Calendar of Events for FM Professionals

The National Energy Codes Conference provides energy efficiency training and networking opportunities for energy code users and participants of all types, including building officials, builders, state energy offices, trade associations, energy efficiency organizations, architects, engineers, policymakers, manufacturers, utilities, code administrators, educators, researchers and more. Members of the building industry discuss current building energy code issues and receive consistent technical training on building energy codes and standards. This year’s event will be held virtually, followed by a series of topic-based seminars to be held every other Thursday throughout the summer. Continuing education options are provided for members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and International Code Council (ICC). RESNET CEUs will be offered as well.

Energy Codes 2021 National Energy Codes Conference

This annual convention takes place during the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and Affiliates Convention Week, and addresses issues faced by higher education FMs pertaining to athletics and events. This year’s event will be virtual, so CEFMA sessions will be held as Breakout Sessions. Sessions usually cover such topics as: parking management; working with your conference office and senior administration; safety and security; boosting your career, industry trends, technology, preventive maintenance and more.

Collegiate Event and Facility Management Association (CEFMA) Convention [VIRTUAL]

Future Offices Summer (Online) brings together a variety of perspectives from across industries to present a depth and breadth of knowledge to help workplace reopening efforts. Dealing with the physical return to the workplace also means ensuring employees feel supported and that the employee experience is front and center. Through a combination of case studies, panel discussions, and face-to-face (virtual) roundtables, Future Offices Summer attracts corporate real estate, workplace strategy/experience, facilities managers (FMs), IT, HR, employee experience executives and design experts to the same table. Hot topics include:

• Leveraging the hybrid workplace to build an ecosystem of partners
• Applying pandemic work strategies to a post-pandemic workplace
• How to create hybrid equity among employees in a predominantly hybrid work environment
• Data collection, privacy and use — how to capitalize on the plethora of new data without taking advantage of employee trust
• Redesigning the employee value proposition to meet employee expectations and those of future candidates

In a special presentation July 27, NFS Technology reveals the secrets of a new practical approach to workplace transformation. Luis De Souza, CEO of NFS, will lead an online session on “The Practical Approach to Transforming the Workplace,” sharing the platform with Ray Pezzuti, global director of Operations and Facilities with Fried Frank, LLP, an NFS client. The presentation will cover:

• Real challenges NFS clients have faced, and their approach to analyzing and driving change in space transformation and collaboration
• Different technology choices — what worked best
• The role of data in making informed choices
• The journey of a global NFS client faced with a pandemic in the same month as opening a new EMEA HQ facility

Future Offices Summer [VIRTUAL]

Join AIA June 17, July 8, July 29, and August 19 for a series of immersive, connected, all-digital experiences with leaders in architecture and beyond. A’21 will be a series of four unique online events that will address firms’ business needs due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and racial inequities. Roman Mars, host and creator of 99% Invisible, will be the host.

July 29: Community Engagement — Communities prosper when architects are involved, but barriers remain to individual agency and action. Learn how to be an agent of change in communities using advocacy and consensus building to create equity. 

AIA Conference on Architecture 2021 (A’21) [VIRTUAL]

Ideaction convenes the FM industry to share information, research, innovative practices and evidence-based case studies; understand current trends; and broaden business networks. The conference provides attendees with invaluable ideas on how the industry can create a prosperous future through increased efficiency and effectiveness in the management of facilities. For 2021, due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, Ideaction.2021 will be hosted across Australia at multiple locations, including Geelong (main conference base), Sydney and Perth. Geelong and Sydney will host the conference on Monday August 2 and Tuesday August 3, while Perth will be a one-day event on Monday August 2. Keynote sessions will be livestreamed to all locations, and delegates and sponsors will have the opportunity to network nationally.

[This event was postponed from May, then June. If for any reason Ideaction.2021 is unable to proceed as a face-to-face event on August 2–3, the format will be adapted to avoid further rescheduling.]

