Earlier in August, AGC of America held its 10th Annual IT Forum Conference at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Chicago, Ill. This year’s event brought together more than 300 industry experts and IT professionals from around the country to one central location and allowed them to dive deep into the issue of construction technology.

This is an annual must-attend event, and the 10th anniversary of the conference did not disappoint. The opening day keynote address, delivered by Stacy Scopano, vice president of innovation, Skanska USA Inc., revved the IT motors with his discussion on how disruption is the new normal for construction.

 

Later that day, attendees had the privilege of hearing AGC President Eddie Stewart deliver his thoughts on the importance of innovation and technology to the advancement of the construction industry. And day two's keynote speaker was Andrew McIntyre, vice president of technology, Chicago Cubs.

"The keynote was great," says Bing Paesang, director of information technology, LeChase Construction Services. "Having the Chicago Cub’s VP of technology speak at the conference was highly engaging. The amount of data that is collected and used to enhance the customer experience is something we all can learn from."

 

This year’s conference was built on three pillars: IT Strategy, Security and Infrastructure. Christian Burger, Jake Pepper, Michael Ricks and Michael Manosca conducted Pillar #1 presentation, IT Strategy: The Road Ahead. Breakout sessions that followed included Innovation - A Core Competency for Construction and Innovation in the Real World - "Show Me, Don't Tell Me."

 

Jayson E. Street led the Pillar #2 presentation, Security - Enhance Your Security Posture: Protect, Detect, Respond. Breakout sessions from this presentation included Where to Start: Cybersecurity 101 for AEC and Are you Playing Chess or Checkers with Your Cybersecurity Posture?

 

The final pillar, Pillar #3, Infrastructure: The Foundation, was led by Wes Smith. Subsequent breakouts included The Modern Cloud: Scalability, Elasticity, Agility Leveraging the Cloud in Construction and Lean into BIM/VDC: Strategy and Software Selection for Better Budgets.

 

 

With each passing year, the IT Forum Conference attendance grows, as word travels throughout the industry about the top-notch program delivered, innovative ideas presented and takeaways provided.

 

"One of the best features about the AGC IT Forum is the networking opportunity," says Paesang. "Being able to connect with previous relationships but more importantly, establishing new relationships with other IT leaders/peers. This continues to be the primary reason why I attend each year’s conference. The general sessions also have value, as I always learn something new each year. This makes attending worthwhile."

 

Without all those in attendance, the 10th Anniversary of the AGC IT Forum Conference would not have been the outstanding success it was. Thanks to all who contributed. See you again in Chicago in 2019!