Agenda 2026

08.00

Registration and networking

10.00

Keynote: The Future of Construction Productivity: GCC vs Global Benchmarks — Redefining Productivity at System Level

This keynote compares construction productivity in the GCC against global benchmarks, examining where the region leads, where it lags, and why productivity gains have remained elusive worldwide. It explores the structural, technological, and workforce factors shaping performance—and what must change for the GCC to close the gap and set a new productivity baseline for large-scale, complex projects.

Reserved

10.15

Keynote: AI Ethics and Data Governance in Construction and the Built Environment

As AI adoption accelerates across the built environment, this keynote explores the importance of responsible innovation — addressing data ownership, security, transparency, and governance to build trusted, AI-enabled construction and real estate ecosystems.

Fabrizio Degni

AI Ethics and Data Governance Lead

Global Council for Responsible AI

10.30

Building the Digital Foundation: The Future of Information Management in Construction

The next phase of digital transformation in construction depends on how effectively organisations manage, share, and use information. This session will explore how the Information Management Initiative is helping the industry establish stronger information foundations, improve collaboration, and support the adoption of emerging technologies such as AI, IoT, and digital twins.

Andy Boutle

Head of Digital Construction

ALEC

10.45

Panel: Building a Smarter, Greener City Within a City: How Technology is Driving KAFD's Sustainability Journey

As KAFD continues to evolve into a world-class mixed-use destination, sustainability and technology have been embedded at every stage of its journey. This session explores how digital technologies—including BIM, AI, automation, smart construction, and intelligent asset management—have enabled more sustainable planning, safer delivery, and higher-performing operations, while supporting internationally recognised green building standards – including the rare Parksmart Gold and driving continuous improvement across the district.

Fahad Aljabr

VP – Project Delivery

KAFD

11.00

Panel: ESG, Net Zero and Delivery Reality

What ESG and net zero targets mean for design and operations—and how they translate into delivery on site. Explores how off-site manufacturing, material efficiency and design choices are being applied and what Dubai Decree 11 means in practice for developers and contractors moving from targets to execution.

Led by:

Dima Al Srouri

Founder & CEO

MycoSphere

In Conversation with:

Alida Saleh

Head of Sustainability

JLL

 

Deepthy K B

Senior Director MENA

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)

 

Sayeeduddin Mohammed

Board Member

Advancing Net Zero Group

 

Dr. Yiaonnis Spanos

Vice President – Sustainability

Expo City Dubai

11.30

Panel: Beyond Pilots: Scaling Modular and Off-Site Construction

Modular and off-site construction has proven its technical viability, yet mass deployment remains limited. Explore why modular has struggled to scale, what it takes to commercialise systems beyond pilot and how shifting from upfront cost comparisons to a total cost of ownership (TCO) view is key to unlocking adoption at scale.

Led by:

Mohamed Amer

Managing Director

ICC MENA

In conversation with:

Ajay Venu

Director Project Controls

Modon Real Estate

 

Mohammed Azzam

Division Head Modular Construction

ECC

 

Iman Abi Saab

Buildings Lead Middle East

Mott MacDonald

12.00

Networking Break

Offsite Case Study Series: Modular, Steel and Mixed Construction Systems in the GCC

These case studies highlight real-world deployments of modular and mixed construction where they outperform traditional methods on speed, quality, and delivery certainty and reveal what contractors must change—across design, sequencing and execution to scale modular construction successfully in the GCC.

12.20

Moving Beyond Pilots — Modular Systems Approved by Authorities

 

Steve Day

Divisional Manager

Dutco Construction

12.30

Modular + Lean Execution

 

Midhun CK

General Manager – Commercial Strategy

Sobha Modular Ind LLC

12.40

Industrialised Construction for Giga-Projects: From Concept to Reality

 

Vangelis Skoufoglou

Former Modular Asset Director

NEOM THE LINE

12.50

Data-Driven Modular Delivery

 

Robert van Beilen

Founder, Sentira | Former Director of Digital Delivery

NEOM THE LINE

13.00

Case Studies: Low-Carbon Materials & Circular Construction in the GCC

These case studies highlight how low-carbon materials and circular construction approaches in the GCC reduce cost and material waste on real projects—improving efficiency, cutting rework, and delivering measurable savings on site.

