The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) hosts IFMA World Workplace 2022 conference in Nashville this year, focusing as always on sharing the latest trend and tech for facility management professionals, from C suite executives to frontline facility directors.
But before getting to all the important small details about the big event, let’s first start with the basics.
What is IFMA World Workplace 2022?
IFMA’s annual World Workplace is the world’s largest facility management conference.
And it has the numbers to prove it, with more than:
- 50 products
- 70 sessions
- 100 speakers
- 300 exhibitors
And all that tends to draw a large crowd. According to IFMA, there are over five thousand attendees in 2022. Making up that crowd are a collection of operations professionals, general managers, C-suite executives, facility directors, and real estate professionals.
According to IFMA, attendees collectively manage more than 78 billion square feet and purchase $526 billion in products and services.
The goal of IFMA 2022 is to deliver the best training, networking, and overall experience. Attendees have opportunities to build skills and connect with peers and industry leaders.
This year, the event ran from September 28 to September 30.
What is IFMA?
The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) is the world’s largest association for facility management professionals, with over 22 thousand members in more than 100 countries.
With a mission to make the world a better place by supporting facility management professionals so they can perform at their highest levels, the organization offers a variety of learning and networking opportunities.
When and where is the IFMA conference 2022 happening this year?
IFMA is hosting their big annual conference in Nashville, Tennessee, at the famous Music City Center.
What else is there to do in Nashville besides the big IFMA conference?
There’s a reason Nashville promotes itself as Music City. There are a lot of reasons, including everything from historic landmarks to live venues featuring the future of country music. If you’re looking for the city’s musical roots, there’s the Johnny Cash Museum and the Grand Ole Opry. But if you’re hoping to catch the next big crooner before they hit the charts, there’s Honkey Tonk Central on the famous Lower Broadway.
But of course, the city could just as easily call itself Food City, and at the top of many lists would be Nashville hot chicken, traditionally served on white rice with a pickle on the side. Make sure to ask for the right level of “heat,” which starts at mild and goes all the way to XXX Hot.
Who are the IFMA 2022 speakers?
This year includes a number of industry leaders, starting with the keynote address by Phill Nosworthy on the five elements holding you back from world-class performance. Nosworthy looks at the challenges and opportunities created by:
- Skill and substance
- Knowledge and application
- Identity and reputation
- Intention and action
- Confidence and courage
Drawing on insights from mythology to psychology, he presents new ways to create success not only for your overall organization but also in your career.
For the plenary session, Dr. Jessica Green challenges her audience to rethink how they think about the very air around us. It’s been her passion for a long time, but interest is now growing strong in the facility management world as companies are bringing back their employees to the office. With a focus on designing healthy buildings, Dr. Green shows us how to be not only safe but also sustainable.
Which companies are at the IFMA conference 2022?
A big part of the conference is the expo, where everyone from industry leaders to new up-and-comers has a chance to highlight their products and services.
This year again, there was a wide variety of companies at IFMA 2022, including American Elevator Group, Digilock, Fooda, Honeywell, Smart Rain, Staples, and Zip Water.
World Workplace 2022 premier sponsors include IBM and Service Master Recovery Management.
iOffice + SpaceIQ also had a booth at IFMA 2022, where they had a chance to catch up with old friends and make many new connections.
What were some of the IFMA 2022 highlights?
The event is packed with great opportunities to learn and connect, but there are some that stand out.
Back in 2017, Mike Petrusky, host of the Workplace Innovator Podcast and the Asset Champion Podcast, assembled a team of experts to talk about the challenges and technological solutions of the day. Five years and a full 500 episodes later, he got the band back together to talk about what’s changed, what’s stayed the same, and how to best prepare for what’s up ahead. Mike was joined by Kay Sargent, FASID, FIIDA, CID, LEED® AP, MCR/w, WELL AP, Director of Workplace
HOK, Mayra Portalatin, SFP, RS, LEED AP O + M, Vice President of Facilities Services, NVE, Inc., Lena Thompson, IFMA Fellow, FMP, SFP
American Psychological Association, and Geoff Snavely, Vice President-General Manager at milliCare Floor & Textile Care.
Another highlight from IFMA 2022 was the joint presentation from Cody Grey, Senior Director of Product Asset Management and Matt Meservy, VP of Product, both from iOffice + SpaceIQ. And because there were two of them working together for the presentation, it made sense that their topic was digital twins.
They explained the four pillars of digital twins, the initial asset data, the visual model, the operational model, and then the analytics. Before looking at specific case studies, they first covered the idea of a maturity model, starting with asset data and building up to predictive analytics.
What if you missed IFMA 2022?
It’s an annual event, so you can always sign up for the coming year. In fact, IFMA has already picked locations. Next year’s conference is in Denver, Colorado from September 27 through to 29.
And World Workplace 2024 is in San Antonio, Texas, from October 9 through 11.
IFMA 2022 Summary
The IFMA World Workplace 2022 conference ran from September 28 – 30 this year in Nashville, delivering a wide variety of opportunities for facility management professionals to update and improve their skills while also building out their networks. The numbers are impressive, with 50 products, 70 sessions, and 100 speakers. One of the main draws, the expo, had 300 exhibitors. It makes sense that companies and organizations across the industry want to be there. The event attracted over five thousand attendees, who collectively control over 78 billion square feet. The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) is the world’s largest association for facility management professionals and has more than 22 thousand members across 100 plus countries. World Workplace 2022 was in Nashville this year, a city that markets itself as Music City, thanks to the long history of its vibrant music scene. Among the many other Nashville attractions are all the famous restaurants, especially those that specialize in hot chicken, a local favorite. Back at the event, there were talks on overcoming the most common challenges for today’s facility managers and refocusing on the importance of indoor air quality. Highlights at the event include two presentations from iOffice + SpaceIQ. The host of both the Workplace Innovator Podcast and the Asset Champion Podcast, Mike Petrusky, brought together a panel of experts to re-examine some classic predictions from back in 2017. And two of the company’s product experts gave a joint presentation on digital twins.
