I could have kicked myself for being pre-occupied and not attending this function.
There was also the Cort party and the Canadian Party, two more traditional events that should be included in any WWP trip. Of course, you need the ways, the means and the fortitude to bounce through all these gatherings in one night. (And also, a good scheduler)
- Bill C.
Wednesday
Andrew Carnegie would have loved WWP. Talk about a place to make friends and be influenced by people! This is the place where the elite meet to greet. (It’s already been established that our membership in IFMA makes us among the smartest and most proficient in the industry…attendance at WWP really highlights those who want to truly succeed in the profession through learning and networking)
This is also the place to be influenced. Those less experienced among us should seek out the members with all the ribbons and titles on their badges. There is an inestimable amount of knowledge and wisdom to be had for the asking.
As for us grizzled old veterans (and the more attractive muses of the profession on the distaff side), we might be surprised at the different perspectives we get from those newer to Facility Management.
No dialogue that takes place at WWP is wasted.
Too many conflicts this morning. I performed my duties responsibly, presiding over the FMCC meeting and officially passing the orb & scepter over to Kit Tuveson, who took over the Council as President. This is the day for Council meetings and that takes precedence over those other gatherings that were so tempting.
There was a Global Sustainability meeting taking place…I really wanted to listen and share at that one. I was invited to help at New Attendee Orientation, but I had to miss that one, too. And we just barely made the tail end of the Moderators meeting. One of the challenges at every WWP is that everything is important…it’s sort of like the CFM exam, where every choice is the right one, it just needs to be decided as to which one is the most right one…but here you don’t have a chance to go back and revisit the options.
The Opening Keynote was entertaining and thought-provoking. As an amateur writer, I try and use the opening sentence in any article as the ‘hook’…getting a reader’s attention so they’ll read on. Now all I think about are ’sticky’ openings. Just another example of too many choices…although it is interesting to view confusion as creative exercise…
Sometimes you have to go with the flow…so we all followed the parade to the Expo floor for its opening. Anita and I worked the FMCC booth for an hour or so. We openly postulated whether the booths that were serving beer were jealous of the cookies we offered and if we would attract more visitors. (We did run out of cookies before they ran out of beer.)
Welcome Reception- an evening at Gilley’s is almost an exercise party. Between the line dancing, bull-riding and casino, body and mind were tested in a decidedly party atmosphere.
We had driven over and we found that in Dallas, parking in the north 40 is really parking in the north 40. Just a little added exercise to clear the mind and body of any excesses.
-Bill C.
Tuesday
Up bright & early.
Back in the good old days (i.e. last year and years prior) Awards of Excellence ticket exchange started on this morning and you had to be physically present to select your table. We would make a concerted effort to be one of the first in line…a tradition shared with the same people every year. It was a mini-competition, but the most fun was seeing the same friends every year. This year, of course, we reserved seating on line, so that didn’t happen.
However, this day is also the best day for registration- no lines, talk to staff- catch up a bit-where we ran into the same bunch of regulars (old habits are hard to break)- Bill Back from Houston, Frank Boettcher from Philly, a contingent from the Bay area , including Melissa Van Hagen, Kathryn Lopez, Dawn Knoll and others.
We also visited with staff; Chandra, Sonal, Ann, Laura, Vicky, Melissa and Amy, as there was ample time to do so before the rush hit. We also hit the bookstore, interrupting Charles & Laura, who were hard at work.
The Facility Management Consultants Council (FMCC) has had a booth on the floor for the last 4 years. Anita & I normally set the booth up and stock it for the trade show opening. Booth set-up is a fairly easy process with two people…even though we only do it once a year. (It took us longer to figure out which side was up than it did to get it in place!)
In the afternoon, it was time for the House of Delegates/Annual Meeting- another welcome tradition-a melding of old friends and new acquaintances all with the common interest in learning how IFMA was doing (Annual meeting) and helping determine its future direction (House of Delegates).
The meetings provided us with an insight into the new Board- and the three year plan that John McGee has implemented. The general feeling was that the combination of John, Tom Mitchell and Francis Kuhn…and their respective responsibilities in regards to the plan was a recipe for success, playing to each of their strengths. The result was a positive outlook for the organization…assuming the road avoids the speed bumps that invariably show up during any trip.
On a personal note, it seemed that Sustainability should be top of the priority list, not fourth down, but that’s an old song that is destined to be a classic…here’s hoping it keeps making the playlist.
Busy, busy, busy… Tuesday was also Foundation Day. Had to miss the golf (personal choice) but the Foundation Gala (Denim & Diamonds) was not to be missed. The Foundation volunteers, under the guidance of Melissa Van Hagen and the Board of Directors, did an outstanding job on this event, and it should prove to be a financial success. Between the raffle tickets, the card games and the weird juxtaposition of a silent auction with loud music and conversations…there was something for everyone.
The food was good, and I’d go to any party where Levi’s are part of the expected dress code.
-Bill C.
The final day at World Workplace 2008 was full of activity. Starting with the closing keynote speaker until the Awards of Excellence gala dinner.
We talked to a few more people about their final thoughts on World Workplace:
See below for pictures from the final day:
We hope you enjoyed the YOUniversal experience at World Workplace 2008! If you have any additional content that you wish to contribute, just let us know and we’ll post it. Thank you for your support and see you next year in Orlando, Florida!
Day 2 of World Workplace is packed with educational sessions, press conferences, facility tours and of course a busy expo floor.
We talked to more attendees about World Workplace and what they would like to get out of their experiences:
Check out photos of most of today’s activities:
Tomorrow marks the last day of the conference, and there is so much more to come!
Monday (D minus 2) is really the prelude to the WWP event.
Travelers arrive in dribs and drabs, acclimating themselves to a new place. We wave in the terminal, sometimes in actual recognition, sometimes at the sight of an IFMA bag, or shirt. There’s a sense of community and camaraderie, even in airports, even at a distance.
I always look forward to WWP with great anticipation, and landing in the World Workplace city always heightens those feelings. Things to learn, people to see, people to meet, kind of exciting, actually.
There are four of us from Pacific Building Care (PBC); Anita Ciminesi, Dana Holladay, Russ Scarce and me. Amazingly, none of us got lost in the luggage or mistakenly re-routed to east of nowhere. (It probably helped that it was a direct flight. Once we got on the right plane, there was little room for error).
So here we are, in Big “D” . Passing by Cowboy’s stadium with a FM eye, I can see why they are building a new one. This one has been used and abused.
We are faced with a number of challenges- finding our way to the Hotel, finding a place to get snacks, waters and drinks at non-hotel prices and getting lunch.
First things first. We located a CVS on a back street downtown. Across the street we found the “Which Wich” a little sandwich shop that served a great toasted pastrami on sourdough. There’s nothing like immediate gratification.
Found the hotel. Good room. Good view. Good bed. Good night.
- Bill C.
Here’s what’s going on during day one!
A new attendee talks to us about his experience:
Check out our YouTube page for more videos from the first day at World Workplace 2008.
http://www.youtube.com/user/IFMAGlobal
Also check out some pictures from today:
Stayed tuned for updates from Day 2!
Here to help you!
Bill Conley
CFM, CFMJ, IFMA Fellow, LEED AP
Pacific Building Care
Sonia Salloum
Building Safety Solutions, Inc.
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