Management for the NFMT Conference & Expo, a national trade show and educational conference for commercial and institutional building owners and facility managers, has announced a record breaking year for its flagship event, which was held at the Baltimore Convention Center March 12-14. This year, NFMT attracted 146 new companies showcased in the exhibit hall, contributing to a total of 685 booths on display. Exhibit hall square footage increased to 71,250, making it the largest in event history. Attendance topped 2012 figures with more than 5,300 facilities professionals attending.
“We are extremely pleased with the expansion of our exhibit hall this year. More attendees experienced and interacted with more suppliers and products than ever before,” said Todd Kotlarek, director of events for Trade Press Media Group, a co-owner of the event. “That means more folks returned to their offices with solutions and networking contacts. A bigger show floor is a huge benefit to our exhibitors and attendees alike.”
With 120 educational sessions, NFMT is also known as the country's largest and most robust educational event dedicated to professionals responsible for the management, operations, maintenance, design and construction of commercial and institutional buildings. Conference sessions focused on sustainability; energy efficiency; critical facilities, leadership and career advancement; maintenance and operations; power generation and reliability; safety and security; technology and more.
“We love exhibiting at NFMT. The top-notch educational sessions attract the best facility professionals in the nation,” said Gene Ackermann, owner of AirPac Inc. “The show offers us the opportunity to touch base with existing clients as well as connect with qualified prospects. We can always attribute new business from our presence at NFMT. We will see you in 2014!”
At press time, 35,000 square feet of exhibit hall space has already sold for the 2014 event, setting the pace for another sell-out in the exhibit hall.
“We had an excellent show,” added Gary Salter of DMAR Environmental. “We had a lot of traffic at our booth and received a lot of leads, some of which have turned into proposals already. The show was well worth our attendance and we look forward to next year.”
Highlights from NFMT 2013 included:
- Winning projects for Building Operating Management’s FMXcellence Awards were announced and spotlighted at the annual panel discussion and special general session. Winners include: BAE Systems, New York City Department of Education, Georgia Tech Department of Housing, HEI Hotels & Resorts, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and TD Bank Group
- The annual Solutions Exchange speed-learning event was packed with facilities management professionals who participated at their choice of three different hosted, 20-minute table discussions focusing on more than 20 topics.
- Exclusive, in-depth workshops focused on driving change and project success and steps to developing an asset management program.
- The special Women in Facilities Management panel discussion drew a standing-room-only audience that participated in a frank discussion about being female in this male-dominated industry. Sponsored by Sodexo, the panelists were Teena Shouse, CFM, IFMA Fellow, Vice President at Facility Engineering Associates, Gabriela Stephenson, Vice President, Brand Management Facility Solutions and CTM for Sodexo Healthcare and Lesley Goff, CFM, Facility Manger with The Hershey Company. Building Operating Management senior editor Naomi Millan served as moderator.
- Special general session presented by Robert Francis, Vice President of University Facilities, Drexel University. Mr. Francis shared his insight on leaders who use creativity and flexibility to run facilities.
NFMT 2014 will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center, March 4-6. For more information, visit www.nfmt.com/baltimore
