World Workplace: First Look at 2011 Products and Services

Coming to Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center October 27-29, the International Facility Management Association’s World Workplace 2010 Conference & Expo is a multi-national, multi-disciplined discussion on workplace trends, challenges, and best practices that will highlight the new products and services impacting the workplace throughout 2011 and beyond.

In addition to a conference consisting of more than 75 educational sessions and a keynote presentation by the honorable Alexis M. Herman, esteemed workforce expert and former secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton, the event will feature an expo with more than 260 exhibitors — including companies such as AlliedBarton, ARAMARK, IBM, KBR, Lowe’s, Staples, and UGL Unicco — as well as governmental agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of State.

The World Workplace expo will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 27, and from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 28. Wednesday’s expo grand opening will be followed by a “meet and greet” with Herman in the expo hall. This year’s expo will once again be freely accessible to the public.

One of the annual highlights of the World Workplace expo is the Green Zone, an exclusive section of the expo floor reserved for companies offering environmentally friendly products and services. Nearly 100 exhibitors will be featured in the Green Zone this year, including companies such as AT&T, Bentley Prince Street, CORT, Kimball Office, Philips, and Steelcase.

“Our participation in World Workplace allows AT&T to have a one-on-one information exchange with leaders in the facility management community,” said Susan Fitzsimmons, senior market manager for AT&T Business Services. “We’re able to share trends and best practices that we’re seeing from our ecosystem of solutions providers, and facility management professionals, in turn, help us craft a roadmap for solutions that will improve their practice. We rely on the insight of IFMA members — it’s how we’re able to ‘rethink possible.’”

Atlanta-based exhibitors will also be front and center this year, as the World Workplace 2010 expo will, for the first time, highlight exhibitors who call the conference’s host city home. Peachtree Street, an area of the floor dedicated exclusively to Atlanta-area exhibitors, will feature nearly two dozen local companies.

“World Workplace provides a unique opportunity to reach our facility management clients and end users in a relaxed but professional environment,” said Paul Cleary, regional vice president of Atlanta-based The Mohawk Group. “We’re looking forward to connecting with customers from all over the world — right here at home in Atlanta — to show them how much we value them and their organizations and to make sure our products and services are providing the solutions they’re looking for.”

In addition to showcasing the latest in workplace products and services, this year’s World Workplace expo will host popular attractions including Chrysler’s Global Electric Motorcars and the ServiceMaster Clean Machine and show car. Chrysler’s GEM cars are 100% electric, street legal vehicles that achieve speeds up to 25 miles per hour and go 30 miles per charge. The ServiceMaster Clean Machine is a 53 foot mobile command center featuring fully functional office and living spaces. It is used to host hospitality events at premier race tracks across the country in conjunction with the company’s show car — a 2010 Dodge Charger COT built to professional race car specifications which can travel 200 miles per hour.

Attendees interested in learning more about the latest developments within the association can visit the IFMA Central Booth. IFMA representatives and others will be on hand to discuss the association’s revamped Facility Management Professional credential, as well as the upcoming Sustainability Facility Manager credential. Attendees can also learn more about how to enter their facility data into the EPA’s ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager as part of IFMA’s ENERGY STAR Challenge, which aims to help facility professionals reduce their organization’s energy use.

Taking place on the expo floor throughout the afternoons of Wednesday and Thursday, October 27-28, will be Solutions Arena educational presentations and product demonstrations from companies including ARCHIBUS, Planon and TRIRIGA. Topics will include finance for real estate executives, maximizing facility performance during challenging times, and sustaining aging infrastructures. Select Solutions Arena presentations will be eligible for continuing education units.