Anyone who has experienced the emotional rush of seeing a successful project through completion knows how long the good vibes can carry you. In our case, our staff is still riding a high after another great Elevate experience.
Our third annual conference for high-level facilities executives was more than a month ago in Nashville, but the memories of the engaging conversations, friendships renewed and made, and new contacts developed will continue to linger with me for a long time.
Elevate is a two-day combination of fun and learning experiences. As a staff member responsible for developing the education content, it’s rewarding to hear attendees say they enjoyed the sessions and how excited they are to implement concepts they learned at the conference.
I was fortunate enough to host two panels with readers on two of the hottest topics in facility management: artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability.
While it’s difficult to pull out a notebook while serving as a moderator, I do remember a few important nuggets.
Before the AI panel, I often walked away from conversations with facilities leaders feeling there were more skeptics in the room than believers. To open the session, I asked how many people in the room of about 50 people were using AI in their operations.
Surprising – to me, anyway – nearly everyone raised their hands. The response showed me that AI utilization has moved beyond curiosity to necessity for facilities teams.
On the sustainability front, while the movement is as strong as ever, selling a plan to your leadership may require different wording. As some in leadership positions are starting to consider sustainability a four-letter word, the panelists encouraged the facility leaders in attendance to frame their stories with phrases like energy savings, cost-cutting or budget-friendly to get their projects over the finish line.
This is just a small sampling of what attendees experienced at Elevate. We also covered workforce skill gaps and facility condition assessments, and we went behind the scenes at the legendary Ryman Auditorium. Many attendees expressed their interest in coming back to Elevate in 2027.
We hope you can join us, too. Look for more information coming soon.
Dave Lubach is the chief editor of the facilities market. After serving as associate editor for Facility Maintenance Decisions from 2012 to 2016, he returned to Trade Press Media Group in 2021 and was elevated to his current position in October 2025. Dave manages the facilities team and helps shape the education content for NFMT and Elevate events.
