Over 250 Industry Leaders converge at GCC’s Inaugural Edition of Smart Facilities Middle East (SFM 2021)

The two-day summit saw attendance from over 250+ facility management, property owners, QA/ QC Managers, Security Professionals, Project Managers & Maintenance Engineers, among others. 

Dubai, 19 August 2021: Across two power-packed days, an engaged audience of over 250 key industry veterans witnessed critical insights unfold at the Inaugural Edition of the Smart Facilities Middle East (SFM 2021). Convened by Aldrich International, SFM 2021 was held on August 18 & 19 at Sofitel The Palm in Dubai.

The forum spearheaded a series of discussions addressing the theme of “Gearing Up for the Future, Developing Sustainable Facility Management Strategies” and rolled out the Middle East’s most comprehensive facility management industry comprising of visionary keynote presentations, the latest technologies & digitalization and AI focused tracks.

The conference kickstarted with the Interactive Session on the role of facilities management in carbon reduction moderated by David Carey from the Institute of Workplace & Facility Management; Louise Collins, JLL MENA & James Grinnell from the Regulatory & Supervisory Bureau (RSB Dubai).

Speaking ahead of the conference, SFM 2021 witnessed an exclusive presentation by Javeria Aijaz, Senior Director, Technology & Innovations, Farnek Services LLC where she threw light upon the increasing efficiency through digitalization in facilities management. " There is a famous saying If you cannot measure it, You can’t manage and improve! – Lord Kelvin.
It is extremely important to measure the energy for building operations and hence it is not new and somehow already advanced, but do we know how efficient is a cleaner, when they arrive on site and productive across their day especially if they are in hundreds and distributed among the building, and that is the reason why we developed not only EMS. There are many operational and supporting processes if digitalized can effectively bring efficiency to FM service delivery. The objective is not to only digitalize the individual process and leave them to operate in silos, but to connect these touchpoint which are a part of the entire FM service delivery. These are critical to monitor as a part of FM lifecycle so they can be constantly improved in managing the FM operations. This is why Farnek not only brought Energy & Asset Management platform but a wide range of touchpoint digitalization across the FM Service Delivery." said Ms. Aijaz

A key highlight of the conference was the panel on the COVID-19 impact on the facilities management industry that saw an exchange of thoughts from industry pioneers from Abu Dhabi Ports Group, International Facility Management Association (IFMA), Aramex and CBRE on the measures needed to address the ongoing challenges. Highlighting CBRE’s strategy as part of this Sharon Withe, Regional Managing Director Middle East & Africa, CBRE, expressed, “COVID-19 has been and continues to be a humanitarian challenge that has changed the way we live, work and socialize. CBRE are supporting their clients, employees and stakeholders to navigate their way through these unprecedented times. CBRE is keeping our collective finger on the pulse sharing best practice and effective strategies to move through covid and look to a positive future."

One of the key focus areas at the event that saw a rendezvous of industry experts from DULSCO, Imdaad LLC, Nakheel Malls, bee’ah, and Green Eco Technologies to discuss about innovative waste management. Speaking as part of the panel, Maryke Tredoux, Head of Soft Services, Nakheel Malls said, “An informative 2 days, paving the way for exciting smart innovations that will contribute to the UAE being a global leader in terms of Facilities Management and Innovative Waste Management.  We need more of these platforms to discuss, collaborate and share innovative ideas, that will contribute and have a positive impact, not only locally but also on the global sustainability goals.”
 
Adding on to the above, John Grainger, Chief Operating Officer, Environmental Solutions, DULSCO said, “Sustainability is a massive global issue and has many aspects that need critical attention, one of which is waste management. We are pleased that the topic is being discussed at such a high level in this event and are delighted to share our industry-leading solutions and experiences in innovation for waste management. We’ve invested in various technologies and processes that allow us to repurpose waste and create value, for instance, our facility that is state-of-the-art in the region, as well as our concept store – New Old & Reloved – which is an upcycling initiative that transforms waste into contemporary home décor and furnishings. Moving forward, the key trends that we see is at the forefront of waste management issues will be helping and supporting our clients in the diversion of waste from landfill and continuing efforts to decrease carbon footprints across our services”.

The facilities management-focused program at SFM 2021 saw also panel discussions & presentations focusing on the Technology & New Age Workplace, How FM leaders can create customer value through data-driven agile service delivery, digital handover management for the built environment and the asset digitization basics.

Partners at SFM 2021 included:  Dahua Technology MENA, SIEMENS Middle East, Facilio, Ramsys, Intertech Vision Middle East, Barco, Ejadah Asset Management Group, Farnek Services LLC, Belimo, SHRAS IT Solutions, Eaton, CATEC, Evreka & HygieneTech. The event is supported by IWFM, IFMA, Emrill Services LLC & MACE.

Across two power-packed days, SFM 2021 took stock of advancements in the region’s facilities management industry and identified the lucrative opportunities in the GCC region.

To find out more about SFM 2021, please visit: https://facilitiesmiddleeast.com/  

Join the global conversation on Twitter at: @SmartFM2021 #SmartFM 

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ABOUT ALDRICH INTERNATIONAL

Where Knowledge Meets Innovation
 
Aldrich International is a global consulting and event organizing firm assisting in both international and private clients to plan, develop, design, construct, operate and maintain hundreds of critical infrastructures in aviation, logistics, facilities management, oil and gas, energy, banking and finance industry around the world.

Visit us at www.aldrichme.com or follow us on Twitter @aldrich_events


ABOUT SMART FACILITIES MIDDLE EAST  CONFERENCE (SFM 2021)
Smart Facilities Middle East 2021 is designed for professionals who are committed to ensuring facilities are kept healthy, clean, sustainable and operating smoothly by trained and motivated cleaning professionals. Smart Facilities Middle East - 2021 will provide an ideal platform for the Smart Facilities Middle East industry featuring the latest technologies, chemistries and services available for these unprecedented times, Smart Facilities Management - 2021 will set the stage for the industry to unite and move forward together.