EuroFM and the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) are hosting the "European Facility Management Conference" (EFMC). Planon is one of the main sponsors of this event that will take place on June 16 and 17 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
According to the leading international facility management (FM) associations, FM suppliers can provide significant support to their clients in times of crisis. "Especially in times like these, the importance of facility management is in the very centre of attention. It is not only about cost cutting but sustainable added value to the core business. For most of us in the FM sector, the current situation is more a chance than a threat," says Albert Pilger, Chairman of the European Facility Management Network (EuroFM).
EFMC organizer IBC Euroforum (Informa Group) talked to John McGee, Chair of IFMA Board of Directors, and asked him three crucial questions.
Why is FM so important in hard times?
John McGee: "In hard times, budgets get reduced, projects get deferred and maintaining a positive flow becomes more difficult. Facility management professionals are critical to the business in these times including leading the prioritization of maintenance projects, staying in control of day-to-day building costs, reducing energy consumption and advising on where to defer and where to invest in building improvements."
What does IFMA expect for the FM industry within the next one or two years?
John McGee: "We can expect challenging times for the next several years. New construction will continue to be low, major emphasis will be placed on project elimination and deferrals and increased efforts will be made to reduce costs. Due to both the economic downturn and the positive impact of the stimulus package, major emphasis will be placed on improvement projects to improve energy consumption and costs."
What are the current challenges of global FM?
John McGee: "It is critical that national and international associations continue to network and work on common initiatives. A great example of this is the partnering between EuroFM and IFMA. Such partnering allows the transfer of best practice, benchmarking, research and education across countries for the advancement of the FM profession globally."
Collaboration of Business and Research
"One world, different problems - joint efforts, sustainable solutions" is the motto of EFMC 2009. In order to underline the collaboration of economy and science, the Business Conference and the parallel Research Symposium will be networked. More than 50 top speakers from Europe and abroad will allude to strategies, profitability and sustainability of FM. Keynote speeches will be delivered by Slovenian Cultural Ambassador Miha Pogacnik, concert violinist and entrepreneur, and by Rob Creemers, Dutch information industry trend watcher. Creemers will go into the development of FM, considering global and European challenges. Magnus Kuchler, Partner at Ernst & Young in Sweden, will host the "FM debate of the year" addressing the issue of outsourcing. EFMC 2009 will be supported by more than 30 national FM associations - in particular Facility Management Nederland (FMN) and IFMA-Holland - and more than 40 research and educational organizations.
Exhibition and Side Events
Leading FM service providers such as Planon, Echelon and the International Facility Alliance will be exhibitors at EFMC 2009. The social programme will comprise a welcome reception, a student poster session and a gala dinner on the occasion of the European FM Award Ceremony. The four award categories are: partners across borders, European FM of the year, European FM researcher of the year and European FM student of the year.
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