Innovations Theatre

Human‑Building Interactions is a practical, operations‑led approach to understanding how facilities and estates teams shape perception, behaviour and performance through everyday building conditions. Long before people consciously engage with a space, the building has already communicated. Elements such as reception condition, lighting stability, temperature comfort, smells, doors, lifts and bathrooms send subconscious signals that either build confidence or introduce friction.

Individually these details may seem minor; collectively they have a material impact on trust, focus and outcomes, particularly in professional and client‑facing environments. This session explores how people experience buildings through the five senses, why micro‑details create macro effects, and how FM and estates teams act as the first and most influential touchpoint in any journey. Delegates will see how routine inspections and preventative maintenance can be reframed as experience assurance, supported by a simple operating model they can apply across their own estates.

More than ever, FM teams are challenged to justify increasing costs while delivering better placemaking. Where does parking sit in these conflicting priorities? Can it really drive NOI AND customer satisfaction?
Parking management is evolving from old-school enforcement to a data-driven service-led solution, with transparent revenue models that align with wider FM priorities.
With real cross sector examples, this session explores
• Parking data: how it makes the FM team look good: driving revenue, managing capacity, creating a happy, safe community
• Delivering more: deep insights into your car park users
• 5 questions to challenge your approach – are you behind or ahead of the times?
• How to get transparency of costs and revenue from your solution
• How parking data can contribute to ESG priorities

To present the powers of CCTV, and modern day AI integration in regards to searching and notifications. The way this will transform ever operator of CCTV from recognising people entering areas with the incorrect PPE on, through to complicated searches such as picking out anybody with a gun, to people loitering in a busy zone or area. The power of this is mind blowing, and can be a simple bolt on section to any system even if the cameras are very basic.

Facilities and estates teams are increasingly expected to support ESG goals, yet many organisations still struggle to turn sustainability reporting into operational action. This session will explore how carbon data can be used more effectively within FM to identify emissions hotspots, strengthen supply chain engagement, improve tender readiness and support better decision making. Drawing on practical examples from service-led environments, Alan will show how facilities professionals can move from reporting for reporting’s sake to using sustainability data as a tool for commercial credibility, client confidence and measurable operational improvement.

Digital twins promise smarter, more efficient buildings - but how do you turn that promise into something practical?
In this session, we focus on real-world application. We’ll show how facilities teams can use digital twins to move from reactive to predictive maintenance, gain better visibility across assets and space, and support sustainability and lifecycle planning. Drawing on live examples, we’ll demonstrate how existing data from sources like BIM, BMS and CAFM systems can be connected to deliver meaningful insight.
We’ll also explore how to get started, including how to pilot a digital twin quickly and cost-effectively. This is a practical guide to making digital twins work in FM, not just understanding them.

Light, Healthspan and Productivity.

Effective Legionella management is no longer just about compliance, it’s about clarity, accountability, and confidence. This 30 minute session explores the practical challenges faced by property management companies and corporate organisations when managing water safety across complex estates. Drawing on real world experience, it highlights common pitfalls, emerging expectations, and what good looks like in practice. Attendees will gain insight into how clearer oversight, consistent processes, and accessible information can strengthen decision making and reduce risk. The session will also consider how modern water management software can support teams, enhance visibility, and enable continual improvement, without losing sight of professional judgement and people led compliance.

This session explores how AI is reshaping the future of CAFM and what that means for facilities teams on the ground. From automating repetitive admin and speeding up decision-making to improving compliance, maintenance, and operational visibility, AI is quickly moving from buzzword to practical tool. The discussion will cut through the hype and focus on the real opportunities, challenges, and misconceptions surrounding AI in FM. Attendees will gain insight into how AI can support teams without replacing them, what a smarter CAFM system looks like in practice, and how FMs can prepare for the next wave of digital transformation.

Facilities management has a problem. The people who built this profession are retiring, and there aren't enough new ones coming through to replace them. Meanwhile, the job itself is changing fast — digitalisation, hybrid working, and a new set of expectations around health and wellbeing have fundamentally shifted what organisations need from their buildings and the people who run them.

This talk makes the case that experience alone isn't enough anymore. FM needs to position itself as a genuine driver of business performance — and to do that, it needs fresh thinking, new skills, and a generation of people who see things differently.

This session explores the fire safety challenges posed by mass timber construction and presents new research on sprinkler performance and fixings under fire conditions. As exposed CLT and other engineered timber products become more common, traditional sprinkler assumptions no longer ensure effective protection. The session reviews insurance concerns, knowledge gaps, and the need for adapted suppression strategies. It summarises recent PhD research examining sprinkler spray behaviour, ceiling/wall/floor wetting, and the suitability of CUP‑type sprinklers for protecting combustible timber surfaces. Complementary testing on screw fixings in CLT highlights significant strength loss during fire. The findings support updated standards and improved installation methods to enhance the resilience of modern timber buildings.

This session will show how building operators can move from energy auditing to actionable analytics to reduce energy use, carbon emissions and operational cost. Drawing on real project experience, AIS BMS will outline a practical three-step approach: audit building performance, investigate control and HVAC issues, and manage ongoing improvement through data, rules-based analytics and FM workflow integration. Attendees will learn where to start, how to identify savings opportunities, and how smarter controls and performance monitoring can improve comfort, resilience and long-term building efficiency.

Session synopsis: (50 - 125 Words):
Facilities and asset managers are under increasing pressure to maintain compliance, track dispersed assets and ensure contractors complete inspections and maintenance reliably.
This session will introduce ProAstra™, an innovative NFC-powered platform designed to give organisations real-time visibility and give teams control over their assets and service locations. Developed by industry practitioners with more than two decades of frontline operational experience, ProAstra replaces manual processes, such as spreadsheets, with a simple “one tap” digital workflow. With ProAstra there is no barrier to entry and it’s scalable from a small start.

The facilities management sector continues to face significant workforce challenges, from skills shortages and increasing competition for talent to changing candidate expectations and evolving service demands. In this session, Find My Staff will share frontline insights from the FM recruitment market, highlighting the trends shaping hiring across hard and soft services.
Drawing on real-world recruitment experience, we will explore the roles that are proving hardest to fill, what today's FM professionals are looking for from employers, and the common recruitment and retention mistakes that can hinder business growth and service delivery.
Attendees will gain practical advice on attracting, hiring and retaining quality FM talent in a competitive market, along with an outlook on how the FM workforce is expected to evolve over the coming years.