Parametric

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This April, the International Facility Management Association’s third annual Facility Fusion Conference & Expo will help facility, design, and real estate professionals strengthen their competitive advantage through instructor-led educational courses, an expo showcasing the latest workplace products and services, cutting edge facility tours, and other professional development and networking opportunities. Held April 11-13, 2012 in Chicago, IL, at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Facility Fusion will bring together a collection of industry experts offering new ideas, proven strategies, and best practices attendees can implement immediately to heighten productivity and improve operations within their building portfolios. The event will feature industry-leading keynote speaker presentations, 84 educational sessions, and an expo with more than 85 exhibiting companies.
The conference’s first day will feature educational sessions highlighting ways built environment professionals can make a more effective business case to the C-suite, engage building occupants on sustainability initiatives, identify best practices that don’t break the bank, build their professional presence, and use Building Information Modeling to increase efficiency and productivity. Representatives from Brown University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Kaiser Permanente, the National Institute of Building Sciences, and the Smithsonian Institution will present.

The Facility Fusion expo will debut Wednesday and remain open through Thursday, April 12. Open to the public at no cost, the expo will feature more than 85 exhibiting companies showcasing the latest products and services impacting the workplace.

Thursday will also feature educational sessions covering topics including sustainability benchmarking, efficient space management, food service and employee wellness, effective communication with senior leadership, and mobile workforce management. Representatives from Bentley University, HOK, Humana, and the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories will present.

Additionally, Thursday’s Facility Fusion expo will be themed “Chicago Day” and feature appearances by Miss Illinois 2012 Ashley Hooks and Miss Illinois 2010 Ashley Bradarich, who will attend in support of the charitable IFMA Foundation. Bradarich currently works in the facility management profession and is an IFMA member.

Educational sessions on Friday will cover topics including making corporate real estate strategy decisions, defining environmental performance metrics, utilizing value engineering to meet budget constraints, and developing a strategic facilities plan. Representatives from BAE Systems, CBRE, Johnson Controls, Jones Lang LaSalle, and Planon will present. The final day of Facility Fusion will also include behind-the-scenes tours of several Chicago-area facilities, including the Jewelers Building — featured in “Batman Begins” and “Transformers” — UPS’ Chicago Consolidation Hub, and Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower.