A testament to the preservation community. A chance to place restoration at the forefront. An collaborative information exchange. A phenomenal networking opportunity.
These were just a few of the phrases participants - exhibitors, sponsors, visitors and guests - used to describe APT NYC 2013 - Preserving the Metropolis, a mega-conference held at the Marriott Marquis Times Sq. October 11 - 15 that broke all prior attendance records. The event included presentations and over 30 field sessions to numerous world-renowned buildings. Registrants received continuing education credits.
Skyline Restoration, Inc., a leader in exterior restoration in the metropolitan area, was a key event sponsor and host to hospitality suites outside the exhibit hall where attendees were able to pose questions to the team over refreshments.
Skyline CEO John Kalafatis was glad to have the firm play a major role at APT's first-ever N.Y.C. event.
"This event is focused specifically on restoration, it targets facades and preservation. The ideal people are here all at once - those who design restoration plans and propose solutions, the contractors who execute the plans, and the suppliers who provide the materials and equipment. It's the right people at the right place at the right time," he said.
He noted too that "being right in New York City offers a chance to witness firsthand what preservation technology is doing now and what it needs to go forward."
Keith Lynch, the general manager of Swing Staging, a major scaffolding business, agreed saying, "This is an important place to connect, to meet in a single space where all the people care about historic buildings."
Dan Perakes, senior account executive with Cathedral Stone Products, called it "The most important event of the year for the restoration industry."
Kayla Butler, project manager/estimator with Gladding McBean, an architectural terra cotta manufacturer, was glad to strengthen connections and create new ones. "It's good to see your competitors. We challenge each other," she said.
Douglas Schickler, senior project manager with Essex Works, manufacturers of precast concrete, terra cotta and GFRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete), said that "APT brought the building envelope to the forefront of the industry."
Principal of Midtown Preservation Michael Sleiman, R.A., LEED, praised APT NYC 2013 as "a collaboration, an exchange of information and thought-provoking ideas on new techniques that prompts you to take it to the next level."
The academic and nonprofit preservation community gave high marks to the conference. Erin Tobin, regional program director with the Preservation League of New York State, said, "It's important...to see the companies who are doing the work...and to...build on public/private partnerships."
The associate director of programs for Getty Conservation Institute, Jeanne Marie Teutonico, FAPT, said, "This is a ... cross-section of architects, conservators, craftspeople, historians. It promotes dialogue and advances technical practice in conservation and networking with various disciplines."
Diana Waite, editor of the APT Bulletin, said, "This fosters a sense of community -these people are passionate about what they do, it's what sets them apart."
A professor in the School of Architecture at Columbia University, Norman Weiss, FAPT, said, "APT is the most significant organization in the field of preservation technology. This is the biggest and best event the association has ever had. The exhibits are fantastic."
Elizabeth Moss, LEED AP, Swanke Hayden Connell, and a board member with the APT (Association for Preservation Technology) Northeast chapter, summed up the appeal: "This is the largest preservation conference in the nation in the largest preservation market in the nation."
Visit Skyline Restoration, www.skylinerestoration.com; APT - www.apti.org. Tags: