Carroll Thatcher Planning Group

Presentations - Archived

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Engaging the Enterprise

Presented as the keynote address at the FM:Systems 2006 User’s Conference in Chicago in September 2006

“It is an honour for me to be invited as the keynote speaker for the FM:Systems user’s conference. It is an excellent opportunity for companies to share best practices and to learn how to better utilize technology to improve their facility and space planning initiatives.”

In June 2006, Meredith Thatcher was the Subject Matter Expert for a live webcast seminar in the Master Facility Executive Certificate Program. The six-seminar program is hosted by the Building Owners and Managers Institute (BOMI) and Building Operating Management magazine, and is designed for senior facility executives.

The seminar, Lead and They Will Follow, covered the topics: defining your leadership style, becoming a change agent, ethical decision making, creating a leadership environment, and knowing when to let go.

Leading Virtual Teams

IFMA’s World Workplace, San Diego, October 2006

In this presentation, Carroll and Guy Thatcher help you enhance your understanding of the environment within which virtual teams operate, and discuss the advantages and limitations of that environment. They share their knowledge of virtual teams, based on their professional experience working in virtual teams and their experiences teaching post-graduate courses via the Internet to students around the world.

Wireless Buildings – Are you Ready

New Zealand Property Institute 2005 Conference, Wellington, NZ, 2005

Wireless technology is changing the way people live, work and play. Access to information anytime and anywhere is rapidly becoming the norm. Property and facility managers need to take appropriate steps to make sure that they and their tenants can take advantage of this technology without creating data traffic conflicts or exposing sensitive information. This presentation looks at the opportunities and impact of wireless on the building infrastructure and the occupant environment, as well as leasing ramifications - all from a layman's perspective.

How to Use the IFMA and BOMA Standards of Measurement to Your Advantage

International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Ottawa Chapter, 2005

Meredith is a member of the Area Measurement Task Group of IFMA's Standards Committee, and co-chair of the Occupiable Floor Area Task Group.

In February 2005, Meredith Thatcher spoke at an Ottawa Women's Business Network event, "Accelerating Change/Revitalizing Business", on the subject of "It all starts with vision!" Also in February, Meredith took part in a telecommunications seminar presented jointly by the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA). The topic was "Wireless, What's Coming… a Must-attend seminar for Property and Facility Managers."

What Colour is Your Hammer?

International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Ottawa Chapter, ON, 2004
IFMA's World Workplace, Dallas, TX, 2003

"If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." Today's facility manager can no longer come to the table with a focus solely on the asset.
They must be aware of multiple external and internal factors.

Facility managers are looking outside their organizations for a variety of tools and expertise, while designers are looking to deliver their services in innovative ways. This presentation gives an overview how partnering can benefit both and the barriers that need to be overcome to secure successful partnerships.

Client Relationship: Do You Care?

Co-presented with André Audette of the Bank of Canada, Real Property Institute of Canada's 17th Annual Workshop, Ottawa, ON, 2005

Relationship Management's core goal is to learn more about customers' needs and behaviors - it's about enhancing a customer-centric culture. It is more about strategy than process. It is about understanding and anticipating their needs. This presentation begins with a case study of the principles of relationship management based on the lessons learned by the Bank of Canada facility services organization, and includes an interactive session where the participants build on these principles to develop a best practice for relationship management.

The Power of Graphs to Deliver Your Business Message

International Facility Management Association's World Workplace, Salt Lake City, UT, 2004
IIDEX/NeoCon Canada, Toronto, ON, 2003

Tools such as Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and any number of graphics programs make it easy to turn data into graphs. Through graphics case studies, you'll learn how to get your message across in a single arresting image, how a design variation can, accidentally or otherwise, obscure or misrepresent the information being communicated and how to use graphics effectively to get the decisions you want. Click here to download the spreadsheet of the raw data from the case study, with some sample charts derived from the data.

When Disaster Strikes

Presented at conferences in Ottawa, Kansas City and Dallas, and to the Ottawa and Vancouver chapters of the International Facility Management Association, from 2001 to 2003.

Some disasters - like hurricanes - are predictable. Some - like a terrorist attack or a hostage taker in the building - are not. But all disasters can have a devastating impact on your business or your people.

The prepared facility management professional can minimize the immediate impact by having information ready for the first responders; police, fire service and paramedics. But what information do the first responders really need? And what can the prepared Facility Manager provide? This is NOT about business continuity, it's about minimizing loss of life and destruction of property. This presentation provides real-life information and practical check-lists.

The Role of Life Cycle Management in the Corporate Real Estate Portfolio
American Institute of Architects Regional Conference, Portland, OR, October 2000
Also presented as:
The Role of Functional Performance in the Corporate Real Estate Portfolio. at IFMA's World Workplace, Kansas City, MO, September 2001

Strategic Management for the Facility Manager: Reasons or Results
BEST Ottawa Show, November 1998

Facility Management Information - a Corporate Approach
IFMA Facility Technologies 96, Anaheim, CA, June 1996

New Office Planning Concepts for the Public Workplace, Winning Strategies for Effective Property and Asset Management in a Downsized Government
IIR, Ottawa, Ontario, May 1996

Surviving the Revolution! - Demographics, Technology, the Virtual Office and the Whole Ball of Wax
FIFMA, Ottawa, Ontario, March 1996

Reducing the Cost of Churn
EURO/FM '95, Frankfurt, Germany, June 1995

Being a Knowledgeable Client of Your Facility Provider
Public Sector Property Management Conference, IIR, Ottawa, Ontario, May 1995

How to Explain Why You Can't Use All the Space You are Paying For
IFMA Best Practices Forum, Santa Fe, NM, February 1995

Getting a Computer Aided Facility Management System That Fits
IFMA Best Practices Forum, Santa Fe, NM, February 1995

Future Trends in Offices and Laboratories
Carroll Thatcher, Harvey Brown (NRCan), Richard Pell (PWGSC) and Jean-Guy Hébert (PWGSC), Meredith Thatcher (moderator), Treasury Board's Bureau of Real Property Management Conference, Ottawa, Ontario, November 1994

Office Buildings Are Not Created Equal - New Methods for Calculating Occupiable Floor Area
Meredith Thatcher and Lynne Blair, IFMA '94 Conference, St. Louis, MO, November 1994

Getting Buy-In from Users and Management
IFMA Best Practices Forum, Danbury, CT, August 1994

Developing a CAFM Training Plan
IFMA's Facilities '94, Washington, DC June 1994

Facility Management Information - A Corporate Approach
CFM&D Expo, Toronto, Ontario, April 1994

Using STM to Develop an Occupant Requirements Package
IFMA Best Practices Forum, Sunnyvale, CA, March 1994

Serviceability Tools and Methods
10th annual International Interior Design Expo, IIDEX '93, Toronto, Ontario, November 1993

Helping Your Employees in the Transition from CAD to CAFM
IFMA's Facilities '93, Anaheim, CA, June 1993

A Photographic Tour of North American and European Office Space
Carroll Thatcher and Gerald Davis, FIFMA, 1993

Using Automation to Improve Strategic Facility Planning
IFMA's conference on Computer Aided Facility Management, Toronto, Ontario, December 1991

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