Conventions

Intex stands for Interior/Exterior Commercial Construction, and it’s got the building industry figured inside and out. The show is co-sponsored by AWCI, the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry, so basically if it’s a surface, these guys have got it covered. Who was there? Architects, materials specifiers, general contractors, wall and ceiling contractors, flooring experts, actually pretty much everyone involved in the commercial construction industry with any kind of responsibility for covering anything with anything. With new-build business in trouble since the recession hit, many suppliers were concentrating more on the refurbishment side of the business. Now, gentlemen, imagine your company lobby with a shiny new marble-chip floor design based on your company logo…. Yeah, just like at CIA Headquarters…

“Buildings NY is all about buildings “”commercial, residential and essential”". The show provided the New York metropolitan building owner, manager, architect, contractor and engineer with the products, services and knowledge needed to compete in today’s challenging times. BuildingsNY/GreenBuildingsNY was about efficiency, focusing on renovation, restoration, retrofit and maintenance to keep existing buildings in top condition. Delegates could source and buy what they needed from nearly 7,000 industry professionals representing hundreds of exhibiting companies. Seelers were showcasing building maintenance, retrofit, renovation and restoration, roofing, flooring and green solutions, and energy conservation. The conference program boasted 2 full days of programming on a variety of topics including Architecture, Energy, LEED, Materials, Policies & Procedures, Buildings Management and more. It was like seeing the New York skyline in a whole new way….
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“GlobalShop is “”The Retail Solutions Event”", and the main things being retailed to these delegates were “”inspiration, innovation and insights”". GlobalShop is supposed to be the largest store design and retail marketing show in the United States. It is the place where retailers and brand marketers can shop for over 10,000 products and visit more than 900 suppliers in one location. The conference program offered 24 sessions led by top retail experts, who provided insight, advice and best practice information on how to create sustainable brands at retail that resonate with consumers. Big topics took in subjects like Lessons of the Recession; Shopper Marketing — a Revolution in Need of an Objective; From Research to Reality — Turning Shopper Insights into Successful Store Design; and Reimagining the Retail Store — The Shopper’s Experience. Sounds like retailers mainly needed to hone their listening skills…
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“Call it by its full name: CONEXPO+CON/AGG 2011. It was the international gathering place for the construction industries. Held every three years, the exposition showcased the latest equipment, products, services and technologies in the building trade. With over 2,000 exhibitors shouting for your attention (this is an industry unafraid of making noise, people), you could get up close and size up the newest equipment and technology in the construction industry, bring yourself up to speed on new systems and instrumentation, and see all the latest innovations making the industry greener, safer and more precise. A comprehensive education program during the five-day exposition offered attentive delegates a program of sessions emphasizing industry issues and trends, management do’s and don’ts, and applied building technology. It was so quiet in the seminar rooms you could hear a ton of bricks drop…

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“The NFMT 2011 Conference program featured 120 educational sessions that were free to the facilities management professionals attending the show. From assets to heating/cooling zones and everything in between, NFMT sessions covered all the main topics of interest to the facilities management business. Keynote and other address topics included “”Energy Audits vs. Retrocommissioning”", “”Getting the Most Bang for your Buck: What Makes Enterprise FM Technologies Successful?”", “”From Communication to Transformation: Leveraging Technology to Manage Your Facilities”" and “”The True Cost of Aggressive Preventative Maintenance on Exterior Services”". No-one seemed to have any specific thoughts on managing facilities consisting of new but empty buildings, devoid of owners or tenants because of the recent downturn. A pity, as this is already an all-too-common occurrence in places like South Florida and Nevada…

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