World Workplace `08 Conference & Expo generated $12.8 million

The World Workplace 2008 Conference & Expo - a three-day event showcasing the trends and new products affecting today's built environment - attracting an estimated 4,500 attendees from nearly 40 countries. Held Oct. 15th-17th at the Dallas Convention Center, the event generated about $12.8 million in revenue for the city, according to estimates from the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Every year World Workplace raises the bar, and this year was no exception," said John McGee, MBA, chairman of the IFMA board of directors. "The educational tracks were excellent; we had a record number of exhibitors; and there were continuous opportunities to network. It was the complete FM experience in every regard." 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 USGBC and companies such as Bentley Prince St., 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-Sept. 11th 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. 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. World Workplace 2009 will be held in Orlando, Fla. For information on World Workplace 2009 visit www.worldworkplace.org/2009.