Ever wonder why big buildings, malls, or resorts run so smoothly? That’s thanks to Facilities Management professionals working behind the scenes to make sure everything functions just right, often without anyone noticing.
If a Facility Manager is doing their job well, you won’t even think about the thousands of things they take care of daily. They coordinate teams to ensure clean restrooms, safe and accessible parking, working lights and screens, and more. It’s not just maintenance… it’s about managing people, systems, and spaces to work in harmony.
Every year on the second Wednesday of May, we celebrate World FM Day, a global recognition of the vital role that Facility Management (FM) plays in our everyday lives. It’s a moment to appreciate the professionals who keep our buildings running smoothly, safely, and efficiently – whether it’s in offices, hospitals, schools, or industrial environments.
EuroFM Celebration: 13 may 15.00-17.00 (CEST) online
FM: Cultivating Belonging Through Built Environments
Join EuroFM’s online celebration for World FM Day 2026, where a lineup of speakers will explore this year’s theme and share valuable insights from across the FM profession.
This year’s theme “FM: Cultivating Belonging Through Built Environments” highlights how Facility Management plays a vital role in creating workplaces and built environments that foster belonging, respect, and inclusion for all communities. Together, we can amplify the value of Facility Management and honor the dedicated professionals who shape inclusive, resilient, and thriving built environments, today and every day.
Program:
15.00h Welcome and introduction by Natalie Hofman, Chair of EuroFM
15.15h Community-Based Facility Management in an Urban Experiment Area: Case Svartlamon – Bintang Prabowo
15.45h Future of Work Research & the Vibrancy Index: Where Work Meets Place – Tamás Polster
16.15h Session 3 – TBA
16.45h Celebration session World FM day
17.00h Closing
Bintang Prabowo | Winner EuroFM Best Research Paper Award 2025
Bintang Prabowo will present insights from his award-winning paper “Community-Based Facility Management in an Urban Experiment Area: Case Svartlamon.” His research explores how Community-based Facility Management (CbFM) can support socially sustainable placemaking in self-organised urban environments.
Focusing on the experimental district of Svartlamon in Trondheim, the session highlights how resident-led governance, shared responsibility, and collective care for infrastructure contribute to resilience, a strong sense of belonging, and long-term stewardship. At the same time, it addresses the tensions between grassroots initiatives and formal regulatory systems, raising important questions for the future of Urban FM. By translating these findings into practical and transferable mechanisms, Bintang offers valuable insights for facility managers, urban planners, and policymakers seeking to enable more inclusive, adaptive, and community-driven approaches to managing the built environment.
Tamás Polster | Future of Work Research & the Vibrancy Index: Where Work Meets Place
Tamás Polster MRICS is Partner and Co-founder of Urbanite Advisors, an international real estate and location strategy consultancy. With 30+ years of experience, he advises global organizations on workplace strategy, portfolio optimization, and urban positioning. Previously, he led Cushman & Wakefield’s EMEA consulting practice. At Urbanite, he leads research on the Future of Work and contributes to the Urbanite Vibrancy Index, linking urban ecosystems, amenities, and workplace performance.
In this session, Tamás Polster will present insights from Urbanite’s latest Future of Work research alongside the Vibrancy Index. Together, these perspectives explore how hybrid work, workplace experience, and the surrounding urban fabric influence how and where people choose to work. Without prescribing a single model, the session reflects on how engagement increasingly depends on a combination of flexibility, spatial quality, and external context – subtly reinforcing the role of the built environment in shaping a sense of belonging.
