When budgets are tight, smart campuses don’t stop—they optimize. In this Bow Tie Tuesday conversation, Aaron sits down with Derek Westfall, president of Tradeline Inc., to unpack what’s driving space utilization, practical conference formats that surface real-world lessons, and how higher ed and corporate campuses are extending building life while tackling deferred maintenance.

Recorded at: Tradeline: New Plans and Strategies for Campuses and Buildings — Scottsdale, AZ (Oct 6–7)

You’ll learn: how end users prioritize problems, what formats spark useful dialogue, why space optimization beats new construction right now, who should attend Tradeline, and why “forced innovation” can be a good thing.

Chapters
0:00 Intro & why space utilization matters
0:34 Who Tradeline serves (end-user focus)
1:20 How topics are chosen (surveys & pain points)
1:47 General sessions vs. breakouts: what works
2:42 The town-hall wrap-up: hard questions, clear takeaways
3:36 Emerging trends across sectors
4:10 “Space utilization just became mission-critical”
5:10 Who gets the most value from Tradeline (do-ers & PMs)
6:02 Practical talks with ROI and lessons learned
6:45 Sharing what didn’t work (and why it helps)
7:30 Extending building life & tackling deferred maintenance
8:05 Tough times → forced innovation (optimistic outlook)
8:30 Close & thanks

Key topics & keywords
space utilization, campus planning, facilities management, higher education facilities, capital planning, space optimization, deferred maintenance, conference best practices, end-user insights, R1 university challenges, project delivery, stakeholder engagement, renovation vs. new construction, real estate strategy, Tradeline conference, Derek Westfall

About Tradeline
Tradeline convenes end-users, practitioners, and solution providers to share field-tested approaches for planning and operating high-performance facilities. Short general sessions, deep-dive breakouts, and a candid town-hall format surface what works—and what doesn’t—so teams can execute with confidence.

Connect with us
Subscribe for more practical campus & building strategy insights every Tuesday. Comment with your biggest space-utilization challenge—we may cover it next.

Tags

space utilization, campus planning, facilities management, higher education facilities, deferred maintenance, capital planning, space optimization, campus real estate, facilities strategy, Tradeline, Derek Westfall, conference insights, project management, stakeholder engagement, renovation vs new construction, campus operations, R1 university, building lifecycle, portfolio optimization, Bow Tie Tuesday

Education

0:00 Why is space utilization the top priority for campuses right now?
0:34 Who are the core end users Tradeline designs its conferences for?
1:20 How does Tradeline choose topics based on attendee pain points?
1:47 When should you use general sessions vs. breakouts to share lessons?
2:42 How does the town-hall wrap-up extract actionable takeaways?
3:36 What cross-sector trends are shaping campus and corporate facilities?
4:10 What does “space utilization is mission-critical” mean in practice?
5:10 Who gets the most value from attending Tradeline—and why?
6:02 How do speakers demonstrate ROI with metrics and case results?
6:45 Why is sharing what didn’t work essential to better project outcomes?
7:30 What strategies extend building life and tackle deferred maintenance?
8:05 How can constrained budgets drive “forced innovation” in facilities?

Hashtags
#SpaceUtilization #CampusPlanning #FacilitiesManagement #HigherEd #Tradeline #DeferredMaintenance #CapitalPlanning

What’s your biggest space-utilization hurdle right now—data, culture, or funding? Drop one specific challenge and we’ll share a tactic or case example in a future episode.