Earlier in July, we held our first official Facilities Management Conference in London, 81 colleagues from across our team met for a day of transformation.
The Chicago Booth London Conference Centre at One Bartholomew Close was a brilliant venue to reflect the changes to the FM team.
The theme for the day was ‘Growing up’, acknowledging the growth we have experienced over the past few years and the changes that naturally brings, whilst retaining our values at the heart of what we do. The energy in the room was high and everyone in the team felt inspired with different take aways from the day.
We welcomed two guest speakers, Dani Wallace, international Public Speaking Coach from IATQB and Scott Hamer, Head of Security and Resilience at St. Paul’s Cathedral and former Senior Royal Protection Officer.
Dani talked about how we can keep our personal, family feel and company values as the company continues to grow. She encouraged us to recognise the different strengths people bring to their teams and how we do well, when we all do well. Her enthusiasm and her ability to connect with the audience kept everyone engaged, she kept us laughing the whole day!
Scott shared his experience of building strong and successful teams, sharing knowledge and fascinating real-world stories, it was a fun session to kick start the afternoon.
We also had two internal team presentations from senior members of our FM team. James Wraight, Associate Director, shared his personal career journey with Ashdown Phillips, he was down to earth, but I think most people will remember it for how hilarious James was – a career in comedy could be calling!
Tom Clements, Associate Director, and Laura Gripinska, Senior Facilities Manager, shared their experience of developing their own building strategies. They encouraged everyone to create clear, practical strategies for their properties and communicate them to site teams in straightforward language, helping to build a shared vision and strengthen team dynamics.
Julia Fleming, Senior Executive Director – Head of FM, was the driving force behind the new conference format. Since joining nine months ago, she has taken time to understand the business and get to know the team. Drawing on feedback from previous workshops, she used this insight to create a valuable and impactful conference. Reflecting on the event, Julia said, “What a great day! Our first conference was such a success, the energy and enthusiasm in the room were brilliant and the messages we delivered landed well with the team. I’m excited to see just what my team can achieve now in the next chapter of Ashdown Philips. I’m very proud to lead this team of exceptional FM’s!”
Alongside the speaker sessions, we introduced a supplier marketplace at lunch. Sixteen suppliers from a range of FM-related backgrounds joined us to show us their services, it was great to see what is available across the sector and meet some new people.
We wrapped up the conference with well-earned drinks in the sunshine, as talked turned to what we can deliver next year!