Ideaction — National FM Conference & Exhibition

Connex2021 is a major annual event for multi-site FM professionals, from entry level to senior management, who are involved in maintenance, planning, design, budgeting and more at their facilities. The event offers networking events, an industry exhibition and 30+ education sessions with key trends impacting retailers, multi-site healthcare facilities, entertainment facilities, banks and other multi-site facilities, plus suppliers. To prepare for the CONNEX2021 National Conference, the Connex team used feedback from education sessions with the highest attendance and ratings to create this year’s conference education tracks. Education tracks include Business Management, Professional Development, Game Changers, Environmental Responsibility, Supplying Success, and FM Labs (HVAC). Each track includes educational sessions on three different levels — Fundamental, Beyond Basics, and Executive Edge. Customize your conference experience by choosing your track and educational level, or choose specific educational sessions. The FM Quick Connect speed networking event helps FMs quickly decide which exhibitors to visit in the expo hall.

[This event was postponed from April, then July.]

Connex2021 (multi-site FM)

Focused on facilities management and free to all qualified professionals, the MABFM educational conference offers sessions covering a wide range of topics: LEED, Green, Sustainability, Energy, Building Commissioning, Facility Maintenance, Construction and Design and more, with CFM credits available from IFMA, CEU credits from AFE, and CPD credits from BOMI. Over 120 exhibitors display innovative products and services necessary to operate, manage, maintain and renovate all types of buildings and facilities, focused on the Tri-State area of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Mid-Atlantic Buildings and Facilities Management Show and Conference (MABFM2021)

Expand your knowledge of light-emitting diode (LED) solid-state lighting (SSL) innovations, along with architectural, engineering, interior design, construction, FM, lighting and wireless industries professionals from around the country. Lighting industry luminaries and fresh up-and-comers will present 12 nonconcurrent educational sessions for the LEDucation August Conference — AIA CES approved and free of charge. Topics range from highly technical and research-based techniques for effective lighting systems design and specification, to broad-stroke design trends such as circadian support and digital placemaking.

If you missed the March 2021 Virtual Conference, you are able to view the sessions online. Gain insight to lighting design trends, controls, sustainability, and health issues.

The 2021 Online Marketplace will stay open throughout the year for anyone interested in browsing through Virtual Exhibit Booths from over 300 exhibitors. Registration Required. Free of charge.

LEDucation Educational Conference 2021 (solid-state lighting) [VIRTUAL]

Join AIA June 17, July 8, July 29, and August 19 for a series of immersive, connected, all-digital experiences with leaders in architecture and beyond. A’21 will be a series of four unique online events that will address firms’ business needs due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and racial inequities. Roman Mars, host and creator of 99% Invisible, will be the host.

August 19: Building Efficiencies — Climate change highlights the need for drastically reducing our carbon emissions. Learn how innovations in contracts, regulation, labor, manufacturing and materials are changing firms’ work and the AEC industry. Keynote: Tennis champion Venus Williams.

AIA Conference on Architecture 2021 (A’21) [VIRTUAL]

AcceleRISE, hosted by SIA’s RISE community for young professionals in the security industry, will challenge tomorrow’s security leaders to test their limits, escape their comfort zones and grow their industry expertise. The conference program covers key security technologies and business topics along with essential soft skills that support professional growth for high performers looking to stay at the forefront of the security industry and advance their careers. The 2021 event will put young professionals’ preconceptions, boundaries and industry know-how to the test and teach them how to maximize their leadership potential. Attendees will have the chance to make valuable connections with other young industry professionals and enjoy fun virtual happy hours, trivia and more. As part of 2021’s “The Challenge” theme, attendees will also be able to compete for points and prizes and track their progress on the AcceleRISE leaderboard throughout the experience.

AcceleRISE: The Challenge (young security professionals) [VIRTUAL]

IWFM Conference 2021 is IWFM’s annual flagship event for workplace and facilities management (FM) professionals. With workplace and facilities management coming to the fore during the pandemic of 2020, FMs must capitalize on the opportunities and lessons the pandemic has taught us in stamping our authority on the future of work. This year’s hybrid event pairs a physical delegate experience with a digital one in a curated blend of world-renowned thought leadership and cutting-edge best practice.  Practitioners will be able to explore the wider themes that will impact our organizations and access the best practice needed to face them head on. The 2021 Conference will provide delegates with both the inspiration and the information to ensure that they, their organizations and the profession, emerge stronger and become change agents.

