BE Conference 2008 Sharing the BEst Practices

BE Conference—2008, the BEst Practices for Sustaining Infrastructure held at Baltimore, MD, USA, in May 2008 reflected Bentley explicit commitment and mission to provide software for the lifecycle of the world infrastructure to deliver a high quality performance to society, environment, and profession. The Conference, a much looked for event in the industry, enticed a record number of about 2000 professionals including 70 Journalists from different countries. The NBM&CW, from India was also present there to cover the mega event. Representatives from 50 countries and 179 industry leaders speaking on different issues from concept to completion, through planning, design, construction management, and project execution to the ultimate place of restsustainable construction in roads, bridges, industrial, institutional structures, land development, communication, gas and power utilities, oil and gas, mining and metals, rail and transit, water and wastewater resources.

At this two-and-half day event, using Bentley solutions. Conference sessions addressed the felt needs of the executives, managers, architects, engineers, designers, builders, and other infrastructure professionals and user led content and programme dedicated to 13 solution communities. The heavy and focused agenda of BE Conference enabled attendees to explore innovative ways to increase productivity, improve project quality, and reduce the cost and risks associated with sustaining infrastructure. Important theme segments were: BIM and Beyond, Bridge Information Modeling, Communications, Gas Utilities & Power Generation, Mining and Metals, Oil and Gas, Rail and Transit, and Wastewater Resources.

The opening of the conference was formalized through welcoming attendees by Bentley CMO, Ed Muller and CEO, Greg Bentley keynote.

Addressing the conference Mr. Ed Muller said, there is an increasingly significant level of emergency surrounding the world infrastructure and expanding spectrum of critical global issues. The word infrastructure has an important role to play.

Therefore, we encourage architects and engineers of all disciplines contractors and our operators to join and represent the infrastructure community. It is apparent that we all work together to face these challenges that will confine all work together and with each other today and in the future. The solutions provided by Bentley are comprehensive, innovative, and real.

Bentley is focused on promoting software solution to sustain the world’s infrastructure and creating best practices of our users by organizing Bentley’s academic programme for universities, colleges and technical school. Today, the programme includes 1719 academic institution around the world to give power to next generation of engineers and architects.

Speaking in the context of Bentley new theme Sustaining Infrastructure, CEO Greg Bentley reviewed key business development at Bentley Systems, products, and acquisitions during 2007. He focused on Bridge Information Modeling (BrlM) as an example of the way Bentley was making its solutions portfolio more comprehensively while advancing interoperability. In line with this, Bentley" other presenters were Keith Bentley, CTO, Malcolm Walter, COO, Ailton B Cleveland, Senior Vice President, Applied Research, Bhupinder Singh, Senior Vice- president, Bentley software and others in this and other sessions addressed the issues and presented strategies for creating and deploying software solutions for long–term objectives in the creation of a sustainable world. The conclusion of the conference conveyed an interesting and informative storyline of deliberations from buildings to bridges, transit to utilities, clean energy to clean water, using Bentley solutions.

Annual Report

At the Conference, Bentley released its May 2008 Annual Report. Its milestone includes: Revenue touching $450 million, reflecting 16 percent growth last year; and Bentley workforce touching 2800 mark. Bentley has been named as world No. 2 provider of geospatial software solution in a just completed Daratech research study.

Greg Bentley, CEO, summed it that: "Bentley May 2008 Annual Report demonstrated both continuity and change. As the world leading provider of comprehensive software solution for the infrastructure lifecycle, Bentley realizes the vital role infrastructure play. The imperative is to empower the designing and building assets that perform better continue to be the central driving force behind Bentley strategies. At the same time, we have undertaken to increase our external visibility, with new logo, new website, new professional network site for our user communities," he added.

Bentley’s new logo and the new Bentley.com homepage clearly reflect the company’s commitment to sustain infrastructure. The website features a new design, a new organization around Bentley’s solutions, products, learning, and subscription services, and provides integration with BE Communities, the professional networking site that empowers infrastructure profes– sionals to work smarter, together.

Exhibition and Entertainment

The vital sponsors of the exhibition showcasing Bentley Services were: Hewlet-Pakard, Microsoft, McGraw Hill Construction, and Leica, and Geosystems, complementing Bentley offerings. To unwind participants, there were ample amount of entertainment, spirits, and live music provided by the popular Philadelphia blues band, enthralling the attendees. The Bentley team worked hard to ensure that the entire Conference ran as a well–oiled machinery and Bentley team proved itself to be Ideal Hosts looking after everything from start to finish.

2008 BE Awards of Excellence

The high point of the Conference was the BE Awards for Excellence to honor the extraordinary work of Bentley users. Seventeen projects, including one from India Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran Transforming Intermittent Water Supply of Developing countries to 24x7 System received the BE Awards. These projects set benchmarks and showcased the imagination and technical mastrey of the organizations that created them. In addition, BE Award was presented for Lifetime Achievement. In the academic portion of the program, BE Awards went to the Educator of the Year and the top four student designs. The independent panel of BE Awards jurors, which included accomp– lished Bentley users and distinguished industry experts, selected the winning projects from more than 250 nominations. Bentley will post highlights of this year winning projects on its website and include detailed descriptions of all nominated projects in the next edition of its "Year in Infrastructure" year book.

Media Interaction

Bentley, during the Conference interacted with media persons, wherein Bentley CEO, Greg Bentley exchanged views with them. At the sideline of this interaction, he was good enough to interact exclusively with S K Rizvi.

Extracts as under:

How the Bentley is positioning itself to play a bigger role in this scenario? It is very gratifying for India to be an exemplar for Bentley, something I am very passionate about.

We have now 250 colleagues in the country and we are an earthshaking exporter of technology even though we import expertise services and software development from India.

In India, there are so many opportunities to improve in building performance and we have the chance and motivation to gather and to do it right.

For Bentley, this emphasis on interability software is just not for a building but it has to do with geo– coordination and it has to do with performance of the building and campus and city scape. My own hope will be that this coordination beyond the limit of one building at a time, can actually result from India realization that there is opportunity for its further urban development to be planned and purposeful rather than haphazards. It is important for us to apply Indian talent and contribution from our offices there. Our fastest growing offices in the world is in Pune.

Advice for the users in India

My general advice for young people is to enthusiastically become a creative and generalist user of computers and software as I believe that is an advancement in their firms and in their professions. I am not advocating to use computer for technology sake but to have using computing and compututioner designers. Young professionals in India do have the ability to do that in a world class level.


Bentley is the global leader dedicated to provide compre– hensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure. Archit– ects, engineers, constructors, and owner-operators are indispen– sable in improving world and quality of life; the company’s mission is to improve the performance of their projects and of the assets they design, build, and operate. Bentley sustains the infrastructure professions by helping to leverage information technology, learning, best practices, and global collaboration–and by promoting careers devoted to this crucial work. Founded in 1984, Bentley has over 2,800 colleagues, and offices in more than 50 countries, annual revenues surpassing $500 million, and since 1993, it has invested more than $1 billion in research & development and acquisitions. Nearly 90 percent of the Engineering News-Record Top Design Firms are Bentley subscribers, and a 2008 Daratech study ranked Bentley as the world’s #2 provider of geospatial software solutions.