Construction Technology Confex KSA 2024 | Ventures Connect

2024 Agenda

23 October 2024

Timings in Arabian Standard Time (AST)

Sultana Ballroom, Crowne Plaza | Riyadh RDC Hotel and Convention Centre

Main Conference & Awards
Conference Hall A+B
9.00 Registration & Networking
10:00 Opening Keynotes
12:00 Networking Break
Conference Track 1
Conference Hall A
Conference Track 2
Conference Hall B
12:30 Productivity & Efficiency Viability and Competitive Edge
14:30 Networking Lunch
15:30 Productivity & Efficiency Climate & Well-being
16:30 Networking Break
17:00 Closing Keynotes
18:30 Awards Networking Reception
19:00 Awards Ceremony & Gala Dinner
20:30 Close
Breakout Briefings & Workshops
Meeting Room 1
8.30 Registration & Networking
9.00 CTF 101 Talks
How to implement digital twins

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13:00 Registration & Networking
14:30 Networking Lunch
15:00 CTF 101 Talks
Building smarter: Data and systems integration

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16:30 Networking Break
Roundtables & Live Experiences
Meeting Room 2
12.30 30-min Executive-Level Hands-on Experience

Discover how digital twin solutions are supporting Giga projects across the ecosystem. See how they consume reality capture technologies (Drones, Laser Scanners, 360 Cameras) in overlay with the design to spot issues, deficiencies and discrepancies to contract specifications, quality conformities and schedule delays.

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15:00 Roundtable discussion: Improve project control and performance through AI powered smart construction

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16.00 30-min Hands-on Experience

Discover how digital twin solutions are supporting Giga projects across the ecosystem. See how they consume reality capture technologies (Drones, Laser Scanners, 360 Cameras) in overlay with the design to spot issues, deficiencies and discrepancies to contract specifications, quality conformities and schedule delays.

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Wednesday, 23 October 2024
CTF 101 Talks: How to implement digital twins

CTF 101 is a special series of talks that take the fundamentals of Construction Technology back to basics and explain how AEC organisations can start from zero.

Meeting room 1
08.30

Registration and networking

How to implement digital twins

Powered by:

Full details and register interest here

09.00

Digital Twins 101

A simple overview and exploration of a Digital Twin and what it means for those working to create the built environment. What is a Digital Twin? What can a Digital Twin do? How does a Digital Twin work? How much does a Digital Twin cost? What is the ROI?

Wissam Hijazi, VP Innovation - MENA, EllisDon

09.15

How to start implementing a Digital Twin

How to build a business case that allows operators to create sustainable impact from the data and respond to its goal. How to start implementing a minimum viable twin through the right analysis, planning, execution, training and change management.

Wissam Hijazi, VP Innovation - MENA, EllisDon

09.30

Lessons learned in Digital Twin implementation

Real-life experiences and lessons learned in implementing Digital Twins across multiple case studies to help avoid costly mistakes and provide realistic expectations on return of investment.

Wissam Hijazi, VP Innovation - MENA, EllisDon

09.45

Close of How to implement digital twins CTF 101 talks

Wednesday, 23 October 2024
09.00

Registration and networking

The Keynotes
Conference Hall A+B
09.45

Opening

Rob Jones, Partner, b2b Connect | Ventures Connect

10.00

CIO | CTO Panel: State of digital adoption 2024 | 2025

This senior group of realists talk candidly on the latest digital maturity in the Kingdom and what has really been adopted as business-as-usual. A recent digital market intelligence report reveals that companies are frequently applying BIM and PMIS on day-to-day projects, but that even for the front runners, drones, robotics, IoT lag far behind. Discover what the industry has invested in and why vs. the distant future, and once applied – what is their next frontier?