Case Study 1:

Led by:

Dima Al Srouri

Founder & CEO

MycoSphere

Case Study 2:

13.20

Panel: Dubai BIM Is Mandated— What the Industry Needs Next

BIM is mandatory, but value isn’t automatic. It is more than 3D and only works when Employer’s Information Requirements are defined upfront. As BIM expands from design through construction to FM, what must regulators adjust to protect downstream value and avoid BIM becoming a compliance exercise rather than a delivery tool.

Led by:

Dr. Ibrahim Fahdah

Digital Transformation and BIM Expert

Dubai Municipality

In conversation with:

Ahmed Balawi

Head - Design & Digital Delivery

Igeneers

 

Dr. Ali Ismail

BIM Expert

Dubai Municipality

 

Dr Hassam Chaudhary

Assistant Professor, School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society,

Heriot-Watt University Dubai

 

Mario Cardenas

Head of BIM

Azizi Development

13.50

Networking lunch

14.50

Panel: Building the Golden Thread — Keeping Construction Data Alive Beyond Handover

Building a golden thread of data from project inception through delivery to FM is essential to prevent information loss at handover. Understand why most data dies at project close and what the industry must do to define the right data foundations from the start—and develop them consistently across the project lifecycle—to preserve long-term operational value.

 

Mohamed Ragheb

Senior Vice President

Azizi Developments

 

Omnia A. Abada

Chief Engineer

Road & Transport Authority, Dubai

 

Scott Beaver

Senior Director Digital Design and Delivery

Diriyah Company

 

Walid Abou Chacra

Senior Manager – Digital Energy & Utilities Digital Services

Khatib & Alami

BIM Case Study Series: From 3D Models to Project Control: Making 4D/5D BIM Real

BIM becomes a control tool—not just a model—when 4D planning and 5D cost visibility are unlocked. Moving beyond 3D reveals why models fail in isolation and how linking design to time and cost transforms sequencing, approvals, modular delivery and claims avoidance on complex projects.

15.15

Machine Learning in Data Validation within BIM

 

Mahmoud Ali Salah

Technical & Digital Delivery Projects Manager

BEC Arabia

15.25

From Reality Capture to Cost Certainty: BIM Use Cases in Forecasting and Claims Prevention

 

Mahmoud Adly

Digital Engineering Director

Abu Dhabi City Municipality

15.35

4D BIM for Cost Forecasting and Variation Discipline

 

Rania Abdelfattah

Associate – BIM & Digital Delivery

STUDIOI

15.45

BIM for Claims Avoidance Through Visual Evidence

 

Asim Rehmani

BIM Manager

Dubai Holding

15.55

Building the Digital Backbone in Energy Infrastructure Project Tracking

 

Anthony Lapierre

Head of BIM Strategy

Siemens Energy

Automation Case Study Series: What Scales and What Doesn’t

Construction automation that delivers value at scale. How automating approvals, scheduling, reporting, progress tracking and compliance to remove friction, outperform early robotics efforts and lay the foundation for meaningful AI adoption.

16.05

Reserved

16.15

Design & coordination automation

 

Micheline Nader

Director – BIM and Digital Design

Khatib & Alami

16.25

Closing Keynote: Stop Digitising Chaos: Closing the People-Process Gap

Adoption breaks down when organisations skip skills, mindset and change management, diving straight into tools without fixing processes first. Understand why automating a bad process only delivers bad results faster and what it takes to upskill site teams, supervisors and executives together to make transformation stick.

 

Dana Nahas

Corporate Engineering Director

Trojan Construction Group

 

Shadi Al-Ghanim

Chief Technology Officer

Al Ayuni Investment and Contracting

17.00

Close of day 2