The final count isn't complete, but it's estimated more than 3,000 people with ties to the real estate, construction, design and property management business took time out from hectic workday schedules to attend at least part of this year's sixth annual Buildex Calgary conference and exposition Nov. 15 and 16.

Seminars on effective communication, client service and the importance of juggling work and personal relationships put the spotlight on the "people side" of a booming real estate industry, says Bill Partridge, executive VP of the Building Owner and Managers Association (BOMA) Calgary.

With 450 member companies, BOMA Calgary members manage all but 20 million of the 130 million sq. ft. of office, industrial and retail space located in the Greater Calgary area.

Building owners and operators, like others involved in various aspects of real estate in Alberta, definitely feel the pressure of a shortage in skilled labour, notes Partridge. "There's not a great wave of people coming in to replace (those who will retire) in the next four to five years" and savvy managers are out to train - and maintain - quality employees. (See related story.)

David Lazarowych, Business Edge
Rick Owen, general manager of Trail Appliances in Calgary, makes sure his store is at Buildex.

Several of the seminars offered at the two-day event at the Roundup Centre count toward professional development credits under BOMA's mandate to increase professionalism in the building operations segment of the real estate industry. Partridge says he's pleased with attendance given current work pressure on people in all aspects of the real estate industry.

Given the current pace of construction in Calgary, Partridge says he increasingly hears from building owners and operators who can't find companies to bid on commercial space renovations and maintenance jobs deemed "too small" for their current workloads. Others purposefully bid too high, "which is the same as saying, 'Go away. I don't have time for this.'"

Buildex Calgary is held in conjunction with DesignTrends Calgary and Construct Alberta, making it Alberta's most comprehensive real estate event, says Mark Stephenson, vice-president of MediaEdge Communications Inc. A prominent event management company in Canada and the western U.S., MediaEdge co-ordinates the two-day trade show and conference.

The Construct Alberta tradeshow is geared toward the construction industry and includes architects, contractors, engineers, homebuilders and renovators, spec writers and others involved with the development, design and construction of all building types.

DesignTrends Calgary targets architects, interior designers, urban planners, facility managers and decorating consultants. This year's event featured more than 50 seminars and panel discussions, many of which offered topics of interest to various segments of the industry, says Stephenson. Topics, chosen in consultation with the industry partners, include green office space, construction dispute arbitration and construction law updates.

A panel of leading real estate senior executives also offered their insights on the strategic issues facing real estate markets in Calgary and Alberta.

Pre-registration for this year's event was up about 15 per cent over 2004, says Stephenson, who admits the weather has a significant impact on actual attendance at Calgary's event. Aware of the growing pressure to complete construction work before winter sets in, MediaEdge has moved Buildex Calgary from early October to mid-October, and then to mid-November.

Those moves appear to work in the event's favour, with attendance growing 15 to 18 per cent a year since Buildex Calgary's inception.

Rick Owen, GM of Calgary-based Trail Appliances Ltd., says his company is a regular exhibitor at Buildex, even though the event is not as consumer-oriented as other tradeshows on Trail's must-do list. "It's more about exposure than anything else. It's about being there when someone is looking," says Owen.

With a growing emphasis on high-end appliances, Trail views Buildex's tradeshow visitors as commercial buyers and as individual consumers who may also be looking to upgrade appliances in their own homes.

"We don't do actual sales there (but we make sure people) know the new products and where to get them," says Owen.

(Joy Gregory can be reached at joy@businessedge.ca)