FutureBuilt Sessions
Architect. Strategist. Smart Cities visionary. Paul Doherty has spent 40+ years shaping where technology and the built environment collide. Paul is Chairman and CEO of TDG (the digit group, www.thedigitgroupinc.com), a globally renowned and award-winning architect who is one of the world’s most sought after thought leaders, strategists and integrators of process, technology, and business. As seen on The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg TV, acknowledged by CNBC as one of America's Business Titans and reported by Forbes as “Changing the World”, Paul is a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council and a Fellow of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA). Paul's current work is as Chairman of TDG Global Ventures, a Smart City real estate development company that provides financing, design-build and innovative technology solutions around the world. Concurrently, Paul is also the co-founder and producer of the critically acclaimed AEC Hackathon (www.aechackathon.com) that launched at Facebook Headquarters. His past successful ventures include Revit Technologies (Sold to Autodesk 2002), Buzzsaw (Autodesk 2001) and TRIRIGA (IBM 2011). His 2 latest books are “Smart Cities: Reimagining the Urban Experience” published by Quality Press, which has been listed by BuiltWorlds and the Smart Cities World Congress Recommended Reading List and “Unlocking the Metaverse: A Strategic Guide for the Future of the Built Environment”, published by John Wiley & Sons, which rated #1 New Release and an Editor’s Pick on Amazon.com. Paul has recently taken on a role as a General Partner of Blackwater Private Equity (www.blackwaterventures.ky). Paul will lead the analyst and investment committees for Built Environment innovations. Paul also sits on the Board of Directors of the United Nations International Mayors Communication Center, dedicated to the proper implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in urban environments.
Featured Keynote
FROM SMART BUILDINGS TO AUTONOMOUS ASSETS: The Intelligence Layer Transforming the Built Environment
For 30 years, we’ve taught computers to understand buildings. The next era will teach buildings to understand themselves. If smart buildings are about connectivity, autonomous assets are about agency—detecting degradation, understanding consequences, predicting what comes next, recommending or initiating action, and verifying results.
Paul Doherty explores how AI, digital twins, reality capture, IoT, robotics, drones, and autonomous systems are converging to create a new intelligence layer for the built environment. Attendees will explore the journey from Capture → Understand → Predict → Decide → Act and what it means for facility management, asset performance, technology innovation, and investment.
The question is no longer simply, “How smart is your building?” It’s becoming: “When your building begins to understand, what can it do about it?”
Paul Doherty, CSI, CDT, IFMA Fellow, DFC Senior Fellow
President and CEO, TDG - the digit group, inc.
8:00 AM – 8:15 AM
Welcome & Partner Highlights
Kick off FutureBuilt with a look at what is shaping the built environment and how collaboration across the industry can help move it forward. Leaders from our partner organizations will help set the stage for a day focused on technology, data, innovation, and what is coming next. Hear perspectives from:
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Bill Yanek, ConnexFM
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Richard Reyes, ConnexFM & OSCRE International
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Rich Berlin, CDIA
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Kevin Hewitt, ICSC
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Fireside Chat: Technology-Enabled Asset Management Across an Enterprise
What does technology enabled asset management look like across a complex portfolio? This conversation will explore Marriott's approach to asset tagging, equipment data, energy management, and using that information to support operations and long term capital planning. It will also touch on the realities of implementing technology across properties with different owners and priorities.
MODERATORS
Bill Yanek
CEO, ConnexFM
Richard Reyes
VP Digital Strategy, ConnexFM
SPECIAL GUEST
Megan Shea
Sr. Director of Engineering & Facilities, Marriott
10:30 AM – 10:50 AM
Rapid Fire Session: Scaling Innovation
Starts with Data
Innovation may start with a pilot, but scaling it across an enterprise requires a strong data foundation. This session looks at how organizations can build data practices that work across large portfolios while remaining flexible enough to evolve as technology and business needs change.
SPEAKER
Chris Lees
Director of Digital Strategy, OSCRE
11:00 AM – 11:20 AM
Rapid Fire Session: Beyond the Pitch Deck: What Actually Works in the Field
Not every promising technology delivers once it reaches the field. Drawing from real world experience across facility portfolios, this session looks at what is actually delivering operational value, common implementation challenges, and what separates successful technology deployments from those that fall short.
SPEAKER
Derek Neighbors
CTO, Vixxo
11:30 AM – 11:50 AM
Rapid Fire Session: Following the Money: Where Private Equity Is Investing in the Built Environment
Where is investment flowing, and what can that tell us about where the industry is headed? Hear an investor's perspective on the technologies, services, and business models attracting private equity and what those decisions may signal for the future of the built environment.
SPEAKER
Davor Kapelina
CEO, GMG Solutions Group
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Executive Panel: Turning Data into Decisions: What KPIs Actually Matter and How Leading Organizations Put Data to Work
Organizations have more data than ever, but are they using the right data to make better decisions? This executive discussion will explore which KPIs actually matter, how leaders are turning information into action, and real world examples of data driving measurable operational and business outcomes.
MODERATOR
Ian Cameron
Chief Innovation Officer, OSCRE
PANELISTS
Craig Nichols
VP, Design, Construction
& Maintenance, Signet
Maureen Ehrenberg
Executive Managing Director, Strategic Growth & Solution Development, SIREAS
3:05 PM – 3:25 PM
The Business Value of Connected Buildings
Managing multiple facilities is increasingly complex, with rising costs, labor constraints, aging infrastructure, and growing performance expectations. Honeywell Technologies will share how connected building management helps multi-site operators improve visibility, identify issues earlier, and standardize performance across their portfolios. Attendees will learn how connecting building systems, data, and services can drive better decisions, strengthen operations, and demonstrate the broader business value of facilities.
Presented by
Ken Ennis
Multisite Lead, Honeywell Technologies
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Forward Looking: Shopping in the Age of AI
How will physical retail evolve as AI changes the way consumers discover, shop, buy, and interact with brands? This forward looking conversation explores how changing consumer behaviors are influencing stores, facilities, fulfillment, customer experience, and retail destinations. Technology is not replacing physical retail. It is changing what consumers expect from the places and infrastructure that support commerce.
SPEAKER
Kevin Hewitt
Senior Director, New Business Initiatives, ICSC