Agenda 2026

08.00

Registration and networking

10.00

Keynote Address: The Future of Construction Productivity: GCC vs Global Benchmarks

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.

10.20

Keynote Panel: Integrating ConTech Across Mega-Project Portfolios

A senior-level discussion on how ConTech can be scaled consistently across multiple mega-projects, rather than deployed as isolated pilots. This keynote panel explores portfolio-wide integration challenges, governance models, data standards, and leadership decisions required to embed construction technology across planning, delivery, and operations at scale.

10.50

Panel: Executives in the Room: The Hard Truths Leaders Miss About Construction Tech

A candid, executive-level session addressing common misconceptions about the real capabilities and limits of BIM, AI, robotics, and automation. The discussion cuts through hype to clarify what these technologies can—and cannot—deliver, and what leadership decisions most directly determine success or failure in construction technology adoption.

11.20

Panel: Who Owns the Decision? Human-AI Collaboration in Construction

As AI enters construction workflows, the challenge is no longer adoption but decision ownership. Examine the limits of AI judgment—hallucination, bias, and “average outcome” behaviour—and how human–AI collaboration models can augment professionals, set clear guardrails, and keep humans accountable and in control.

11.50

Reserved

12.00

Networking Break

12.30

Panel: Lean Construction — Borrowing Oil & Gas Discipline

As construction complexity rises, lean management systems, advanced work packaging (AWP) and stage-gate delivery models proven in oil & gas are being adapted to bring greater discipline, sequencing and predictability to construction—especially when combined with modular and off-site delivery.

13.00

Panel: Data Before AI: Fixing the Foundations

AI fails without clean, connected data. Know how to prepare construction data for real AI use that delivers value by eliminating silos, moving toward a unified data lake and shifting from BIM models to true information management.

13.30

AI Case Study Series: We Don’t Want Talk, Show Us What Worked: Where AI Delivers Value Today

A case-study-driven series cutting through AI hype to focus on real deployments with measurable results. Practical examples across HSE, contracts and claims, scheduling, progress tracking and more show how AI strategies were implemented, how business cases were built and what actually delivered value on live construction projects.

AI for Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Monitoring | AI-Assisted Contract Review & Claims Analysis | AI for Construction Scheduling & Delay Prevention | AI-Driven Progress Tracking & Visual Documentation | AI in Procurement & Spend Optimization | AI for Equipment Utilization & Fuel Management | AI-Assisted Design Coordination & Change Tracking

14.00

Panel: 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 process 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.

14.30

Networking Lunch

15.30

Panel: Execution at Complex Scale: Lessons from Industrial/Complex Construction Technologies

This session cuts to what worked in EPCC projects—off-site fabrication, digital workface planning, BIM for industrial projects, supply chain digitisation and data-driven controls/scheduling—what didn’t, and which of these proven practices the wider construction sector can realistically adopt today.

16.00

Reality Capture Case Study Series: Closing the Gap Between Site and Office

Real-world case studies show how LiDAR, 360 capture, drones, and AI are transforming progress tracking, QA/QC inspections, claims, and reporting, cutting decision cycles from days to hours. By connecting site activity directly to management systems, these tools improve visibility and close the long-standing gap between the site and the office.

16.30

The Connected Site Case Studies: IoT Sensors, Smart Helmets & Real-Time Tracking

Practical case studies showing how IoT sensors, smart helmets, and real-time tracking improve site safety, visibility, and productivity—focusing on tools that actually get used on site.

17.00

Close of day 1

08.00

Registration and networking

10.00

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.

10.30

Dual Discussion: The Broken Adoption Model: Why Small Contractors Are Left Behind

Why Tier 2 and Tier 3 contractors struggle to adopt technology, how current business and contracting models exclude them, and what clients, Tier 1s, and authorities must change to avoid systemic failure.

10.50

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.

11.20

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.

Moving Beyond Pilots — Modular Systems Approved by Authorities | Modular + Lean Execution Using Advanced Work Packaging | Data-Driven Modular Delivery | Modular Construction: Speed, Efficiency & Quality at Scale in the GCC | Industrialised Construction for Giga-Projects: From Concept to Reality

12.00

Networking Break

12.30

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.

13.00

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.

Dubai Municipality

13.30

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.

14.00

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.

4D BIM for Mega-Project Sequencing and Change Control | 5D BIM for Cost Forecasting and Variation Discipline | 4D BIM for Authority / Client Approvals and Constructability Sign-Off | 4D/5D BIM for Modular & Off-Site Manufacturing Integration | 4D BIM for Claims Avoidance Through Visual Evidence | BIM for Small Contractors

14.30

Networking Lunch

15.30

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.

