The Best of the Best Industry Tradeshows
The secret behind 4M Building Solutions is a dedication to continuous improvement and staying ahead of the curve when it comes to industry best practices. There is always something new out there to learn about, which is why we are so active within professional development organizations. It also does not hurt that many trade shows are so much fun, whether it is meeting knowledgeable people within the industry or experiencing a new city and all it has to offer.
There are many great experiences to be had out there, but we put our heads together to come up with our list of the very best industry trade shows. Here are, in no particular order, 4M’s opinion of the must-see trade shows in the industry.
BOMA International Annual Conference & Expo
The massive BOMA (Building Owners Management Association) International Annual Conference & Expo has a lot to offer, and the wealth of knowledge and opportunities keep us coming back year after year. There are many vendors, sure, but even better is getting to pick the brains of the most respected figures in the industry. We have met some amazing people and learned a lot at each year’s edition, and there is no doubt that 2017 will be no exception.
With this event, you have to see it to believe it. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, a video might be worth a million. So check out this video from last year’s conference to see how much fun we had in Washington, DC last year. This year BOMA is headed to Nashville, and we can not wait to see what the Music City has in store for us.
Industry Expo
With another event that gives us a chance to visit many cities throughout the country – recently we visited Kansas City and Indianapolis – the Local Industry Expo gives the benefits of a large national conference but with a small, more intimate feeling.
Each year, large cities throw these events jointly hosted by the local chapters of IFMA (International Facility Management Association), BOMA and IREM (Institute of Real Estate Management). They bring together many people from across a larger variety of industries, giving us all a unique opportunity to meet new people and gain insight from a variety of new and interesting perspectives.
The highlight of the event in St. Louis was keynote speaker Buddy Rice, a dynamic speaker and expert in customer service, management and leadership who has been helping transform businesses for over 30 years. Over 200 attendees enjoyed his insights, ideas and inspiration to find new and innovative ways to improve. After the presentation, we learned about new building care products from 80 exhibitors who brought their best and brightest ideas to the expo and entered into raffles for tablets, Cardinals tickets and more. Finally, we wound down with new and old friends over hours d’oeuvres at the happy hour to close out the event.
IFMA World Workplace
Once again, the International Facility Management Association’s (IFMA) annual World Workplace Conference took us to another great location: San Diego. It is fitting that the conference would take place where so many forward-thinking tech companies and start-ups are booming, because the wealth of new ideas we found at this conference was inspiring.
The event has traveled across the country for the past 35 years, and each year there is something new and exciting to experience. With both familiar faces and new people, we can catch up with long-time friends in the industry while meeting new people who always have something interesting and novel to teach us. With over 100 education sessions over a three-day period, the only problem is that it can be hard to choose. No matter what, we always go home motivated to implement exciting new ideas and technological advances.
Overall, these industry events and the many others held each year offer us invaluable opportunities to further build upon our dedication to continuous improvement through a variety of different techniques and technology.
