Planning ahead

As an industry we are used to having to fight fires, but good planning and testing of those plans can pay off hugely, says Ian Broadbent, chairman at the BIFM.

 

21 April 2011

Recent events in Japan show what a fragile world we live in. Coupled with the natural disasters in Australia and New Zealand, this year will be a year to remember for many people for all the wrong reasons. Such events test the most thorough of emergency preparations and indeed, in many cases, no amount of planning could have prevented or helped given the magnitude of the disaster.

In respect to the earthquake in Christchurch, what amazed me was the speed with which the emergency services moved and the fact that within 48 hours there were rescue teams from the UK on the ground in New Zealand. You may remember the St. Mary Axe bomb in the early 1990s during which a certain insurance company was badly affected. Yet within 48 hours, the company had all their staff working at an alternative site.

As an industry we are used to having to fight fires, but good planning and testing of those plans can pay off hugely. While I sincerely hope no-one reading will face a natural disaster such as those mentioned above, there is no harm in planning, producing, rehearsing and testing to make sure your programmes are as robust as possible. Don’t forget here at the BIFM we have a special interest group that looks specifically at business continuity and your membership entitles you to any publications that the group publishes.

In my role as chairman there are certainly peaks in the year when the diary seems to be full of events, awards, exhibitions and engagements. Early in April we held the very successful Th!nkFM conference in Nottingham, followed by our April board meeting last week, ideaction in Brisbane, The Facilities Show and Euro FM in Vienna. Registrations are also now open for our popular Members’ Day and AGM to be held at the British Library on 30 June.

In between all these events I have further engagements in Essex, Berkshire, Manchester, Leeds and Ireland – so there really is a lot going on.

For many people, FM World is one of the significant benefits of BIFM membership but don’t forget all the events that occur at which you receive free entry in many cases or discounted at almost all of the others, and if we aren’t doing something you’d like to see then let us know.
I am nine months in to the role now and it is interesting to look back at what has happened in that time. Looking at the head office team we have been joined by some great talent who are already bringing benefit to the members. At board level we 
have been joined by Liz Kentish and soon to be joined by Ashley Rogers, both will bring their own experience to the table. Education moves from strength to strength and in addition, financial performance has remained strong giving us a sustainable platform for the future. Being your chairman is a great experience and I look forward to continuing to serve you and drive the BIFM forward over the next 15 months.

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