You meet the most interesting people in Baltimore. I know this because every March for the last four years, I’ve traveled there for the National Facilities Management & Technology Conference and Expo (NFM&T). Granted, I’ve kept busy for those three days with numerous show commitments. But I’ve also made time to talk with people attending the show, especially maintenance and engineering managers, the readers of Maintenance Solutions.
I’ve been impressed with the numbers in which these folks have attended the conference, and I’ve been equally impressed with the experiences and commitment to the profession they bring with them. Managers from around the country have traveled to Baltimore since 2001 to gather information on technology advances, learn more about successful management strategies, and exchange information with peers from other parts of the country.
Now, this year, these people have a show of their own.
2005 marks the debut of Maintenance Solutions Expo, which will be co-located with NFM&T in Baltimore from March 15-17. MS Expo’s educational sessions will focus on the specific information needs of maintenance and engineering managers in institutional and commercial facilities. Topics will include cutting-edge issues, from technology and code compliance to energy management and security considerations. And the Birds of a Feather sessions give attendees a forum to talk one-on-one with their peers from similar facilities — education, health care, government and commercial office buildings.
As part of MS Expo, I’ll be moderating a panel discussion, “Hazardous Matters: The EPA and Hazardous Materials Management.” Held on Thursday, March 17 at 9 a.m., it will explore the growing presence of the EPA in colleges, universities and health care facilities as it enforces laws governing hazardous materials. The panelists will be Peggy Bagnoli, EPA’s national coordinator for the colleges and universities initiative, and Chen Wen, co-coordinator for Hospitals for a Healthy Environment.
As always, it will be interesting. I hope to meet you in Baltimore.
