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BOMA International Conference Enlightens Members and Presents Best Practices & Solutions The BOMA International Conference & Expo returned live in October, with more than 2,500 attendees gathering in Boston. The Expo showcased innovations, while a full array of educational sessions informed conference-goers about best practices for their buildings or organizations.
Yellow meant okay to greet with elbow bumps but prefer some distance. Red meant please stay at least six feet away. It was a packed schedule and agenda as we gathered with our friends and colleagues from across the country.”
A Bright Future
s BOMA’s strategic long-
Boom. Everything’s different—but everything can be better. Henry Chamberlain, president and COO of BOMA International, shared this optimistic message at a General Session of the conference. He noted that, despite the challenges of the past 18 months, one thing property professionals do better than anyone else is create value. “This is an inflection point,” Chamberlain said. “We are going to be making lots of different changes. We’re going to be looking at space, we’re going to be looking at technology, we’re going to be looking at lifestyle and how we create those experiences. This is a time for us to learn from each other and get out of our comfort zones.” Experiences are the key to bringing people back to commercial buildings, Chamberlain explained. People are capable of working from anywhere, but they’ll choose to come back to the office if it offers something they can’t get anywhere else. “This underscores that you have to be competitive and come up with something that’s a little different to attract folks,” Chamberlain said. “Creating that flexibility, that environment, that experience is what everybody’s going to need to concentrate on.”
Safe Conference Procedures In order to ensure a safe event, attendees were required to be fully vaccinated or provide proof of a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours of arrival at the conference. “BOMA International also rolled out a new badging system to respect everyone’s interaction preferences as indicated by their badge color,” said BOMA OEB member Manny Moreno, who serves on the BOMA International Executive Committee. “Green meant okay to shake hands.
Moreno shared these conference highlights: range planning workgroups have finished up their work, with recommendations for education and training, workforce development, communications, membership, and support for BAEs and local associations. More information coming soon. s BOMA is the resource for your state and federal advocacy efforts — working for you! BOMA has protected important tax provisions, such as 1031 exchanges and section Manny Moreno 179-D tax deductions. BOMA has also expanded its efforts to include workforce development, energy, and carbon reduction policies. s BOMAPAC’s 2021 fundraising goal is $75,000. You can contribute online at boma.org. Thank you gifts are offered. s BOMA’s Community Service Committee partnered with BOMA Boston and Bridge Over Troubled Waters to raise $10,000 to fund survival kits for at-risk youth. s BOMA’s Emerging Professionals Committee is looking for new members. If interested, please contact Erica Cox on the BOMA International staff. s If you have your sights on the Executive Committee or an officer position, applications for 2022 are now being accepted by the Nominating Committee. Contact Luci Vallejo, lvallejo@boma.org or visit the BOMA International leadership page on boma.org. s BOMA will once again pay for The Home Depot local memberships and sponsorships in 2022 — just like it did (Continued on next page)
