BOMA recognizes emergency preparedness month with roundtable program

September was Emergency Preparedness Month, and BOMA Boston helped keep its membership informed by hosting a roundtable focused on business continuity planning in the event of an emergency. The program provided a wealth of information and resources for members (of property management teams to better educate their tenants) on how they can plan to maintain critical business functions if a building is shut down. This information is especially important to pass onto smaller tenants that may not have any plan in place, and wouldn't know where to begin if an emergency did occur. The presentation moderated by Boston Properties' director of safety and security Alan Snow, and featured a group of expert panelists: Ronald Bashista, planning & preparedness director, Office of Emergency Management, City of Boston; David Cole, vice president of risk management, Fidelity Investments; Kurt Schwartz, undersecretary, homeland security & emergency management director, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security; and Russ Webster, CEM, Federal Preparedness Coordinator, FEMA Region 1. BOMA Boston's fall program season is well underway, with three events in October before finishing with the Annual TOBY & Industry Awards on November 14th at the Westin Copley Place Hotel. BOMA Boston's annual Fallfest will take place at the Hard Rock Café in Boston on October 10th. This event is one of the largest BOMA Boston holds during the year, and brings together property managers and owners with sponsoring service providers for a night of networking in a festive atmosphere. On October 16th, BOMA Boston will hold a roundtable program titled, "#CRE Social Media - Seeing the Forest for the Trees." The presentation will be given by Eric Wilson, director of social media for the New England Real Estate Journal, and will cover social media as it relates to the commercial real estate industry. Wilson has been a social media business coach with a focus on the commercial real estate industry for over three years and has worked with such real estate industry organizations as IREM Boston, IFMA Boston, NEAR, and USGBC MA. On October 22nd, the BOMA Emerging Professionals will be taking members on a tour of Atlantic Wharf as part of their "Behind the Scenes" program series. Atlantic Wharf, formerly Russia Wharf, has been one of the most interesting redevelopment projects in recent years. Its mix of uses includes 86 sophisticated urban lofts 25,000 s/f of waterfront retail, 750,000 s/f of world-class office space and a 650-car underground garage. The project involved multiple challenges such as responding to a changing real estate market, constructing a below-grade garage 50 feet from Boston Harbor, renovating an existing mill building and preserving a brick façade while constructing a 30-story high-rise building in the middle of the site. The tour will be followed by a networking reception at the Barking Crab. For more information about upcoming programs or the TOBY and Industry Awards, please visit www.bomaboston.org.