ROSEMONT, IL — The Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, was recently the hub for architecture, engineering and construction industry professionals who gathered for the inaugural AEC BuildTech Conference & Expo. The Conference & Expo, produced by BNP Media, attracted 1,400 registrants and 115 exhibiting companies who showcased the latest products and technologies in building design and construction.

"We thank our exhibitors, sponsors, speakers, attendees, media partners, supporting organizations and partners who helped us launch this first-time event," said Scott Wolters, Chief Events Officer of BNP Media. "Working with our media partners, we were able to bring together six elements of the construction industry — plumbing, HVACR/mechanical systems, flooring, building envelope, roofing and general contracting professionals to learn from industry experts, earn continuing education credits, see new products and network."

Two leaders in the industry delivered keynote addresses. Steve Jones, Senior Director of Industry Insights Research at Dodge Data & Analytics, spoke about key trends transforming the global construction industry and the importance of collaboration among the different segments of the industry. Antony Wood, Chief Executive Officer of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, spoke about the future sustainability of vertical cities and provided the audience with statistics on the evolution of this industry segment. 

"Steve and Antony both brought a fresh perspective and insight on the future of our industry to our attendees and shared with them important information that truly got everyone thinking," said Scott Seltz, Publisher, BNP Media. "Keynotes are supposed to be inspiring, and both Steve and Antony delivered on that notion."

The conference program had over 50 sessions with a faculty of speakers, including subject matter experts from many leading organizations and associations. Attendees discovered information on new technologies, applications and policies affecting the build process and were able to receive continuing education credits from the AIA, IACET, IIBEC, AIBD, AIC, PDHengineer and BOMI International.

The expo hall opened with a welcome reception where attendees were able to meet with the exhibitors including platinum sponsors Oracle Construction and Engineering and Procore; gold sponsor Autodesk; silver sponsor CMiC; and bronze sponsor Mestek Machinery. Also in the exhibit hall was a theater where four presentations led by executives from Oracle, TAMLYN, Goodman and Trimble were broadcast live.

The 2020 AEC BuildTech Conference & Expo will be held April 21-23 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. For more information go to AECBuildTech.com. To learn about exhibiting and sponsorships, go to aecbuildtech.com/Become-an-Exhibitor.