Join Laurie Gilmer, immediate past chair of IFMA, and Lara Paemen, Managing Director of IFMA EMEA, for an engaging discussion as they share insights from the vibrant World Workplace conference in Denver. From celebrating the global community of over 4,000 attendees to highlighting the importance of professional development programs like the CFM credential, Laurie and Lara delve into the evolving landscape of facility management. Discover how IFMA is shaping the industry with innovative education, research, and opportunities for career advancement.
Join Laurie Gilmer, immediate past chair of IFMA, and Lara Paemen, Managing Director of IFMA EMEA, for an engaging discussion as they share insights from the vibrant World Workplace conference in Denver. From celebrating the global community of over 4,000 attendees to highlighting the importance of professional development programs like the CFM credential, Laurie and Lara delve into the evolving landscape of facility management. Discover how IFMA is shaping the industry with innovative education, research, and opportunities for career advancement.
Laurie Gilmer: [00:00:00] I think one of the things that used to really bother us, we would say, The FM should be at the table, how come they're not at the table? And really, if you want to be at the table, you've got to have a reason for being there. Yes. There, you don't just get invited because you might potentially have something good to say.
You're at the table because you're recognized as being wanted and valuable.
Host: Welcome to Connected FM, a podcast connecting you to the latest insights, tools, and [00:00:30] resources to help you succeed in facility management. This podcast is brought to you by IFMA, the leading professional association for facility managers. If you are ready to grow your network and advance in your career, go to IFMA.
org to get started. Today we're joined by Laurie Gilmer, immediate past chair of IFMA's global board of directors and the current president and COO at FEA, as well as Lara Paemen, managing director of IFMA EMEA. Together they share insights from the 2023 World Workplace Conference in Denver, from [00:01:00] celebrating the global community of over 4, 000 attendees, To highlighting the importance of professional development programs like the CFM Credential.
They also delve into the evolving landscape of facility management and how IFMA is shaping the industry with innovative education, research, and opportunities for career advancement. But before we dive into this episode, here is a special message from IFMA's current Global Board of Directors Chair, Dean Stanbury, about World FM Day happening on May 8th, 2024.[00:01:30]
Dean Stanberry: Hi, this is Dean Stanbury, Chair of the International Facility Management Association's Global Board of Directors. This World FM Day, we celebrate the facility managers who improve the quality of life for people who use stadiums, venues, offices, airports, museums, schools, and any other facility, regardless of its purpose.
Thank you for working every day to ensure that buildings and their components work properly, efficiently, and safely. [00:02:00] IFMA is proud to collaborate with FMs to make a positive difference on the profession and ignite the careers of facility managers around the world. Happy World FM Day!
Laurie Gilmer: Laura, today it's you and me, Laurie Gilmer, the immediate past chair of IFMA and
Lara Paemen: managing director of IFMA EMEA. This is a two woman show. We're at World Workplace, one of the
Laurie Gilmer: best conference ever. The greatest. [00:02:30] In Denver, we're getting, we have, I'm going to go with well over 4, 000 people. The vibe is awesome.
Lara Paemen: It is insane. Is it? I've seen many World Workplace conferences, but this one is really cool. This is so cool. There's just so many people from all over the world, by the way,
Laurie Gilmer: literally, I, and you know what else I heard? I heard we have over a thousand first time attendees. I'd like to validate that number, but at the same time, I think I just like to celebrate the number.
Lara Paemen: To be honest, I was this morning, I was at the first time attendee meeting [00:03:00] and it was They had to keep people out of the room because it was too busy. So it was so impressive to see everybody and they were all eager to have their first experience with the conference and there was great connection, great mingling.
Everybody was talking to each other. It's such a great vibe. It's really, it's unique. It's really unique. It's uncomparable to any other conference that's out there.
Laurie Gilmer: I so agree. I was talking to Tina Shouse. I think it was [00:03:30] yesterday. And she said, I tell everyone, this is my family read. I'm going to a family read.
It is. That's a great way to think about it. It's
Lara Paemen: absolutely amazing.
Laurie Gilmer: Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. It is the way that we think about it.
Lara Paemen: Yes. And I love the fact that it's also, you know, it is a U. S. based conference, but you do have so many people from across the globe. So, I just met with people from Saudi Arabia, from Egypt, from France.
From Spain. It's amazing that everybody wants to be here as well.
Laurie Gilmer: But
Lara Paemen: it makes [00:04:00] sense because again, this is a conference that brings such great content and everybody's here. That means something in the business. So. And you know, I think too,
Laurie Gilmer: when you come to World Workplace, this happened for me. It's the nickel kind of drops and you realize.
This is why we get together. Getting together is, I think we realized post COVID that it's really important in person.
Lara Paemen: Yes. You
Laurie Gilmer: get here, and there is an energy that you just can't mistake, and it makes you want to do more. It makes you want to be a part of things. I was, so I was, I'm going to tease the channel just a little bit.
Sure. Over [00:04:30] to the CFM and IFMA education. Yes. So this morning we talked about this being the 30th year of the CFM and how many people have gone through another CFM and that mark of distinction we have Ambassador Moser from OVO who was talking about what a mark of distinction the CFM was and recognizing it's the 30th year right now.
