Realcomm's IBcon 2014 Assembles Elite Group of Advisors; Darrell Smith, Microsoft and Mike Smith, Forest City Enterprises Co-Chair Advisory Council

CARLSBAD, CA, February 19, 2014 (Press-News.org) Realcomm Conference Group, LLC, a global leader in providing technology education and networking opportunities for the commercial, corporate, government and institutional real estate industry and producer of IBcon - the Smart, Connected, High Performance Intelligent Buildings conference, has assembled over 45 of the industry's leading authorities on real estate technology to serve on its 2014 Advisory Council. The Council is comprised of some of the foremost authorities on the intelligent buildings topic and will assist with the development of the education program and help ensure that the content presented is both comprehensive and innovative. From the most complex technical discussions to the all-important organizational realignment issues, these world-class groups of professionals represent the most significant body of thought leaders on the topic. Co-chairmen for the Council this year will be Darrell Smith, Microsoft, and Mike Smith, Forest City Enterprises. The fifth annual conference will be held June 17-19 at the LVH Hotel and Conference Center in Las Vegas.

"In order to produce an event that presents the most comprehensive, innovative, state-of-the-art and relevant content, we've sought out leaders in our industry who are focused on the topic of open architected, interoperable and integrated IP based smart, connected, high performance and intelligent buildings to help us put our program together," said Jim Young, co-founder and CEO of Realcomm. "We're very excited to be able to tap into Darrell's vision and experience again this year, and Mike brings a new, fresh perspective to the group. Both gentlemen are at the forefront of innovation within their respective organizations."

Darrell Smith is the Director of Energy and Building Technology for Microsoft's Real Estate and Facilities. Darrell is accountable for the strategic direction of the Energy Strategy for the company's 34 million square foot portfolio, which includes 125 buildings spread over 500 acres with more than 40,000 employees working there each day. He has more than 15 years of industry experience in facilities, data center operations and energy management.

"I'm excited to be a part of IBcon again this year because this is where thought leaders and key service providers come together to collaborate, share case studies and gain industry insight," commented Smith. "The conversations, engagements and presentations are truly world class and promote areas where IT and Real Estate collide."

Mike Smith, VP of Building Technology Services ("BTS") Group of Forest City Enterprises, is responsible for overseeing and implementing resident communications, building infrastructure and all technology for new development and existing projects. Mike has over 15 years of experience in the network design, administrator, project management and management of information systems. Forest City Enterprises owns and/or manages 100+ residential rental properties, 35 commercial malls and office buildings in 29 states and the District of Columbia, representing more than 38,000 apartment units.

"I am pleased to co-chair this year's Advisory Council," said Smith. "Realcomm/IBcon is an extraordinary gathering of industry thought leaders and business executives. The conference allows everyone to share success stories and start the conversation regarding new technologies."