IWFM Conference 2021 (workplace & FM) [HYBRID]

The annual Building Innovation Conference and Expo will be online again this year to reach a broader built environment audience. The event brings together those who impact the built environment to network and find solutions to challenges. Innovators will share ideas, initiatives, practices and policies to optimize building performance and sustainability. The compelling, credit-building program is designed to engage the entire team involved in planning, designing, procuring, constructing, operating, maintaining and retiring physical facilities to advance innovation in building science and technology. BI2021 will cover a spectrum of developments as well as how Covid-19 has impacted the industry and greater building community, addressing critical issues from equity in the workforce to technological advancements and the importance of improved natural disaster mitigation efforts. This year’s event offers 16 sessions featuring 29 speakers, in three tracks: Resilience (sustainability, energy, climate change), Technology (building performance, offsite construction, AI, block chain and building information management [BIM]), and Workplace (the work environment, promoting a healthy workplace, culture, training, diversity, equity, inclusion).

Building Innovation 2021 Conference and Expo [VIRTUAL]

This 53rd annual major commercial interiors event attracts architecture, design and FM professionals and specifiers from around the world who design, plan, or manage any type of commercial interior, to experience product innovations and developing industry macro-trends. The exhibition comprises nearly 1 million sq. ft. of exhibition space, covering a spectrum of vertical markets including workplace, healthcare, hospitality, retail, education, public spaces and government. Some 500 of the industry’s major manufacturers as well as hot emerging companies will showcase thousands of game-changing new products and services in categories including furniture, fabrics, flooring, interior building products, interior finishes and technology. A first-class educational program features an array of accredited seminars and special programs. In addition to daily keynotes in front of a live audience, NeoCon is offering a series of virtual programming beginning in March and running through the physical event in October. All CEU sessions for NeoCon 2021 will take place virtually during show days and will be available on-demand for 30 days after. Daily keynotes and other major presentations will occur onsite and also be available via livestream to all NeoCon registrants. Details and registration for programming will be available August 9.

The Best of NeoCon awards program, held annually since 1990, will continue honoring outstanding new products from NeoCon exhibiting companies. Best of NeoCon enters 2021 with a fresh new look and approach. The awards program will feature entries in 58 product categories (17 new this year) evaluated by a diverse jury of leading architects, designers, specifiers and facility managers with expertise spanning commercial, healthcare, institutional and hospitality sectors. The entry portal closes on September 9.  Winners will be announced at an awards event at on October 4 at theMART. Eileen McMorrow, editor-in-chief, The McMorrow Reports, will continue as the director of The Best of NeoCon.

NeoCon 2021 (commercial interiors)

“BOOM. EVERYTHING’S DIFFERENT.” Rescheduled from July, BOMA 2021 promises that, with the continuing support of the BOMA community, building owners and managers can get a handle on the changes from 2020 and discover what’s next for commercial real estate, from the latest information on market trends and conditions to the regulatory changes that affect your portfolios. Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin will share lessons in leadership and resilience in her keynote address. With business as usual no longer an option, discover the latest innovative products, services and technologies that can elevate your building above the rest at the BOMA 2021 Expo, and gain key insights and tactical know-how that will optimize your property’s performance and set yourself apart, in the comprehensive educational sessions.

This year’s education tracks include Building Operations & Management; Creating Asset Value; Energy Efficiency & Environmental Responsibility; Industrial Real Estate Management; Leadership, Career and Talent Development; Occupant Engagement; and Technology and Innovation, with NEW tracks on Health & Wellness and Covid-19 & CRE focusing on reoccupying buildings safely. Each session qualifies for continuing professional development credits and credential renewal and maintenance. Numerous networking opportunities are available, and The Office Building of the Year (TOBY) Awards showcase excellence in office buildings and their management. Early Bird rate extended until July 31.

[This event was rescheduled from July 18-21, 2021.]

BOMA 2021 International Conference & Expo

NEBB is the international certification association for firms that deliver high-performance building systems: solutions for sustainable spaces. The NEBB Annual Conference provides education, certification progress opportunities and networking to professionals and technicians who test, balance and/or commission buildings’ environmental systems to ensure cost-effective performance for building owners and tenants. The event offers an Exhibit Hall, keynote and technical sessions, panel discussions and more.

