i-FM: The online resource for facilities professionals

Early on a sunny morning recently I found myself thinking about the suggestion that the UK should adopt so-called double summer time.

The increasingly urgent need to address major environmental issues on a global scale means developments are coming so thick and fast, if you blink you’re likely to miss something important.

New research into a question that has been on people’s minds in this industry for years shows there is still much work to be done.

Canadian ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky, when asked why he was so good, replied: "A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where it's going to be."

Issues surrounding nutrition continue to be in the spotlight and that means companies are looking for their caterers to provide more than just a good price.

When will facilities management have the profile it wants and deserves beyond the confines of the industry itself?

No well managed business can risk standing still for too long. Stagnation can all too easily lead to extinction.

This year the growing EFMC conference bandwagon rolled into Madrid and proved it is an event that merits its position in the busy FM's diary.

In polite society, various topics of conversation are generally avoided: religion, politics, sexual preference. Unless you're comfortable setting the cat amongst the pigeons.

In many ways, the 2010 UK election has shown British politics at its worst.

Fiona Perrin argues that it is time for FM companies to invest in brand building to create differentiation in an increasingly commoditised market.

Very occasionally, the mainstream press will take a brief glance at the FM sector, usually to ask something about what 'the office of the future' will look like.