Process automation (digital workflows) | Planning & scheduling automation | Design & coordination automation | Equipment automation (not full robotics) | Monitoring & reporting automation

16.00

Onsite Robotics Case Study Series: When Does the Business Case Finally Work?

Examine where construction robotics delivers real value today. Grounded in GCC site conditions, they explore how robotics addresses summer heat, safety, productivity and manpower constraints and where the business case works when weighed against low-cost labour.

On-site task robots | Autonomous or semi-autonomous equipment | Inspection & monitoring robots (Drones and ground robots for progress tracking, safety inspection, and surveying).

16.30

Case Studies: From Unskilled to Digitally Enabled

As digital tools and wearables reach the site, workforce readiness becomes the real bottleneck. This session looks at practical ways to upskill unskilled workers to use digital solutions and wearable devices, improving safety, productivity, and on-site adoption.

17.15

Close of day 2

Live Demo Lab: From Resident Experience to Smart Operations

A hands-on, walk-through demo environment designed to show what actually works in PropTech and smart buildings, using live platforms, real data flows, and practical workflows. The Lab is curated around end-to-end journeys, not isolated products.

11.00

Zone 1: Smart Building Tech That Actually Works

Live Technology Demos

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

• Sensors, thresholds, and comfort impact
• Link between IAQ, complaints reduction, and occupant wellbeing

Smart Irrigation

• Weather-driven automation
• Water savings and landscaping outcomes

Leak Detection

• Early alerts vs catastrophic damage
• ROI compared to traditional inspections

Energy Analytics Dashboards

• Live EUI / CUI visibility
• Transparency for owners and operators
• Real savings vs “theoretical efficiency”

FM Automation & Predictive Maintenance

• Automated work orders
• AI-driven maintenance prioritisation

Pool Water Quality Sensors

• Safety, compliance, and remote visibility
• Reduced manual testing and risk

Vibration Monitoring

• Early fault detection for pumps and motors
• Maintenance planning vs reactive failure

Access & Visitor Management

• License plate recognition
• Guest journeys tied to community apps

Smart Washroom Systems

• Hygiene monitoring
• Labour efficiency and consumables optimisation

12.00

Networking break

12.15

Zone 2: Resident Experience Sandbox (The Super App Layer)

Live Demos Include:

• Omnichannel Service Layer
  One request, multiple channels—app, kiosk, call centre, and in-person—feeding the same workflow.

• Super App UX
  Sales – onboarding – handover – living – services – renewables all within one interface.

• Personalised AI Assistants
  Context-aware assistants for homes and communities: service requests, payments, FAQs, bookings, and escalation.

• Predictive FM Journeys
  How resident issues trigger automated FM workflows before complaints escalate.

13.15

Networking break

13.30

Zone 3: VR / AR — Virtual Sales & Planning Tools

Live Experiences:

• Virtual Sales Suites
  Off-plan sales, unit customisation, and immersive walkthroughs.

• AR Planning & Design Review
  Visualising services, layouts, and operational flows before construction.

• Stakeholder Alignment
  Using VR/AR to reduce late-stage design changes and handover disputes.

14.30

Networking Lunch

Live Demo Lab: From Digital Twins to Drones

A hands-on, walk-through demo environment designed to show what actually works in ConTech, using live platforms, real data flows, and practical workflows. The Lab is curated around end-to-end journeys, not isolated products.

15.30

Zone 4: Digital Twins for Construction: From Planning to Asset Handover

A live walkthrough showing how adigital twin connects planning, construction progress, and asset data—demonstrating where it adds real control and how it enables data continuity from delivery into operations and FM.

15.50

Zone 5: Predictive Maintenance from Day Zero: Designing with Digital O&M in Mind

A live demonstration of how predictive maintenance is designed from day one, not added after handover. This demo shows how asset data, sensors, and operational logic are embedded during design and construction, enabling digital O&M, condition monitoring, and predictive insights from day zero—ensuring assets are handed over ready for operation, not retrofitted later.

16.10

Zone 6: Drones & Reality Capture Field Demo

A live field demonstration of drones, LiDAR, and 360 capture in action, showing how reality capture delivers real-time visibility for progress tracking, QA/QC and reporting and shortens decision cycles from days to hours.

16.30

Close of Live Demo Lab