2nd Annual FCON-TECH
CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT

23rd October 2024, Doltone House Darling Island, Sydney

Leveraging construction technologies to maximise connectivity, collaboration, accuracy and productivity on all projects

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ABOUT THE EVENT

The construction industry is evolving at an unprecedented pace, driven by groundbreaking technologies that are transforming the way that projects are designed, built and operated. As the move to a more interconnected, sustainable and productive industry grows in importance, it’s crucial for leaders, experts and disruptors to come together and explore the benefits that technology can bring to the built environment.

The Future of Construction Technology Summit (FCON-Tech) is Australia’s premier gathering place for leaders responsible for finding and implementing leading edge technology in the construction sector. Participants can network, learn about the latest trends and gain data-driven insights from analysis garnered via surveys of actual usage by construction companies. Nowhere else do industry technology adopters get the level of objective, comprehensive, and actionable insights on emerging technology adoption that they get at FCON-Tech.

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NEW FOR 2024

Constructathon is a hackathon where creative minds from the AEC sector can co-create solutions, acquire skills and make new connections. Taking place over one day it will bring together industry leaders, tech heavy-weights and construction partners to collaborate and find ways of applying technology to solve some of the biggest pain points faced by the construction industry.

A timely and well considered forum and format for operatives within the broader construction sector. Productivity and efficiency should have been on the entire construction sectors agenda for years, so congratulations for delivering a critical step in the right direction – I for one will be involved every year.

Bradley Hall

Managing Director, FORTEX

It was a pleasure to be a part of the FCON-Tech event. It’s a great opportunity to get together with our industry peers to talk about our common challenges and learn from each other to keep pushing the industry forward. Looking forward to the next one.

Alan Dunn

Chief Information Officer, Richard Crookes Constructions

I thoroughly enjoyed FCON, both as an attendee and speaker. There were some thought-provoking presentations, and the summit was organised well. I also enjoyed the round-tables, getting to hear perspectives from a range of attendees from around the industry, and generating some robust discussion. All-round a great event!

Alice Hanna

Head of People & Culture, Kapitol Group

FCON-TECH23 was a very well organised and well run summit. There is an incredible array of very clever products developed by some truly great minds that are available to improve project outcomes as well as deliver significant overall improvements for the construction sector. It is vital that this information is shared with industry and government representatives alike and the summit provides an excellent platform for that. Congratulations to everyone involved.

Andrew Curthoys

Chair, Australasian BIM Advisory Board

Summit

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FCON-Tech24 Speakers

Meet Our Speakers

Atul Khanzode

Chief Technology Officer & Member of Leadership Team, DPR Construction (USA)

Alan Dunn

Chief Information Officer, Richard Crookes Construction

Chloe Williams

National Manager – Digital Engineering, Innovation and IP, Fulton Hogan (NZ)

Max Godley

Group Manager – Digital Engineering & Innovation, CPB Contractors

David Dubois

Executive Director, Portfolio Performance & Analytics, Infrastructure NSW (INSW)

Greg Peters

Principal Product Engineer, Laing O’Rourke

Mitchell Erickson

Group Manager – Digital Engineering, John Holland Group

Gert van Aswegen

Digital Engineering Manager , Department for Infrastructure & Transport, SA

Shelley Van Hoos

Head of IT and Business Systems, Martinus

Quan Nguyen

Senior Digital Engineering Manager – Australia, McConnell Dowell

Our 2024 Partners

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The Program

The FCON-Tech Summit will bring together senior leaders to discuss the following topics:

Defining your technology evaluation & selection criteria to ensure you’re adopting the right tools
Assessing the evolution of construction technology to prepare your teams & future proof your organisation
Securing client investment for introduction of new technology into the project lifecycle
Building a common understanding across project stakeholders to optimise collaboration, communication & technology
Ensuring a seamless digital workflow to keep information up to date across the whole project team
Streamlining the transfer of information from design to construction to increase project certainty
Advancing resource forecasting & management strategies to effectively track & enhance onsite productivity
Evaluating the ROI of field tools vs. project outcomes
How to identify innovation opportunities & make the right investments
Addressing cross-platform interoperability challenges
Soup to nuts remote site management, with a dash of AI
Embracing robots in the construction workflow
Establishing & maintaining network connectivity in the field to ensure security, certainty & safety
Using reality capture to streamline the collection of data on the jobsite
Ensuring workflow integration between the general & trade contractors to enhance onsite performance
Using AR & VR technologies to get the model into the hands of your site leaders