NEBB Annual Conference 2021 (high-performance building systems)

The 6th Annual Southwest Buildings & Facilities Management (SWBFM2021) Trade Show & Conference will feature over 150 companies displaying products and services necessary for the operation, management, maintenance and renovation of buildings and facilities in the Southwest US. Running concurrently with the trade show is an educational conference featuring 20 individual one-hour talks covering a wide range of topics including: LEED, Green, Sustainability, Energy, Building Commissioning, Facility Maintenance, Construction and Renovation Planning. Conference sponsors and presenters include ASU, ASHE, USGBC, BOMA, ASSP, AEE and IFMA. IFMA – Greater Phoenix provides CFM credits, and AFE provides CEU credits for all 20 Conference Talks.

(This event was postponed from May 19-20, 2021, in the same location.)

Southwest Buildings & Facilities Management (SWBFM2021)

IFMA’s premier annual facilities management (FM) workplace conference and expo World Workplace will resume its full-fledged program for 2021, offering nearly 50 educational sessions, keynote speakers, a Welcome Reception, an expo hall, education arenas and IFMA’s Awards of Excellence. This year’s conference starts off with a Deeper Dive Session as well as IFMA Foundation’s Pirate Regatta, an evening of fun and games and pirate competitions.

Now more than ever, coming together to exchange experiences and viewpoints on managing through crisis, anticipating and mitigating risks, developing plans for resilience and forecasting the future of the built world is of the greatest importance to the FM industry. IFMA’s World Workplace is an all-encompassing learning and networking event on facilities and how to manage them, offering FM education, knowledge exchange, career development and professional network building among all professionals who support the built environment.

IFMA lists these five ways benefits of attendance for you and your team, facility and entire organization as you boldly embrace new mindsets on the new world of work:

1. Manage and master change through better FM processes.
2. Prepare for the unexpected and emergency situations with greater confidence.
3. Get answers to big questions for your facility.
4. Create healthy, sustainable space that supports human and environmental wellness.
5. Smoothly integrate ever-changing technology for better facility control.

Deeper Dive Session: “The Disaster Experience — When Your Facility Gets Hacked.” Are you prepared to handle a disaster at your facility? This customized, interactive mock-disaster tabletop exercise was designed to put you in the throes of a real-life disaster situation as it unfolds. You will make the critical decisions any FM will have to make — and deal with the consequences of those decisions! After you’ve finished, you’ll understand the importance of advance disaster planning, effective communication protocols, and understanding the inherent risks in your facilities.

This year’s education sessions offer critical information and insight, including:

• Four Views on PropTech and How it Impacts CRE and FM
• Work on the Move 3: Building Better Workplaces after the Pandemic (based on IFMA Foundation’s book: the new hybrid workplace, design for post-pandemic workplace, sustainability and planetary health, and our growing dependence on technology, all integrated with safety, health, well-being, diversity and inclusion)
• Women in FM: A Panel Discussion
• Office Furniture Built for Today’s Circular Economy
• You’ve Got a Seat at the Table — Now What? How to Think More Strategically and Holistically About Your Facility
• Business Continuity Planning from the FM’s Perspective: How to Keep Facilities Running (including a case study of Yamaha Motor Corporation)
• Expanded Commissioning Framework to Support a Healthy and Enduring Interior Environment
• Procurement Test Results Prove FMs Can Slash the Cost of Services
• Wake Up Call: Minimizing the Impact of Retirement on Your Facility Team
• Building a Better Business Case for Your Facilities Master Plan
• Facility Management, Business Continuity and COVID-19: What Have We Learned?
• Where Am I? Where Are My Assets? Leveraging Indoor Positioning with Existing Floor Plans for Wayfinding and Asset Location
• How IoT and Data Can Help Facility & Property Managers Manage Differently (make faster decisions, design new business models and anticipate customer needs)
• FM Salary, Compensation, and Facility Operations Benchmarks: Results from RBI’s Latest Research Projects
• Epic Intergalactic Headquarters Case Study: Achieving a Net-Zero Campus and Beyond (Epic’s high-performance, autonomous corporate campus in Verona, WI)
• Your Goldilocks Moment: Getting Amenities Just Right!
• How Amazon Scaled the Gargantuan Task of Implementing Asset Management Across 100+ Buildings
• Tips for Designing Agile Commercial Interior Spaces in a World of Fixed Assets
• An IWMS that Delivers a Fully Connected Workplace
• FMs as Disruptors: How We can Positively Influence Our Organizations
• Six Steps to Effective Capital Planning
• Stop the Spread: Improve IAQ & Protect Building Occupants from Airborne Microbes Using UV Air Disinfection

