EMAIL INTERVIEW – Wendy Dietzler and Ken Sinclair

Wendy Dietzler, Vice President, Education & Conferencing,
Trade Press Media Group

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Sinclair:  HPB+W is a relatively young show. Tell me how it came together.

Dietzler:  For more than 15 years we’ve been producing NFMT, the FM industry’s leading FM show. About three years ago, we started hearing from attendees who had questions about net zero strategies, smart buildings, the cloud and green certification programs—and they were looking for ways to elevate overall facility operation. So in 2014 we convened a focus group in NY studded with leaders in the high performance movement and asked them what they would want to see in an event focused on this topic. From that first meeting, an event concept emerged focused on the main components of high-performance buildings: connectivity, sustainability, efficiency and comfort. We chose the name High Performance Buildings +Workplaces to reflect the benefits these facilities have to organizations and individuals and we invited professionals from the FM, Energy, Architecture and Property Management communities to attend our inaugural conference in Ft., Worth in 2015.

Sinclair:  That’s right—you launched HPB+W in Ft. Worth. Year two takes place in Austin. What makes Texas such an attractive location?

Dietzler:  Texas has been at the forefront of addressing power reliability and energy efficiency for years. And while the smart buildings movement didn’t originate in Texas, it has certainly flourished there. Austin is a great fit thanks to the local FM community’s commitment to innovation and sustainability. It’s also a testing ground for firms like Google and Whole Foods who are always looking to innovate and test new theories in process improvement, data gathering and analysis, and cloud-based technologies.

And hey, Austin is also a heck of a fun place to spend a few days! It truly is the live music capital of the world, with amazing local and national bands playing out nightly. There’s no shortage of great museums and galleries, and some of the best TexMex and barbecue in the world.

Sinclair:  What’s on the agenda for HPB+W 2016?

Dietzler:  We’ve seen the virtual infiltrate the buildings we design and operate. IOT, or the Internet of Things, is becoming a part of the facility management vernacular. We now have the potential to track almost infinite amounts of building data. Sustainability has gone mainstream, even making its way to the C-Suite. And we’re awash in acronyms: IOT, LEED, ASHRAE, PACE,  BeQ …These are exciting times, but without an understanding of how to apply data, makes sense of codes and certifications and implement IOT applications, we can’t fully harness the potential these technologies promise. Our curriculum shows you how to apply emerging strategies, innovations and products in a sensible way to make your building efficient, comfortable and productive.

We also have some great tours lined up so our attendees can go behind the scenes of the Austin Convention Center and see some high-performance building systems and practices in action. I’m especially looking forward to the Back of House tour to see their recycling and waste diversion programs.

Sinclair:  What sets HPB+W apart?

Dietzler:  Like NFMT, HPB+W is free, but we don’t skimp on quality—and we don’t charge you $800 like other conference. At HPB+W you’ll experience superior education, network with leading speakers in the industry, and talk with some of the most advanced companies at our expo. Only at HPB+W will you find an unbeatable, intimate networking atmosphere, the chance to focus and fully immerse yourself in the high performance revolution that’s taking place. You’ll walk away loaded with ideas, contacts and strategies. Register at nfmt.com/highperformance