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WEDNESDAY | 23 OCTOBER 2024

Conference Schedule

08:00

Conference registration and morning coffee

09:00

Opening remarks

Leon Kantor, ,

TECH ADOPTION IN CONSTRUCTION – STATE OF PLAY

09:05

Chairman’s welcome address

In this International Keynote Address – Darren Bechtel will examine the innovation Brick & Mortar Ventures are seeing, the tech trends they see shaping the global industry and what construction technology they are investing in and why? We ask – how will this impact the industry in Australia and what opportunities will there be for forward thinking companies to deploy the next generation of ConTech across their organisations?

The mission of Brick & Mortar Ventures is to invest in and grow emerging companies who are developing innovative software and hardware solutions for the industries of construction, architecture, engineering and facilities management.

Alan Dunn, Chief Information Officer, Richard Crookes Construction

09:20

INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE: How to innovate in a challenging and fragmented industry with tight margins?

In this session we hear from Atul Khanzode who is the Chief Technology Officer for DPR Construction in the USA. With more than 10,000 staff in 32 offices across the US, Europe and Asia, DPR are leaders in technically challenging construction. In this keynote we hear how Atul and his team work to develop new and cutting-edge tools to achieve superior outcomes for their clients.

We hear how innovation and technology plays a fundamental role in developing unique solutions for the complex construction projects they undertake globally.

Engaging senior management to drive a culture of innovation
Working with clients to better understand their needs and take a collaborative approach to complex construction challenges
Assessing the full suite of technology solutions that can deliver high quality projects – on time and on budget

What’s worked, what hasn’t and what lessons have been learnt along the way in developing innovative solutions for DPR and its clients?

Atul Khanzode, Chief Technology Officer & Member of Leadership Team, DPR Construction (USA)

09:50

PANEL DISCUSSION: Global perspective on innovation integration: Merging innovative new concepts into current systems to drive progress

This panel discussion pushes the boundaries of infrastructure development, exploring how a dynamic blend of data, cutting-edge technologies and innovative approaches are shaping the future of construction. We’ll move beyond traditional methods, delving into how real-time data collection, user-friendly technology, and groundbreaking advancements empower stakeholders to build smarter, more sustainable, and resilient infrastructure. Drawing on the expertise of our diverse panellists, we’ll explore:

How to pilot new technologies to scale and successfully deploy them across your organisation and within your existing technology stack
Navigating the tech jungle: Choosing the right tools from an ever-expanding landscape of data-driven solutions
Hardware harmony: Seamlessly integrating new technologies such as drones, sensors, and wearables for real-time project insights
Managing different technologies across different projects and with different clients

Panellists

Atul Khanzode, Chief Technology Officer & Member of Leadership Team, DPR Construction (USA)

Chloe Williams, National Manager – Digital Engineering, Innovation and IP, Fulton Hogan (NZ)

Bryan Lai, Rail Systems Interface & Integration Manager, DT Infrastructure

Ekaterina Lanshakova, Business Support and Service Delivery, Mirvac

Facilitator

Jonathan Tulloch, APAC Director of Growth & Customer Success, Cupix

10:30

Power Play: Energising opportunities in property and renewables

Join us for an insightful session on “Power Play: Energising Opportunities in Property and Renewables,” where we delve into our latest research findings. As billions flow into the net zero transition, this report highlights how property and energy companies can collaborate to unlock new sources of value. With 92% of leaders prioritizing renewable energy integration and 74% preparing to adopt solutions like battery storage, energy management systems, and smart grid technologies, the opportunities are immense. We’ll also discuss diverse revenue strategies and the critical role of government incentives and regulations in overcoming barriers. Let’s lead the charge towards a sustainable energy future together.

Jeremie Henry, Industry Relations & Alliances, ANZ, Procore Technologies

10:50

Morning refreshments & networking break

LEVERAGING THE POWER OF TECHNOLOGY

11:25

INTERACTIVE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS:

In this session we bring together delegates to participate in a 40-minute interactive roundtable discussion, led by industry experts. Join the table that most interests you and discuss the latest technology and industry trends with likeminded individuals.

