Live from the BOMA International Expo Floor
These BOMA Fellows certainly have something to raise a glass to: With 3,000 attendees and 450 exhibitors, this year's BOMA International Conference & Expo is the second largest since 2007. The bubbly was graciously provided by Trane, a BOMA Cornerstone Partner.
Kimberly-Clark Professional*, another Cornerstone Partner, set up tables with chess boards to promote its new program titled C.H.E.S.S. (Cleanliness Hygiene Efficiency Sustainability Satisfaction), which outlines its new approach to restroom management.
The average worker uses the restroom three to four times a day, yet building owners pay relatively little attention to restroom quality, says Kimberly-Clark Professional* marketing leader Richard Marriott, snapped with colleagues Bill Cates, Matt Bell and Mike Sciarra.
Richard says restroom facilities are among the top three sources of complaints to building managers, and Kimberly-Clark Professional* aims to change that. "With the changing workforce and Millennials entering the workplace, they want it to be cool, hence all the office redesigns you're seeing," he notes. "But you can't forget about the restroom, because they want it to be as innovative as everything else in the workplace. "
DirecTV, also a Cornerstone Partner, brought flatscreen TVs and talked to attendees about the company's goal of putting a television in every office building in the country.
More and more companies have been installing televisions in the workplace, often as an amenity in the break room to help employees relax, says regional sales manager Scott Williams, snapped with colleagues Al Vosper and Megan West.
"BOMA members are competing for tenants, so they have to add amenities like televisions to attract people to their buildings," he says. To convince BOMA attendees, DirectTV offered a free NFL Sunday Ticket to any building owner or manager who signed up for their service.
They see installing televisions in an office as a way to improve company morale and make employees want to stay at work longer. Companies most often have on sports or the news so employees can stay connected with what's happening during the day.
Fresh off a $5M round of Series A funding, DC-based Aquicore took to the sustainability-focused Green Pavilion to talk to attendees about how they track energy consumption in their buildings. Aquicore allows building managers to collect minute-by-minute data about how a building is consuming energy so they can identify waste and become more efficient.
"We give them the ability to take control of their building," notes account executive Christian Pollard, snapped above with the firm's Anna Buglaeva and Kenton Hockett.
Just three years after launching, Aquicore exists in more than 600 buildings, including DC's Gallery Place and Metro Center. With its recent funding round, Christian says Aquicore plans to expand to more markets and continue to improve the product.
From Austin, Texas, we snapped Aquila Management's Patricia Goerne, president of BOMA/Austin, and Peleton Commercial Real Estate's Kristin Chavarria, the local association's secretary-treasurer. The highlight of their day so far has been David Gregory's keynote, and they were on the expo floor to see what's new and upcoming in the building management world.
Joining the conference from two of New York City’s most prolific landlords were Paramount Group’s Cindy Boyea and Silverstein Properties’ Anthony Lifrieri.
Also the floor meeting vendors and seeing what’s new were Prologis’ Eduardo Montes, Jennifer Higgins, Cindy Curtis and Jane Griffith.
New to the conference this year is Gamification, an iPhone and Android app that pits conference attendees against each other to see who can come up with the most points by attending events and visiting the exhibitors. A leaderboard shows who’s on top; Vornado/Charles E. Smith’s Nicole James was in the lead halfway through today’s expo. Prizes up to $1,500 will be awarded each day of the conference.
Stay tuned for more coverage from the expo floor tomorrow.
