As I am driving back from World Work Place 2009, I find the experience has served to energize and re-ignite the excitement I have of being part of a worldwide effort of influence and changing trends in the built environment.  The experience makes one realize that we are not just local chapter members but part of a riding wave of unprecedented global changes emerging in the facility management profession that is both exhilarating and humbling at the same time.
 
The week began with the Annual Meeting and House of Delegates session in which several developments were shared, discussed and voted on which I'd like to share with the chapter this month.  It was in those meetings that we learned about the far-reaching, dynamic efforts and influence of the organization that we are an integral part of.
 
In the past year, IFMA International revised their 2010 Vision to a new 2020 Vision that will bring about some very significant changes for our national organization.  The 2020 Vision on the Strategy Map, authored by our own Atlanta member, John Magee, last year's Chairman of the Board, encompasses 3 new main objectives:
 
Community Connectivity - In 2008-09, IFMA brought the association a strong presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, You Tube, Flicker, and Twitter.  And, for the first time brought integrated social media into World Work Place, shooting video of the conference and uploading them to the sites in real time.
 
Volunteer Resources Optimization - 2008-09 also brought along the formation of IFMA's Emerging Leaders Task Force.  The group's goal is to promote a network of new facility management professionals. (Be sure to check out the Atlanta Chapter website for information on our own Young Professionals committee). 
Quick Fact: did you know that four of our own Georgia Tech FM Accredited degree program students won scholarships from the IFMA Foundation and that one of them also won the International e-Poster contest?
 
Sustainable Leadership - The most substantial change in the 2020 Vision was the urgency to reflect concern for the environment and the decision that sustainability must be included on the Strategy Map and how this concern reflects all other strategies - global influence, community, sustainability and operational excellence.  To that end, they have incorporated three new initiatives; the creation of a Sustainability Knowledge Center, the creation of a Sustainability Credential and development of a study for possible addition of environmental stewardship and sustainability core competency and lastly, the development of a statement of the association's position on sustainability.  As Andrew Winston, our keynote speaker and co-author of Green to Gold told us, "...Environmental issues have unequivocally climbed to the public agenda.  For business, this means that many stakeholders, in particular customers and employees, are hearing the Green message everywhere and growing more concerned.  Second, the media interest in the environment represents a vote of confidence in the green economy and in the likelihood that the Green Wave will not subside any time soon."
 
Additionally, IFMA created a job task analysis for a global CFM credential at a three day meeting with representatives from 10 countries.  The result is the upcoming addition of 2 new core competencies - Human and Environmental Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity and Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability.  To follow will be major updates and a re-evaluation of the FMP make-up in Phase I.  Phase II will include the update and development of these new core competencies as well as an update of the CFM Review and exam material.  And lastly, they will have a call for Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and begin development of an IFMA-wide SME Database for future projects, including the revamp of all the core competencies.
 
On the national, international and political front, Dave Brady, IFMA's President and CEO, spends 3-4 days every month in Washington, D.C., working with the government relations committee, the Department of Defense and the State Department.  Did you know that IFMA now has a representative in every embassy in the world?  They also have formed a SPOC, a Strategic Planning Oversite Committee to ensure alignment with the IFMA core values.  IFMA International has formed collaborative relationships with 12 participating organizations, including BOMA, AIA, IIDA, ASID, SAME, ASHRAE and USBGC.  In February, they joined the High Performance Building Partnership Consortium of leading organizations from the building community that seeks to provide guidance and technical expertise in sustainability issues as part of the US Department of Energy's Building Technology Program.
 
There are so many more initiatives (from multiple research papers, collaborations on Capitol Hill, Professional Development and Education enhancement) that it is awe-inspiring to know that we, as the 5th largest chapter in North America and Europe, are a vital part of such a dynamic organization.
 
And what is most exciting of all is that in October of 2010, it will all be delivered right to our doorstep at World Work Place Atlanta!  So be Proud, be Awe-Struck, be Excited - for the year to come!  And be on the lookout for more news about World Work Place 2010 in the months to come.