EMAIL INTERVIEW  Anto Budiardjo & Ken Sinclair

BuilConn™ 2003 Update

Anto Budiardjo is President of Clasma, Inc., the marketing and conference company organizing the BuilConn 2003 in Dallas on April 23-25, 2003 (www.builconn.com).

Anto Budiardjo is also the spokesperson for the recently formed Council of Advanced Building Systems.

Please send comments and questions to antob@clasma.com.

Sinclair: It's three weeks to BuilConn, how is the progress?

Budiardjo: Very good, Ken. As we're drawing closer to our start date, we're to the point where we're finalizing all the details of the session content, event planning, expo and social activities. There is just a lot to do at this time.

Sinclair: How is the war and current economic climate affecting BuilConn?

Budiardjo: The reality of the current situation cannot help but affect us. We are monitoring the war, threat of terrorism and the economy daily. I think people are understandably cautious about making commitments, but I do feel that most people in the industry are doing all they can to carry on as normally as possible.

Sinclair: Are people still going to events and tradeshows?

Budiardjo: I have been to a couple of tradeshows in the past weeks, and yes, people are attending tradeshows and conferences, although there are those who cannot go. We had a couple of US military reservists who cancelled their attendance to BuilConn. We wish them all the best.

Sinclair: Have you reached critical momentum in terms of delegate numbers?

Budiardjo: We did that a few weeks back. Ken, BuilConn is about facilitating a change in our industry, and the key to that is the quality of delegates. If you take a look at the list of presenters and delegates for BuilConn you will see people from all corners of the building systems industry. They are eager to know how to make their business better by understanding what's going on with the technology and commercial dynamics of this changing industry.

Sinclair: What has been the most exciting aspect of organizing BuilConn to date?

Budiardjo: Without a doubt it is the breadth of support we are getting from all corners of building systems industry. The enthusiasm of our Advisory and Content Board has been phenomenal and the eagerness of the presenters has been very encouraging. We are starting to see exciting dialog between the panelists who are working to develop content. We're starting to make connections, and the event has not even happened yet!

Sinclair: I saw a release of a strategic partnership with Realcomm. Can you explain what this means?

Budiardjo: Yes, we're excited about it. Realcomm and BuilConn are both relatively new events in Building Systems. Although we have similar topics, our target audiences differ. Additionally, our audiences are complementary to each other and overlap in key areas. Realcomm targets the commercial real estate industry and BuilConn targets the Building Systems industry. We have some areas where we are working together for our 2003 events and looking into more cooperation in 2004.

Sinclair: How are associations in the industry accepting BuilConn?

Budiardjo: Everyone to whom we have communicated understands the concept and vision of BuilConn, and they are very supportive. We expect a number of them to join us for BuilConn with a view of discussing how we can work together in the future. You see, BuilConn is breaking new ground and does not undermine existing associations, tradeshows or conferences. In fact, in most cases BuilConn can complement and help associations bring more value to their own members and events.

Sinclair: What is going on with the Council of Advanced Building Systems?

Budiardjo: For the past few weeks, we have been establishing dialog with a number of associations to see how the Council may coordinate its activities with them. We have not only started dialog with obvious HAVC groups but also initiated contact with SIA, NBFAA, ASIS, NSCA, BICSI, NFPA, CSAA and others, as well as the associations that have endorsed BuilConn: CABA, LONMARK, LCA and BMA.

Sinclair: What will happen with the Council at BuilConn?

Budiardjo: It's related to my previous comment; the key part of the Council's effort is to coordinate activities with other sectors of the industry. Thus, the bringing together of stakeholders from these different sectors to BuilConn facilitates that. There are also thoughts of holding additional sessions, meetings and roundtables during BuilConn as a way to further encourage discussions and debate of cooperation.

Sinclair: Have you started to plan BuilConn 2004?

Budiardjo: Yes we have, BuilConn 2004 will be held in Dallas also; the dates are not set but most likely be middle to late April 2004. So mark your calendars!

Sinclair: Most important question, what's the weather like in Dallas during April?

Budiardjo: Spring and Fall are typically the best times to be in Dallas, not too hot!

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