Let’s Get Together!

CLS Facility Services is heading to the 2022 Bank Facilities Forum (April 11-13) in Coral Gables, Florida as well as ConnexFM (April 24-27) in Long Beach, California. If you’ll be attending and are looking to connect with new partners to take your facility asset management to the next level, we’d enjoy meeting you! 

Schedule a meeting at your convenience here.

The Facility Management Conference World is Alive and Well

While past years have kept many of the facility management industry’s conferences guessing whether they’ll be able to host their events, 2022 is shaping up to be a great year.

Numerous facility management conference, trade show, seminar, and expo events are now open for registration across multiple sectors ranging from general industry to specific events for banking, retail, healthcare, restaurant, offices, churches, and more.

While the pandemic continues to evolve, the struggles of the past two years with shows being canceled, professionals being unable to meet and discuss their needs face-to-face, and not forging the connections needed to advance their facility management goals are looking more and more like they’re finally behind us.

As an executive or manager in facilities, operations, procurement, or a related discipline, you understand how critical these events are to your development and overall success. They help you identify new suppliers, explore partnerships with new service providers, and expand and refine your knowledge of the facility management industry.

While the pandemic forced everyone to rethink their approach to these events, it has also led companies to rethink what they want to get from facility management conference events. The nature of work has changed, and the pandemic continues to keep companies with multiple locations on their toes with how they best serve customers, maintain their assets to provide memorable experiences, and make the best use possible of their resources.

Here, we’ll explore a few tips for planning ahead so you’re able to make the most of your time at this year’s facility management conference events and be in the best position possible to hit the ground running as you look to implement your takeaways and new partnerships.

What’s your plan? It’s never too late to strengthen your facility management strategy for the year ahead. Learn what to consider here.

Tips for Getting What You Want Out of This Year’s Conferences

Get Specific on What You’re Looking For or Are Open to Exploring

While some partnerships are forged unexpectedly during trade shows and conferences, going in with clear expectations of what you want to learn about and what takeaways you want will help you focus your time and effort on the exhibitors, sessions, meetings, and events that align with those expectations. Your time and interest are too precious to simply wander the aisles, attend every cocktail hour, sit in on unhelpful sessions, and so on.

Instead, review the event exhibitor list closely, and if possible, filter them by industry or service line. Research those companies to see if they serve your industry and have the capabilities to meet your needs. While you can always reach out via their website, facility management conference events provide an opportunity to meet with experts from a few or more companies when other tasks aren’t requiring your attention, thereby allowing you to quickly weigh which ones you’re most interested in exploring further.

The CLS Difference: With more than 50 years of experience across a variety of industries, as well as a complete portfolio of facility asset management capabilities, we’re the partner countless companies have chosen for reliable, preventive maintenance solutions. 

Focus Only on the Most Ideal Partnerships

After completing the above, it’ll be important to further narrow down your list to make sure you’re only connecting with the companies with whom you believe a valuable partnership can be established. While you can’t know with absolute certainty how a relationship will pan out until you’re in it, it’s important to look beyond capabilities here. What value does the company add beyond executing a facility asset management program? Some thoughts:

  • What is their team’s tenure with the organization?
  • What is their approach to account management?
  • What technology solutions do they offer to make your life easier?
  • What data do they collect or provide about your assets and facilities?
  • Do they self-perform, or do they aggregate asset maintenance?
  • What do their scopes of work look like? Are they consistent across locations?
  • Do they offer a work order management system? Can they use yours?
  • Are they available to assist with program planning and budgeting?

These are just some of the many questions you should ask when evaluating organizations that you want to explore at this year’s facility management conference and trade show events. Beyond these, think about what will most benefit your company. Do you need a more reliable service partner? Do you need greater technology and stronger reporting? Do you need a partner with a broader reach?

The CLS Difference: In every program, we go beyond our core capabilities to add value and make your life easier — from compiling complete asset lists across all of your locations to assisting with planning and designing consistent, reliable programs.

Maximize Your Meetings

Last but not least, make sure that you get what you need from each meeting you set and attend. To be quite frank, if you think you’re being sold and not heard, consider whether the meeting should continue. The world has changed, and much remains unsure with the ongoing pandemic. When it comes to your facilities and assets, it’s critical that you have partners who will be there for you. Partners who understand what you’re looking for in your asset management program. Partners that will go the extra mile to ensure success.

To make the most out of every meeting, compile a list of questions and must-haves. While you’ll want to hear out the exhibitor or rep, be sure you get what you need. If the meeting goes well and you feel like it’s worthwhile to go to the next step, get that next meeting on the books, request follow-up information, or set whatever appropriate next task you need.

The CLS Difference: We understand you’re busy and that your time is valuable at industry shows. If you’re attending an upcoming industry show that we’ll be at, like ConnexFM or the Bank Facilities Forum, and want to meet, we’ll make the most of our time together.

See You at The Next Facility Management Conference

We’re excited that shows for our industry have returned, and we look forward to seeing our customers, vendors, partners, and new friends across the country in the months ahead. As always, if we can be of assistance to your facility management needs, don’t hesitate to reach out.