The keynote speakers are:

• Simon T. Bailey, breakthrough strategist, motivational change agent, author, and former sales director for Disney Institute, will open the conference with “Leading with Spark: Create a Culture where Everyone Matters.”
• Dr. Joseph G. Allen, associate professor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and co-author of Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity, will address the issues raised in his book.
• Robert Glennon, internationally renowned water resource expert and best-selling author of Unquenchable, will close the conference with “Imagining the Water Future.”

IFMA credential courses: IFMA will offer a one-day Certified Facility Manager (CFM) Optional Exam Prep Course to prepare attendees to earn the respected CFM. A one-day Exam Prep Workshop offers insight into exam-taking strategies.

IFMA’s World Workplace 2021 Conference and Expo

This event is the 16th conference in the series of International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ) Healthy Buildings (HB) Conferences dating back to 1988. Themed “Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice — In the Age of COVID-19 and Beyond” for 2021, the groundbreaking event will for the first time connect the scientific research of ISIAQ’s core membership with the experience of practitioners and technicians in the fields of IAQ pertaining to ventilation, buildings, building maintenance, indoor chemistry, cleaning, disaster restoration, biological contamination, comfort, and health implications of indoor exposures. Special emphasis will be placed on Covid-19 and implications on the indoor environment for this and future generations. Healthy Buildings 2021 — America will be presented both on site (with appropriate social distancing measures) and via digital livestream.

Healthy Buildings 2021 Conference — America [HYBRID]

“Bringing the Facilities Industry Together Again” — NFMT Remix Conference and Expo and ConnexionFM | Orlando will be held jointly for 2021. NFMT Remix will be held November 10 and 11, while Connexion FM | Orlando will take place November 11 and 12. The two organizations will host joint educational events November 11. Facilities professionals can attend either or both events for free.

NFMT Remix

Since NFMT Orlando last convened in 2019, the world has changed dramatically. Facilities professionals have stepped up to the plate to learn new skills, expand your knowledge set, and inspire your front-line workers. NFMT’s conference agenda will review the new skillsets needed to reopen and successfully manage facilities during these changing times, offering access to subject matter experts and real-world scenarios for the current and future needs of commercial built environments.

NFMT Orlando (which alternates with NFMT Vegas) is a trade show and educational conference for both experienced and new facilities professionals responsible for the management, operations, maintenance, renovation and construction of all types of non-residential buildings.

This year’s “one-of-a-kind” hybrid event will incorporate both free in-person and low-cost digital opportunities for all attendees, bringing the best of both worlds. The two-day event convenes facilities professionals from throughout the US and abroad to find the latest FM strategies, solutions and best practices, and to network with peers — this year with safety protocols in place.

Education tracks for 2021 are:

•  Re-opening Safely
• Excellence in Maintenance and Operations
• Technology for Business Advancement

FMs and other building professionals will find information and inspiration in CEU-earning education sessions such as these:

• Coil Restoration & AHU Sanitization: Driving Improved IAQ and Energy Savings through Innovation
• Fire Protection & Life Safety Code Considerations for Reopening
• The Reservable Workplace: Desk, Spaces, and Things
• Let’s Get Back to Business: Future-Proofing Your Facility for Pandemics and Pathogens
• Decision-Maker’s Guide to Facility Management Technology Solutions
• Dealing with Pandemic Pathogens and Other Infectious Agents Where People Live, Work and Gather
• Systems Integration in the Built Environment Drives World-Class Communications and Engagement
• Balancing Remote Work for Maintenance & Operations Teams
• Back to Basics — Hardening the Ordinary to Prepare for the Unordinary
• The Future of BACnet Networking Topologies
• Best Practices for Maintaining Building Water Systems During Low to No Use
• Funding Your Energy Project with Newly Extended Tax Incentives
• COVID-19 — After the Curve… — A Building Engineer’s Perspective
• Building Health as Measured by Efficient Operations
• Are Your Electrical Qualified Workers Truly NFPA 70E Qualified?
• Rapid ROI Facility Retrofit Efficiency

