Actiu participated in the  VI Madrid Workplace Conference, a place of reflection on the present and the future of  facility management, discipline that encompasses several fields to secure and manage the best performance of  buildings and their associated services, using the integration of people, space, processes and technology. This event, a global benchmark, organised by IFMA Spain, an organisation that has benefitted from the sponsor of 3G Office, Diadec and Plantronics, and the collaboration of REPSOL, APFM, BLC Group and the College of Technical Architects in Madrid (COAATM).

The new work models, the importance of technology in the transformation of corporate culture, the latest in corporate spaces and the international trends which are shaping the future of the workplace were the four work areas that were debated at the conference.

Joaquín Berbegal, director of Actiu business development, participated in the debate on developments in workspaces, along with three other companies (3G Office, Regus and Sodexo). During his presentation he explained the analysis that Actiu carried out to determine new trends. The three factors studied are the work areas, user profiles and  impacts on the workspace.

The results determine, and were recognised in the final evaluations of the conference, that we are facing a time of change. The new generations come with a very different concept to the conventional office and with needs for more open environments to promote creativity, collaboration and productivity.

It is essential that the new work areas facilitate environments to communicate, in order to produce an inspiring exchange, “80 % of the ideas  are produced by communication between people” Workplace Survey 2008,  Gensler Studio.

To achieve the level of communication, creativity and productivity that companies look for need to pursue jobs and multifunctional workers, which is achieved by optimising workspaces, distributed collaboration and the retention and encouragement of talent which is reflected in a strong brand and wellbeing of the employees.

The  XXI century office is a place for knowledge and social interaction, not only a workplace. The globalisation and interconnected world in which we live leads us to implement flexibility in both spaces (open office) as well as in products (that enable reconfigurations of space for multiple uses). Environments that promote comfort and active leisure, through soft solutions, applied technology and tailored to the user, ergonomic office furniture and health and sustainable production that meets the environmental standards.

 “In this way,  Facility Management  is becoming increasingly important in the development of new work models of companies from the XXI century, being the integration of professionals in this expertise which is essential for the global management of these organisations” declared Pedro García Carro, president of  IFMA Spain. The association was created in 2002 and currently has 570 business partners from leading companies in the country.