It Was Life In The Fast Lane At IFMA’s World Workplace in Charlotte

Whether you revved your engines in Charlotte for IFMA’s World Workplace conference or not, you’re likely to hear about it for the next few weeks. It was quite a show! From a party at NASCAR’s Hall of Fame to one of the most inspirational keynotes on record, everyone had a great time networking, learning and celebrating the success of our industry. Here’s everything that went down and what we took away from facilities management’s highlight event of the year. 

We Partied at NASCAR and Were Inspired by a Legend

What better of a place to get our engine’s running than the official NASCAR Hall of Fame? Sprinkled with NASCAR artifacts, exhibits and the renowned Hall of Honor, it was quite the location to get everyone ready for the fast-paced week ahead.

Earlier that day we heard from an auto racing icon. A philanthropist and one of the most familiar faces in all of sports, Kyle Petty as the opening keynote speaker for World Workplace was an anticipated event. While we knew his speech would be an entertaining and certainly interesting one, we were humbled at the level of emotional inspiration Kyle brought to the event. 

Inspired by the vision of his late son Adam, Kyle and the entire Petty family partnered with NASCAR and other corporate sponsors nationwide to help those who need it most. Founded in 2004, their shining achievement is Victory Junction, a local North Carolina camp where more than 25,000 children with life-threatening illnesses have found a place of sanctuary – one with friendship, fun and a future. 

“Figure out what drives your excellence. The little things are the things that mean so much, These are the things that grow…give back, help others, let the ripples you make in the world through your work change lives for the better.” – Kyle Petty 

For his efforts, Kyle has been nominated for every award one can think of, including Philanthropy Hall of Fame, USA’s Most Caring Athlete, and the Humanitarian Hall of Fame. But what makes Kyle’s story so compelling is his dedication to serving others. As a community of workplace leaders, this idea hits home. It was such an honor to hear from a speaker who understands the importance of truly helping others, and how it trickles much further than you could ever image.

We Enjoyed Tech Talks

Elevate Your Employee Experience With One Workplace App: Live Demo of iOFFICE Hummingbird

Glenn Hicks proved to us during his tech talk that iOFFICE Hummingbird is anything but ” just another app”. In this interactive LIVE demo, Glenn highlighted how this powerful new employee engagement tool uses a combination of mobile apps, kiosks and IoT integrations to put the power of the workplace directly in the hands of your employees. This type of technology is the facilities management future, and what top talent expects from their employer.

Missed out on this Tech Talk? Download an earlier version of Glenn’s presentation here.

Using Sensors to Measure Space Occupancy & Space Utilization

James McDonald gave a very informative overview of the various sensor options available to workplaces. He discussed the positives and negatives of each and how the right fit varies between facilities. He also gave a brief example of how sensors can be used in various locations around the office, from gathering data on space utilization, to dimming lights in conference rooms when they’re not in use, to notifying staff when a restroom needs attention – sensors are the way of the future, no matter where your workplace is located.  

We Learned How To Prove Our Value

During the hustle and bustle of it all, our own DJ Mike P. hosted a LIVE webinar during World Workplace! His guest of choice? None other than Michel Theriault, Strategic Advisor at FM Insight Consulting. 

Michel and Mike discussed how FMs could get their ideas for the ideal workplace on the executive board table – and tactics to implement that could help get the C-suite to see workplace management as a intricate part of the success of their organization. Michel talked about how “to get under the crowbar” and the importance of enlightening your executive team to see how important FM and CRE really is. Considering only 15% of the cost of a building comes from construction, while 85% is the maintenance and functionality of the space, listening to the FM team on how to move forward in the right direction is a smart move on their part.

Want to listen to the entire webinar? Download the recording here.

It was quite a whirlwind week, but it’s definitely our favorite of the year. We were so happy to see all of our FM friends and to meet some new ones too. We hope to see you next year in sunny Phoenix, Arizona!