ProFM course: Arrive prior to NFMT Remix to start earning your ProFM credential to verify you possess practical and complete FM knowledge and skills.

The NFMT Remix Expo Hall is the place is to see, touch and try out the newest products and technologies and find solutions to help make your job easier.

NFMT Remix; ConnexionFM | Orlando [HYBRID]

This combined international event for the entire cleaning industry focuses on the latest solutions and trends in the areas of cleaning, maintenance, and facilities management.

ISSA Show 2021 North America

Part of major Big 5 Saudi event for construction, the co-located FM EXPO Saudi (Facilities Management Solutions) and Saudi Clean Expo (Cleaning & Hygiene Solutions) bring together the entire FM and cleaning industry in Saudi Arabia. As the world is preparing for the next normal, this event promises to help attendees get to grips with the latest challenges and changes in one of the most technically demanding sectors of the built environment. FM Expo Saudi and Saudi Clean Expo bring expertise, technology, and products together for an exchange of ideas and innovations. Opening the door to exciting developments in the world of facilities management and cleaning to the region’s key decision-makers, this co-located showcase welcomes an international line-up of top-tier manufacturers and distributors. Admission is free for trade and industry professionals.

The Big 5 Saudi annual international show convenes thousands of architects, engineers, FMs, project managers and other building industry-related professionals involved in the commissioning, design and building stage of projects to benefit from education sessions, a comprehensive exhibition, and networking opportunities. Thousands of technology, machinery, material and product suppliers tackle the biggest construction challenges for producing innovative projects, streamlining production and reducing overall costs. Free CPD-certified seminars and workshops cover important subjects including LEED and FIDIC contract conditions.

[This event was postponed from May 24-27, 2021.]

FM EXPO Saudi and Saudi Clean Expo 2022

Building Operating Management magazine offers this annual comprehensive 3-day conference and trade show free to attend for some 5,000+ FM-related professionals from most US states and 25 countries and all types of facilities, along with industry experts and leading suppliers. One of the largest FM events in the country, NFMT 2022 provides up-to-date advancements and knowledgeable practices in the management, operations, maintenance, renovation and construction of nonresidential buildings.

National Facilities Management and Technology Conference and Expo (NFMT 2022)

The major annual event for professionals who design, plan, or manage any type of commercial interior.

NeoCon 2022 (commercial interiors)

The annual LIGHTFAIR is a premier annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference where light, technology and design converge. LIGHTFAIR alternates between East Coast and West Coast sites.

LIGHTFAIR International (LFI 2022) (lighting design, products, tech)

The 5th British-Irish Airports Expo will take place at ExCeL London, backed by a hosting airport coalition of Heathrow, Manchester Airports Group and Gatwick. Key Strategic Partners are the British Aviation Group (BAG), the airport supplier trade association representing over 200 companies, and the Regional and Business Airports Group (RABA), the regional airports trade association of over 40 UK and British Dependency airports. The trade show typically features up to 150 exhibitors and six conferences, and is attended by 2,300++ visitors. By driving collaboration across ALL stakeholders on the airport campus, this year’s British-Irish Airports EXPO has been wholly designed to forge recovery, with the host airports committing to “unity of purpose.”

British-Irish Airports Expo 2022

Security Essen, a major biennial international security and fire prevention event, convenes over 36,000 trade visitors from all sectors from 125 countries to explore the latest trends and most important innovations, and to conduct international business transactions. Topics range from fire prevention, cybersecurity and CCTV to the protection of outdoor areas. Some 950 exhibitors from 40+ nations showcase the latest security and fire products, technology and services.

Security Essen 2022