This April, the International Facility Management Association's third-annual Facility Fusion Conference & Expo will help facility, design and real estate professionals strengthen their competitive advantage through instructor-led educational courses, an expo showcasing the latest workplace products and services, cutting-edge facility tours, and other professional development and networking opportunities.

Held April 11-13 in Chicago, Ill., at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Facility Fusion will bring together a collection of industry experts offering new ideas, proven strategies and best practices attendees can implement immediately to heighten productivity and improve operations within their building portfolios. The event will feature industry-leading keynote speaker presentations, 84 educational sessions and an expo with more than 85 exhibiting companies.

Facility Fusion kicks off on Wednesday, April 11, with a keynote presentation from author, speaker, and career and life coach Kaplan Mobray, whose work has been featured on CNN, Fox News and The Wall Street Journal. Mobray will present "The 10 Ls of Leadership: Become the Leader Others Want to Follow," in which he challenges participants to understand their leadership qualities in the absence of a role or title and gives them a tangible approach to driving change and creating value for others.

The conference's first day will feature educational sessions highlighting ways built environment professionals can make a more effective business case to the C-suite, engage building occupants on sustainability initiatives, identify best practices that don't break the bank, build their professional presence, and use Building Information Modeling to increase efficiency and productivity. Representatives from Brown University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Kaiser Permanente, the National Institute of Building Sciences and the Smithsonian Institution will present.

Author, corporate consultant and CEO of Chaos Over Len Merson will present Wednesday's lunchtime keynote presentation, "Changing Chaos Into Productivity," in which he teaches attendees methods for becoming organized and effective in every business environment.

The Facility Fusion expo will also debut Wednesday and remain open through Thursday, April 12. Open to the public at no cost, the expo will feature more than 85 exhibiting companies showcasing the latest products and services impacting the workplace. Organizations including CORT, George Mason University, Office Depot, Toshiba International and the U.S. Department of State, among others, will be on the expo floor.

Day two of Facility Fusion will begin with a keynote presentation from author and London Business School Fellow Steven Sonsino, who will deliver the presentation "Reinventing Your Leadership Future: Are you Ready for the Next Phase of Your Leadership Life?" in which he offers attendees a blueprint for reinventing their leadership style to take their rightful place in C-suite conversations.

Thursday will also feature educational sessions covering topics including sustainability benchmarking, efficient space management, food service and employee wellness, effective communication with senior leadership and mobile workforce management. Representatives from Bentley University, HOK, Humana and the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories will present.

Additionally, Thursday's Facility Fusion expo will be themed "Chicago Day" and feature appearances by Miss Illinois 2012 Ashley Hooks and Miss Illinois 2010 Ashley Bradarich, who will attend in support of the charitable IFMA Foundation. Bradarich currently works in the facility management profession and is an IFMA member.

Thursday's expo will also include solutions arenas highlighting educational content and new product demonstrations, featuring presentations from Fox RPM and TekWorx.

The conference will conclude on Friday, April 13, with a keynote presentation from business strategy authors and speakers Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz entitled "Go for No: Yes is the Destination, no is how you get There," in which they discuss how to reduce feelings of failure and rejection associated with being told "no" and how to re-evaluate long-held thoughts about failure and success.

Educational sessions on Friday will cover topics including making corporate real estate strategy decisions, defining environmental performance metrics, utilizing value engineering to meet budget constraints and developing a strategic facilities plan. Representatives from BAE Systems, CBRE, Johnson Controls, Jones Lang LaSalle and Planon will present.

The final day of Facility Fusion will also include behind-the-scenes tours of several Chicago-area facilities, including the Jewelers Building — featured in "Batman Begins" and "Transformers" — UPS' Chicago Consolidation Hub and Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower.

"Facility Fusion brings core built environment leaders together in an intimate setting and helps them develop professionally, strengthen their competitive advantage and add value to their organizations by introducing more efficient, cost-effective products and practices," said IFMA President and CEO Tony Keane, CAE. "The networking and professional development opportunities Facility Fusion has to offer, coupled with tours of some of Chicago's most recognizable facilities, really capture the allure of the Windy City and make this one of the can't-miss events of 2012."

Those interested in attending Facility Fusion may register online or by calling 713-623-4362. Members of the media may register for the event at no cost by emailing communications@ifma.org. To learn more about the IFMA Facility Fusion Conference & Expo, visit www.ifmafacilityfusion.org.