The AGC’s 10th Anniversary IT Forum Conference will be held Aug. 15-17 in Chicago, Illinois, but the best time to register is right now! AGC members and non-members who register before July 6 will save $100 on the construction industry’s premier technology conference, featuring sessions focused on: Budgeting and Staffing; Innovation in the Real World – Show Me, Don’t Tell Me; Epic Failures – Lessons Learned; Affordable Solutions; Lean in BIM/VDC; Live AR and VR demonstrations; What to do if you have been hacked; Scalability of the Cloud in Construction; Business Continuity; BIM and Lean technology and more. Click here for more information or follow us on Twitter @AGCIT for updates as they occur. Group reservation rates at the IT Forum’s Conference Hotel, the Sheraton Grand Chicago, are also available until July 24. Located right off the Chicago River and two blocks from Lake Michigan, the Sheraton Grand Chicago will give attendees access to the best shopping and sightseeing in the heart of the Windy City. Click here to register today!

"The AGC IT Forum Conference is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year!! I am very excited to chair this event and look forward to welcoming you to Chicago! We are so excited about this achievement and appreciate the role many of you have played in our journey. This year’s event is special. Our industry has experienced remarkable growth and has been embracing innovation as a path to successful, efficient and productive projects. Construction leaders recognize the important role technology will play in moving the industry to higher levels of innovation. This year our theme is "Pillars of Construction Technology: Power of the Past; Force of the Future." Sessions will include live demos of innovation from some of our experienced construction companies, tactical conversations on Budgeting and Staffing; Security, Infrastructure, AI, ML VR and AR. I invite you to join our peers and share in the discussions. Happy 10th Anniversary! I look forward to meeting all of you." ~ Howard Piersma, Chairman, IT Forum Steering Committee

AGC has prepared a drone use survey to determine the state the art in drone use on highway, bridge, heavy and civil projects. AGC's Highway and Transportation Division has created a task force to address the use of Unmanned Arial Systems – aka drones – in civil construction operations. The task force is looking at issues such as: how contractors are using drones in day-to-day operations, what impediments to their use exist, what are best practice recommendations, what technical issues need to be addressed, how can AGC work with FHWA and state DOTs in addressing these concerns. Three members of the task force participated in a national roundtable conference with FHWA, AASHTO, state DOTs and industry representatives in February to discuss how the groups can work together to ensure that no unnecessary impediments are preventing the use of this technology in construction operations from developing. This survey will help guide the task force's efforts. Please take the time to have the person in your company who is the expert on drone use complete the survey.

Over the last 20 years, labor-productivity growth in the construction sector has averaged only 1 percent per year compared with growth of 3.6 percent per year in the manufacturing sector. Technology that promotes lean principles can help close that gap. Contractors need to be aware that some of the technology is new and untested. Simple video-based technologies, however, are plentiful and affordable. Here is a quick guide on where and how contractors can see their way to greater productivity and safety and reduced waste. SOURCE: WILLIS TOWERS WATSON

Each year AGC of America conducts a survey of members involved in highway construction work to evaluate the state of highway work zone safety. We want to collect information on the number, severity, impacts and potential solutions to highway work zone crashes. Our intention is to use the information we collect from this survey as the main focus of a media and public education campaign we will launch the week before Memorial Day and the traditional start of the summer driving season. Please take a few brief moments to complete this important highway work zone safety study by May 11. And of course, please do not hesitate to contact Brian Turmail at 703-459-0238 or turmailb@agc.org with any questions, comments or concerns about this survey and our plans to use it to promote highway work zone safety. Thank you in advance for making the time to complete this survey.

This year, AGC celebrates 100 years as the leading association for the construction industry. To commemorate this momentous occasion, AGC has created a centennial website where members can learn about the association's rich history, share their own stories, register for upcoming events, and much more.

From IBM, here are the five game-changing advances to expect within the next five years. SOURCE: LINKEDIN