EMAIL INTERVIEW  Anto Budiardjo & Ken Sinclair

BuilConn™ 2003 Update

Anto Budiardjo is the President of Clasma, Inc. a marketing and conference company that is organizing the BuilConn Forum 2003 in Dallas on April 23-25, 2003 (www.builconn.com). 

Please send comments and questions to antob@clasma.com

Sinclair: Can you give me an update on the BuilConn Forum planned for next April

Budiardjo: Sure Ken, the plans are going well; we have selected a venue and finalize the dates. BuilConn will be held in the Adams Mark Hotel and Convention Center in Dallas on April 23-25, 2003.

Sinclair: What has the reaction been from the industry?

Budiardjo: Almost all of the integrators, contractors and dealers we have spoken to feel that an event focused on the integration of all of the systems found in buildings is desperately needed. The few that don’t see this are those contractors and dealers that are quite content with their non integrated business model, which is OK with us.

Sinclair: I understand that you have formed an Advisory Board for BuilConn?

Budiardjo: Yes Ken, so strong was the interest from some key players that we felt it valuable to form a Board to advise and help the BuilConn team deliver a meeting that will bring most value to integrators, contractors and dealers.

Sinclair: What kind of people are on this Board

Budiardjo: The board is made up 100% of top individuals from integrators, contractors and dealers from the HVAC, security as well as the IT industries. No manufacturers, consultants or end-users, just people that deliver integrated networked building systems. You can see the list of the web site (http://www.builconn.com/advisoryboard/), and this list is likely to grow in the coming weeks.

Sinclair: How does this board relate to the Content Board you have?

Budiardjo: The Advisory Board helps us with the overall objectives, direction and purpose of BuilConn while the Content Development Board helps us create and deliver the content of the Forum.

Sinclair: Have you added more to the Content Board?

Budiardjo: Yes, we have someone from the Lighting Control Association and will be adding a couple more individuals from an IT perspective as well as security and CCTV perspectives.

Sinclair: How is the content development going?

Budiardjo: Very well, we’ve identified the tracks; the first will be an “IT Track”, secondly an “Integration Track” and lastly a “Trends Track”. Expect an update of the information on the web site in a few weeks. The BootCamp content development is also going very well.

Sinclair: How is the support from the manufacturers?

Budiardjo: Mostly it’s also been very good, especially with those that have something to offer in this new space of networked building systems, some manufacturers still don’t see integration as important. We have commitments from dozens of manufacturers to participate in BuilConn at various levels.

Sinclair: Have you identified the cost for attendance?

Budiardjo: The registration fee for the Forum, inclusive of conference material, all of the conference tracks, meals, reception and a seat at the finale gala dinner is $1,495. For those that Register in December we are offering a 10% early-bird discount.

Sinclair: Does this include the BootCamp?

Budiardjo: The BootCamp is an optional addition, the registration for this full day session is $495, and again a 10% discount is available for registrations in December.

Sinclair: Will you be making a call for papers?

Budiardjo: Yes, especially for the Trends Track portion of the conference. We feel that there are many individuals or organizations that have something to contribute by way of new developments of technology, tools or methodologies that attendees would find valuable. We’d like such individuals to email their content to anno@clasma.com for evaluation by the Content Board.

Sinclair: How is the current economic climate affecting your plans?

Budiardjo: We are very aware and sensitive to situation. In our view, these times further necessitates the industry to be better educated and do the right things. I have spoken with many people in the past weeks, it seems to be feast or famine; some people are very busy while others seem so desperately “un-busy”.

Sinclair: Why is this do you think?

Budiardjo: I think there are many factors, but one I’m sure of is their attitude toward the changes and trends in the industry, especially with respect to technology, open systems and IT. The people who are very busy tend to be those that have an open mind toward using the technology and tools available to them, while those who are laying off people are those who are stuck in the old ways.

Sinclair: Very interesting, what do you make of this?

Budiardjo: It’s an industry in change Ken, and BuilConn is one of the places where people can determine what role they intend to play in the future.

Sinclair: Thanks for the update, looking forward to developments

Budiardjo: It’s my pleasure Ken, keep in touch with our web site (www.builconn.com) for more up-to-date information, and please register for your update email newsletter.

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