Construct 2009/TFM Show: Building Relationships in Indianapolis

Indianapolis War Memorial originally uploaded by smileygeekgirl.
Notes from the Construct 2009/TFM Show...

I spent last week in Indianapolis, Indiana, manning the Carpet and Rug Institute booth at the Construct 2009/TFM show at the Indianapolis Convention Center.

The show was sponsored by CSI, the Construction Specification Institute, and TFM, Today’s Facility Manager magazine.

The show is designed for architects, specifiers, and facility managers – in other words, people who design buildings and create the detailed documents required to build the project, as well as the professionals who must manage the buildings once they are built.

For me, it was a very busy show. I had placed a stack of CRI’s booklet, Carpet Cleaning Tips for Dummies on the booth’s counter, and they proved to be very popular. One attendee exclaimed, “This is the best handout at this entire show!” Many attendees took several booklets – to distribute to each of their building cleaning crews, or send to their firm’s various branch offices. Plenty just wanted a copy to take home.

As each person came by to get their copy of the book, I got to talk (over and over again) about CRI’s Seal of Approval program – how it tested carpet cleaning solutions and vacuum cleaners, etc. People were particularly interested in hearing about how they could enter their zipcode on the CRI website and find the CRI Seal of Approval Service Providers in their area.

Many of the architects and specifiers I spoke with were interested in getting the link to the page on the CRI website that lists all of the products that have been certified by the ANSI/NSF 140 Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard. By listing all the products together in one place, CRI makes it easier to find environmentally-preferable carpet products. [Also see CRI Sustainability Manager Jeff Carrier On NSF 140 Standard for Sustainable Carpet.]

I enjoyed being in Indianapolis because it’s a beautiful city, but also because I got to visit with my sister. She lives in Indy and is a major gifts fundraiser for the Riley Children’s Hospital, which was established in memory of the great Hoosier poet, James Whitcomb Riley, in honor of his lifelong love of children.

~ Bethany



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