From the CEO By Brian Pallasch, CAE Here Comes the 2025 IIBEC International Convention and Trade Show! own education advisor, Samir Ibrahim, sharing their expertise in this vital area. AI IN BUILDING ENCLOSURE CONSULTING The waterproofing seminar isn’t the only place where we’ll focus on the full building enclosure. We also have several sessions that address exterior walls. Friday starts with a very hot topic—artificial intelligence (AI)—and its role in building enclosure consulting. If you’ve been wondering how AI might be integrated into your consulting practice—or how to avoid any pitfalls associated with this emerging technology— you’ll want to attend this general session. Our concurrent sessions on Friday–Sunday are overflowing with industry experts and speakers you’ll want to hear from. Far be it from me to choose which sessions will work best for you, but I’d like to highlight a couple of sessions that go beyond roofing. (Never fear, we still have plenty of roofing content!) “A Tale of Collaboration: Terra Cotta Restoration of Fort Worth’s First Skyscraper,” presented by Abigail Hanson, PE, BECxP, CxA+BE, and Jeffrey Kobes, PE, SE, both from Walter P Moore, covers the initial safety assessment triggered by a piece of terra cotta cladding falling from the building in 2018, a drone survey of the building that followed in 2022, and the 14-month repair process that exposed areas of deterioration that required investigation and repair. Speaking of cladding, I’ve also got my eye on “All-in-One Cladding Systems: A Cautionary Tale,” presented by Leah Ruther, PE, and Brian Tognetti, RA, CCA, NCARB, both of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. Their look at insulated metal panels, adhered masonry, and exterior sheathing with integrated water-resistive barriers is part of our Exterior Walls track, as is the previously mentioned terra cotta session. TRADE SHOW AND NETWORKING Of course, it wouldn’t be a convention and trade show without our exhibitors—more than 130 of which are expected at our 2025 event. You earn 2.0 IIBEC Continuing Education Hours for spending up to four hours at the trade show, so come see the latest products and services while enjoying our grand opening and reception on Friday afternoon and full breakfast on the trade show floor Saturday morning. The Grand Opening and Reception is but one of the many networking events scheduled for Orlando. Our always well-attended Welcome Reception will be held Thursday night—a chance to catch up with colleagues you rarely see in person—and our Emerging Professionals Networking Reception will take place Saturday night. The latter is an opportunity for those newer to IIBEC and to our industry to socialize with their peers and to talk about what they’ve been learning during the convention. Our Awards Luncheon will be held Saturday. Sunday’s events include the Annual Meeting of the Members and the RCI-IIBEC Foundations’ Live Auction and Reception, with the President’s Annual Banquet closing our 2025 event. And speaking of awards, our second Excellence in Building Enclosure Consulting Awards showcase will be in its own timeslot on Saturday afternoon! Come see your colleagues present on the projects that earned them the industry’s highest honor! Our schedule can viewed at iibecconvention.org/ schedule-of-events. 2025 is going to be an exciting year for the building enclosure industry. Join us in Orlando this March to see where the building enclosure industry is going—and to learn how you can be part of that growth and evolution. We hope to see you there! IN THE “PRESIDENT’S Message” that precedes this column, you’ll see Robért Hinojosa’s invitation to join us for the upcoming IIBEC International Convention and Trade Show, March 7–9, 2025, as we are welcomed back to the beautiful Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida. Just before US Thanksgiving, the founder of Rosen Hotels & Resorts passed away, leaving an incredible legacy in the hospitality industry. He was most known for his philanthropic efforts in central Florida, among them to provide underserved communities with undergraduate scholarships, parent resource centers, and neighborhood preschools. IIBEC is proud to be associated with such efforts. Robért wrote broadly about why your attendance will help advance your career and boost your business, so I wanted to use this space to go into more detail about a few educational and networking opportunities that will make you want to register—today—to attend the building enclosure industry’s premier annual event. (Keep your eye on the full meeting schedule at iibecconvention.org/education as we add more details in the coming weeks. And keep in mind that our event runs Thursday–Sunday this year rather than our previous Friday–Monday.) AUXILIARY SEMINAR ON WATERPROOFING Our popular first-day auxiliary seminar returns next March. Last year the seminar focused on roofing—the emphasis, historically, of IIBEC (formerly known as the Roof Consultants Institute). Just as RCI expanded to IIBEC, embracing all sides of the building, this year’s seminar expands to another key area of building enclosure design and maintenance: waterproofing. This all-day educational event will feature longtime IIBEC member Paul Buccellato, F-IIBEC, RWC, REWC, FASTM, AIA, and IIBEC’s 8 • IIBEC Interface January 2025