2014 IBcon Advisory Council:
- Patty Anderson, CEO / Manager, Performance Building Solutions LLC
- Andy Bancroft, Technology Development Manager, Lend Lease
- Rick Bevington, Co-Founder & CEO, M2 Consulting Inc.
- Sanjyot Bhusari, Project Manager/IB Leader, AEI
- Eric Bloom, Senior Research Analyst, Navigant
- Rob Crisler, District Engineering Manager, Schneider Electric
- Paul Czerwin, President, Advanced Power Control
- Brian Dauskurdas, Director, Global Energy, Lutron Electronics Co. Inc.
- Joe David, Sustainability Manager, Point32
- Frederick Dougherty, VP, Portfolio Technology, Liberty Property Trust
- Bruce Duyshart, Director, Meld Strategies
- John Gilbert, EVP & COO, Rudin Management
- Haritharan Gunasingham, CEO, Eutech Cybernetics
- Barry Haaser, President, Lakeview Group
- Rob Hamon, Director of Energy & Sustainability, Boxer Property
- Christine Hertzog, Managing Director, Smart Grid Library
- Anton Hofland, CEO, 2024Sight
- Rick Huijbregts, VP, Business Transformation. GM Smart + Connected Communities, Cisco Systems Inc.
- Geoffrey Kasselman, Executive Managing Director, NGKF
- Peter Kelly-Detwiler, Co-Founder, NorthBridge Energy Partners LLC
- Konkana Khaund, Industry Manager, North America, Environmental & Building Technologies, Frost & Sullivan
- James Lee, President, CEO, Cimetrics, Inc.
- Rick Lisa, Group Sales Director, Intel
- Lachlan MacQuarrie, VP, Real Estate Management, Oxford Properties Group
- Brian McCarter, Chairman & CEO, Sustainable Real Estate Solutions
- Jack McGowan, CEO, Energy Control Inc.
- Lawrence Melton, Principal, The Building People, LLC
- Kelly Millsaps, CTO, Related
- Rob Murchison, Co-Founder, Intelligent Buildings
- Jeff Nash, Sr. Director, Energy Management, General Growth Properties
- Paul Oswald, President, Environmental Systems, Inc. (ESI)
- Marc Petock, VP, Marketing, Lynxspring, Inc.
- John Petze, Principal, SkyFoundry
- David Pogue, Global Director of Corporate Responsibility, Asset Services Western Region, CBRE
- Dan Probst, Chairman, Energy and Sustainability Services, Jones Lang LaSalle
- Curt Radkin, SVP, Corporate Properties, Wells Fargo
- Frank Santella, Associate Director, GSA
- Peter Scarpelli, VP, Global Director of Energy & Sustainability, CBRE
- Kreg Schmidt, CTO, Smart Building Solutions, Accenture
- Anno Scholten, President, Connexx Energy
- Jim Schwartz, Director, Strategic Marketing, Global Controls, Johnson Controls Inc.
- Tom Shircliff, Co-Founder, Intelligent Buildings
- Ken Sinclair, Publisher, Owner, automatedbuildings.com
- Alok Singh, Director, Practice Lead, Building Technology & Sustainability, RealFoundations
- Jim Sinopoli, Principal, Smart Buildings
- Ken Smyers, Consultant, ControlTrends Awards
- Darrell Smith, Director of Facilities & Energy, Microsoft (Co-Chair )
- Mike Smith, VP, Building Technology Services, Forest City Enterprises (Co-Chair)
- Ken Smyers, Consultant, ControlTrends Awards
- Doug Stewart, SVP, Global Workplace Services Technology, Properties, Bank of America
- Brian Thompson, CEO, Ezenics
- Clayton Ulrich, VP, Hines
- Richard K. Warner, President & CEO, OME
- David Wilts, Associate Principal, Arup
- Michael Wolf, ED ICT Senior PM, EllisDon
- Leighton Wolffe, Principal, NorthBridge Energy Partners LLC
- Ron Zimmer, President & CEO, CABA

Embracing the change in business processes required to successfully implement new tools and opportunities will be the central focus of this year's theme: Embracing Change: REThink, Innovate, Transform. The only unique differentiator remaining in the adoption of these tools by organizations are its people - the individual, the department, the company. Understanding all aspects of a company and their respective barriers to change can help accelerate the transformation of real estate organizations through the use of technology, innovation and automation. Some of the many trending topics to be showcased at the conference will include the BUILDINGS Internet of Things , the Cloud, Analytics, Mobility, Integrated Solutions, Security, Privacy, BIM, Business Continuity Planning, Organizational Transformation and Real Estate Business Process Automation.

For complete conference details and to register, visit www.ib-con.com.

About Realcomm Conference Group
Realcomm Conference Group, LLC is the leading research and educational institution that produces annual conferences and expositions on technology, automated business solutions and intelligent buildings strategies for executives in commercial, corporate, government and institutional real estate. Realcomm was founded in 1999 with the goal of bringing industry leaders together each year to discuss, demonstrate and debate the latest innovations that impact the industry. Today, in addition to the annual conferences, Realcomm conducts webinars, workshops and other strategic services to educate industry professionals about the latest business solutions and technologies to improve commercial real estate development, leasing, management and operations.