Collaborations between facilities management membership bodies have happened before. So, what makes the partnership between RICS and IFMA any different?

One of the big challenges for every FM service provider these days is sorting out its strategy for the future: how does it see its markets developing? how does it want to be perceived? what sort of clients does it want? what's the right service offer?

Naming, and the related branding, forms part of the bedrock of marketing strategy. There’s a lot of science to both and a huge amount of material on good and bad experiences. But in the end, you make your decision, unveil your work and pray for the best.

That's the statement that stuck with me from Wednesday's Smartworking Summit, the latest in the series organised by consultancy Quora and this time focusing on AI in the workplace.

The future is equal parts exciting and terrifying. New technologies are opening up a world of possibilities; but they are also raising real-world concerns, like who will use, manage and ultimately own the abundance of new data that is produced.

When it comes to cyber security, we are fighting a perception, potentially fuelled by the suppliers of stock photos, that hackers are fantastically smart, well resourced, highly (and predictably) motivated and dressed in hoodies.

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom. It was the age of foolishness. Sometimes it can indeed be hard to tell where you and others actually are.

If technology is going to become an increasingly necessary and perhaps even an enhancing part of FM going forward, how do we ensure that this promise is delivered? Mark Hazelwood looks at some of the issues.

I'm usually the interviewer not the interviewee. Being the one questioned is an unusual experience for those of us on the media side of the business; but it can bring a new perspective to the issues.

Who is really responsible for compliance in an organisation? This was just one of many questions recently posed at the latest BIFM Leaders' Forum panel debate hosted by Churchill Service Solutions in London.

I think it’s very easy to talk down the FM industry right now; but more than ever I am seeing a real movement behind positive change and some urgency in creating a conversation that elevates the perception of the value of what FM does.

Outsourcing has always been a touchy subject. It’s a good, sound business practice, widely used and time-proven; but it can also be an easy target for criticism, a magnet for hot-button claims around jobs, costs, quality, accountability and more.