Round Table 1: Examining what Technologies can the construction industry adopt to help reduce embodied carbon within construction materials?
Moderated by:  Prof. Tuan Ngo, Research Program Leader – Building Transformation, Building 4.0 CRC & DBI

Round Table 2: Aligning strategies: Bridging team needs with embedded technology in organisational operational systems
Moderated by: Ekaterina Lanshakova, Business Support and Service Delivery, Mirvac

Round Table 3: Maximising tech ROI on a budget: Unveiling tips and tricks for optimal returns
Moderated by: Shivendra Kumar, Managing Director, Shivendra & Co.

Round Table 4: Data integration: Harnessing the power of construction technology to drive informed decision-making and streamline project management
Moderated by: Peta Wilson, Head of Business Improvement, Richard Crookes and Adrian Gray, Head of IT Applications, Richard Crookes

Round Table 5: Building a Tech-Savvy Workforce: Overcoming Resistance to Change in Construction Moderated by: Michelle Stack, Senior Strategic Product Consultant, Procore

Round Table 6: How to transform project delivery through site visualisation
Moderated by: Andy Lake,Executive General Manager Asia Pacific, Sensat

Moderators

Prof. Tuan Ngo, Research Program Leader – Building Transformation, Building 4.0 CRC and Program Leader, University of Melbourne

Ekaterina Lanshakova, Business Support and Service Delivery, Mirvac

Shivendra Kumar, Managing Director, Shivendra & Co

Peta Wilson, Head of Business Improvement, Richard Crookes

Adrian Gray, Head of IT Applications, Richard Crookes

Jeremie Henry, Industry Relations & Alliances, ANZ, Procore Technologies

Andy Lake, Executive General Manager Asia Pacific, Sensat

Michelle Stack, Senior Strategic Product Consultant, Procore

12:05

Contech Mindset before AI toolset

No matter how innovative software is, it won’t succeed if your organisation and workforce aren’t prepared or motivated to use it. Kurt shares valuable change management insights gained from over 20 years in property and construction; and now as CEO of Simpel, helping organisations implement new contech. He also discusses human-centred software design principles that promote successful technical adoption, including:

Relevance: Tailoring data stories to meet the specific worker requirements

Timeliness: Providing access to real-time data to drive faster action

Validity: Improving desired behaviours by increasing trust and accuracy

Immediacy: Leveraging data feedback loops to reinforce positive change

Kurt Robinson, Chief Executive Officer, Simpel

12:25

FIRESIDE CHAT: Leveraging AI and robotics for safer, more efficient infrastructure construction 

Unpacking the value of robotics in construction: productivity, health and safety, D&I and talent retention
Unlocking robotics potential: Integrating contractor-supplier collaborations for enhanced efficiency and innovation
How to move beyond proof of concepts and develop tech that can be rolled out efficiently and within R&D budgets? 
Innovation in action: Developing and field-testing products in real-world environments, and the need to collaborate
AI, the Architect of Efficiency: Explore AI’s impact on construction robotics and automation, from streamlined workflows to enhanced safety

Greg Peters, Principal Product Engineer, Laing O’Rourke

Interviewed by:

Peter Schreiner, Industry Innovation Specialist, TAFE NSW

12:45

Lunch and networking break

CONTECH, MATERIALS, COLLABORATION & PROJECT DELIVERY

13:45

INNOVATION TALKS

In this session, we hear from 4 leading ConTech start-ups who are each delivering innovative solutions to meet the ever-evolving challenges of modern construction. The founders will share their insights into why they have developed their solutions and how they transform key aspects of the construction industry.

Innovation Talk 1:

James Kell, CEO & Co Founder, Scratchie

Innovation Talk 2:

Paul James, ANZ Sales Director, Timescapes

Innovation Talk 3:

Nandan Thakar, CEO & Co-Founder, SureWorx

Innovation Talk 4:

Raju Dommaraju, Founder and CEO, Project OnTrack

Facilitator:

Shivendra Kumar, Managing Director, Shivendra & Co

14:30

MAJOR PROJECTS PANEL DISCUSSION: Fostering collaboration between clients and contractors to deliver complex major projects with cutting edge technology

In this session, we hear about the crucial collaboration required between clients and contractors for delivering complex major projects with cutting-edge technology. This panel dives into the game-changing tools and strategies needed to harness information and technology for Australia’s ambitious infrastructure projects. Our panel of experts will explore how information management and technology are transforming large-scale construction nationwide as we draw on real-world experiences, the discussion tackles:

Moving beyond silos & building bridges: Discover collaboration platforms that empower seamless, inclusive project delivery
Embedding effective information management technologies that ensure assets can be managed and maintained easily post completion
Tips and insights for managing the intricate relationship between clients and their contractors and contractors and their subbies
Implementing AI-powered predictive maintenance and other digital tools for creating self-healing infrastructure – myth or reality?