So impressive. It is, it is amazing. And I just, I'm so proud of what we've built and proud of those who We've been leading the way [00:05:00] for 30 years ago. We had a bunch of them stand up.
Lara Paemen: Yeah. And they were there. It was so great to see them and, and that they're still so engaged with the association, with the industry.
What struck me that this morning was that, you know, there were figures shown from where we can find the most new FEM credential holders. And what was great is that it's not just U. S. I loved the fact that Saudi Arabia, UAE. [00:05:30] India, Hong Kong, Canada, yes, exactly. It's amazing. It's so, it's really, truly an international credential program.
It's so impressive to see that. And through these 30 years, we're really, you know, we've really gone big on this one. It's fantastic.
Laurie Gilmer: I think the other thing that I think about is, okay, so that was 30 years ago that we figured out, hey, facility management, we need education. We need to figure out how to take something that is.
It's very dynamic, always growing, always changing. [00:06:00] And it, it, and that has not ever stopped. It's become even crazier. Well, not crazy, but, but you know, it's always moved and it encompasses more and more. And to have our education keep up with that is great.
Lara Paemen: It's very impressive.
Laurie Gilmer: Well, I'm amazed at IFLA's quality of content that I've seen and how we've been able to pivot.
And adjust to the various, to the needs of today. Exactly. And it's not just to look back at what, what facility management used to be, but forward and seeing, you know, those trends, [00:06:30] how do we educate people on those things? How do we incorporate that so that they can be best, they can do their job, really stand out as those excellent performers on behalf of their organization.
That to me is also another mark of distinction that I think should not be left out.
Lara Paemen: No, definitely. But what, and what's great now is that. Well, everybody's looking for skilled professionals now, and there's really a need for a skilled professional and that's where programs like the CFM, but also our FMP and our SFP, [00:07:00] even our essentials of FM can add so much to an organization.
There, we, we are peaking when it comes to our professional development programs now because everybody wants to have professionals that are skilled, that are educated, that Everybody's, you know, shouting to get people in and yeah, that's, I think, one of the reasons as well why our programs are so popular nowadays because there's such a need for people.
It's booming.
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Laurie Gilmer: Yes. It's just trying to find good people, you, number one, just understanding what it is we do. Yes. That's one thing. Yes. And getting that recognition of the profession. That's certainly something the foundation and with other groups, through things like Faciliton and whatnot, helping kids recognize this as a career opportunity.
Sure. We've got the education, but it's sort of the, We've got the people in. Exactly. This is a fantastic career. It's amazing and [00:08:30] diverse. I mean, you can go overseas, like with, with OBO, they were talking about that and having these things. It's
Lara Paemen: amazing. And the industry is growing so, so massively, I would say.
If you look at the region where I'm responsible for in, let's say the Middle East, the construction there, it's like there's new buildings being constructed by the second, I would say, but there's not enough people to operate and manage them. So everybody [00:09:00] is looking for those people and they're looking at IFMA because they know that what we produce is a great standard worldwide.
So it's really reflecting, you know, what the industry needs, it's really quality that we bring, and it's like what you said to your point. The content that we deliver, it's amazing how we are continuing to evolve with the needs of the market with, you know, what people need nowadays. Yes.
Laurie Gilmer: And [00:09:30] on that, even beyond our credentials, some of the education that we're developing and the things that we're, I don't want to reveal what's coming.
I know. Let's not move a strategy here. It's going to be good. All my words, some really great topics. Yeah. Look at the research. And in looking at that as a form, what do people need to know about text? What are people glamoring for? Things like the topics of safety and security. Oh, yes. And they're such a huge deal.
It's already been a need for a long time, but under, from a [00:10:00] facility management perspective, it's what does the event need to know? Yes. And how do you grapple with that physical space and its connection to where the ITO takes place? side of the house, you navigate that. I, those are the kinds of things I look at that I think that is tomorrow's leaders.
Lara Paemen: And that's the role that IFMA needs to play to create that awareness that those are the topics that are so relevant for our industry now and where our facility managers need to pay attention to or educate [00:10:30] themselves to be able to stay relevant, to be able to stay on top of things. So you were referring to the research of IFMA, I think we have been doing a great job for the last two years in the research that we have been producing, it bought on to what the market wants, it's looking into the trends today.
So we're really doing, I think, what the market is looking for, and it helps to create that awareness. Exactly.
Laurie Gilmer: I think one of the things that used to really [00:11:00] bother us, we would say, the FM should be at the table. How come they're not at the table? And really, if you want to be at the table, you've got to have a reason for being there.
Yes. You don't just get invited because you might potentially have something good to say. You're at the table because you're recognized as being wanted and valuable. The way that we help equip the evidence profession to be want valuable is through training, training opportunities. Oh, yes. There's things like volunteer opportunities, like my word being a chapter leader or being a volunteer in [00:11:30] a, in a chapter.
Those efforts, those are really good, safe spaces to demonstrate and learn. So if you're looking to advance play word, get involved in ESMA and start using that as a training room. So I think there are so many facets. There's the formal education, there's the. Volunteerism effort. These are the things I'm passionate about.
Absolutely. Take care, we're signing off. Yes.
Host: Thank you [00:12:00] so much for listening. I hope you really enjoyed this episode. And as always, please don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast for more incredible content.