The CTBUH Board of Trustees held their first meeting of 2015 on March 9 in the LaSalle Bank Exchange Conference Room, McCormick Tribune Campus Center at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois.

Past and Present

New Board of Trustees Chairman David Malott led the day-long meeting. Along with Executive Director Antony Wood[JG1] , they reviewed the Council’s 2014 accomplishments including annual finances, membership, digital platforms, and media relations. A record year in terms of CTBUH membership, 2014 concluded with 506 individual members and 449 organizational members. The past year also saw the most successful International Conference to date.

Future

Trustees then focused their attention on the future with a look at the 2015 budget and a future business model for the organization. An update was given on the Council’s future investment strategies, which were informed by recent discussions with an investment advisor.

One year ago, former Chairman Timothy Johnson initiated a five-year plan for the Council. Malott and Wood updated the Board on the progress of this plan. They also gave an update on the CTBUH China Office. The China Office is located at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning on the campus of Tongji University in Shanghai. Editor Daniel Safarik will take over as the China Office Director for the next two years. The China office will open its doors with a board meeting of its founding sponsors and a launch reception on March 18 at Tongji University.

In addition to growing its membership, the Council is also expanding internally with the hiring of multiple new full-time, part-time, and internship staff. Employment numbers have recently grown to 21 full-time staff and 15 part-time staff or interns located at offices in Chicago, Italy, and China.

Wood[JG2]  continued to provide an update on the CTBUH office premises at the Illinois Institute of Technology. With the recent hiring of additional full-time staff and plans to bring in a fleet of new interns, talks of possible expansion at IIT have been initiated. The goal is to provide additional work space for future employees that will accommodate the ever-growing demand for CTBUH services.

2015 New York Conference

Planning for the 2015 New York Conference is off and running. The theme of this year’s conference is “Global Interchanges: Resurgence of the Skyscraper City,” and what better place to hold the conference than one of the most famous skyscraper cities in the world. Trustees learned that an overwhelming number of abstracts were received by the January 30 deadline. A pool of over 500 abstracts will now be considered for possible speaking opportunities at the conference. Authors of accepted abstracts will be notified on March 20. The implementation of a new themed host room structure will allow for more speaking opportunities from conference participants on a variety of topics, some of which are not featured in the overall theme of the conference.

Delegate registration officially opened on February 18 and the first 100 paid Conference Full Package registrations will be able to attend the Opening VIP Reception at One World Trade Center hosted by The Durst Organization and sponsored by ThyssenKrupp. Hotel registration is also open and registrants can take advantage of discounted rates at the conference hotel.

CTBUH Initiatives and Leaders

Updates on the progress of CTBUH’s international trademarking were provided to Trustees. Efforts are being made to trademark the CTBUH logo, name, and graphic in all of the countries in which it operates. Currently, trademarks have been granted in over 25 countries with applications in progress in 10 countries.

The Council also saw an increase in participation from leaders from around the world. The past year saw 40 city and country representatives represent over 20 countries around the world. Leaders helped promote the CTBUH by organizing events, soliciting prospective members, and serving on various committees.

The day concluded with a toast to new members, long lasting relationships, and the anticipation of another successful year for the Council.