Facilitator:

Kurt Robinson, Chief Executive Officer, Simpel

Panellists:

Gert van Aswegen, Digital Engineering Manager , Department for Infrastructure & Transport, SA

Mitchell Erickson, Group Manager – Digital Engineering, John Holland Group

Shelley Van Hoos, Head of IT and Business Systems, Martinus

David Dubois, Executive Director, Portfolio Performance & Analytics, Infrastructure NSW (INSW)

15:10

Building a Tech Ecosystem: The Power of Specialised Solutions in Construction

No single solution can address every challenge in an industry as complex as construction.  This session will explore taking an interconnected approach to technology adoption, highlighting the benefits of procuring purpose-fit solutions to drive project collaboration, efficiency and success.  Research from Payapps will be shared, highlighting how embracing specialised technology into a broader construction tech stack can improve team productivity, employee satisfaction, and supply chain collaboration.

Misty Cronin, Head of Sales, Australia & New Zealand, Payapps

15:30

Afternoon refreshments and networking break

ENABLING CONNECTED & INFORMED DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS

16:00

CASE STUDY: Digital delivery innovation in practice

In this case study we hear from Group Manager of Digital Delivery & Innovation for CPB – Max Godley on the initiatives he is pioneering for the group. CPB are leaders in innovation and digital delivery that enhance their productivity, safety and the timely delivery of their projects. In this session we examine the work and initiatives Max is leading and the use of digital delivery across the projects CPB are undertaking.

Pioneering Initiatives: Dive deep into the innovative practices CPB is implementing on their groundbreaking projects.
Learn how these initiatives are transforming project delivery across CPB and their projects
Unlocking the full potential of Digital Delivery and its use
Effectively integrating digital solutions across CPB’s projects for improved productivity and to foster tangible insights for project teams and clients alike

Max Godley, Group Manager – Digital Engineering & Innovation, CPB Contractors

16:20

PANEL DISCUSSION: Fostering Digital Delivery: Examining how BIM and digital construction practices have emerged as essential tools for driving innovation, improving efficiency and enhancing collaboration across major projects

Our panellists discuss the strategic utilisation of digital tools and methodologies that are having a major impact on project delivery and outcomes.

Understanding how using data within digital construction delivers transformative growth and better outcomes
Exploring the utilisation of a 3D federated model to bolster the capabilities of a well-informed digital ecosystem
Scaling the use of successful technology trials to create efficiencies within your organisation & beyond
Fast-tracking the future: Mapping out the maturity roadmap for emerging digital technologies

Panellists:

Mitchell Erickson, Group Manager – Digital Engineering, John Holland Group

Quan Nguyen, Senior Digital Engineering Manager – Australia, McConnell Dowell

Nidhi Sharma, National Digital Engineering Manager, KBR

Facilitated by:

Jenny Tseng, Technical Director - Project Strategy & Delivery, Mott MacDonald

17:00

Networking drinks reception

18:00

Summit close

Event Ticket Price

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FCON-TECH SUMMIT

Who Attends

FCON-Tech Construction Technology Summit brings together senior leaders representing:

INDUSTRY

Contractors

60%

Engineering firms

10%

Tech companies

10%

Architecture & Design firms

Owners

Investors

Other

JOB TITLES

Heads of Technology

40%

Engineering/Digital Engineering

20%

CEO/COO/CFO/CIO/CDO

10%

Heads of Innovation/Transformation

10%

Heads of Construction

10%

Heads of Projects

Heads of Design

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FCON-TECH SUMMIT

Benefits of Attending

The Supply Chain and Industrial Warehouse Summit is a Hybrid event. This format combines the traditional face-to-face conference with virtual elements, allowing both in-person and virtual attendees to access the same content and networking opportunities simultaneously.