Led by:

Dr. Anas Bataw, Chairman of Technology Committee, United Nations, Strategy and Innovation Director, KEO International Consultants

In conversation with:

Amin Aljaber, Chief Information Officer, Nesma & Partners

Anastasios Dimas, Regional Technology Director, AtkinsRéalis

Jayesh Maganlal, Group Chief Information & Digital Officer, ROSHN Group

Richard Abboud, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, AMANA Group

Scott Henshaw, Group Head of Design & Engineering, Red Sea Global

10.40

Panel: Can technology beat the supply chain crunch?

The speed and ambition of the Kingdom’s projects will outpace global supply and lead time of materials and equipment most likely leading to shortages and competition between projects. To achieve Saudi’s vision, all stakeholders must collaborate. How can technology help beat the supply chain crunch by empowering collaboration, efficient sharing of resources as well as provide visibility and predictability on supply chain planning at macro-level to ensure that everybody gets their assets on time.

Led by:

Edward Surgeon, Enterprise Lead, Procore

In conversation with:

Faisal Butt, Group Head of Planning & Controls, Red Sea Global

Hassan Alassafi, GM - Engineering and Construction, National Housing Company

Dr. Mansour Al-Otaibi, ConTech and AI Expert, Saudi Arabia

Theofanis Fanourakis, Digital Design and Delivery Director, Confidential

11.10

Keynote: Smart construction platform for Saudi giga projects

Sherief Elabd, Director of Industry Strategy and Innovation, Oracle Construction and Engineering

CIO Talks

The lack of integration between disparate sources of data in project development and delivery is limiting the true value of ConTech in the industry. Integration between office and site, integration between processes like procurement, contract management, scheduling and claims, and next level integration between applications at organisational level such as marketing, sales and post sales. This inefficiency can lead to poorly substantiated claims, delays in identifying key project issues, and ultimately, unmanaged risks that escalate costs and erode profit margins. This session explores key challenges and success stories from the simple to the market leading that drive certainty and value at organisation level.

11.20

Talk 1: A framework for technology integration across the construction lifecycle

This session explores key challenges and success stories from the simple to the operational readiness across P6, Aconex, BIM 360, Cost Management, SAP, Maximo to drive certainty and value at organization level.

Umashanker Achyutun, Executive Director - Business Applications Design & Delivery, Saudi Entertainment Ventures

11.30

Talk 2: A journey in digital transformation & integration

Ashraf Alameria, Chief Operation Officer, El Seif Engineering Contracting

11.40

Talk 3: Integration success stories that drive organisational efficiency and productivity

Salpie Kechichian, Head of Product Management, WakeCap

11.50

Talk 4: Data integration success stories that drive organisational efficiency and productivity

Integration between C-level executives and project teams, integration between processes like contract management, operations, design management, scheduling and claims is critical to effective decision-making, ensuring project and company success. This session explores key challenges and opportunities, as well as the success stories of contemporary platforms and AI driven solutions that are transforming the industry.

Vladimir Milovanovic, Chief Executive Officer, Lupa Technology

12.00

Morning networking break

Track 1: Productivity & efficiency
Conference hall A
12.30

Navigating digital transformation and change management

Edward Surgeon, Enterprise Lead, Procore

12.40

Panel: Digital twin strategies 2024 | 2025

As the digital twin concept gains maturity, many tier 1 projects in the Kingdom are executing a digital twin strategy. This session reviews the latest digital twin strategy developments in Saudi and use-case scenarios in Saudi Arabia’s mega projects from construction to operations and customer experience.

Led by:

Daniel Pifko, Chief Product Officer, WakeCap Technologies

In conversation with:

Abdullah AlSalem, IT Director, Soudah Development

Aiham Tayar, Regional Digital Lead GIS Strategy, AtkinsRéalis

Amr Saad, MENA Vice-Chair, QSI, Executive Director BIM, Confidential

John Seed, Group Director, Strategy & Development, Dar Al Riyadh Consulting

Short Talks: Journeys in digital twin implementation

Digital twins are the key enabler to achieve efficient, connected and sustainable assets of the future – be it infrastructure, buildings or cities. This session explores real journeys in digital implementation and benefits realisation, across varying assets and scale. How have these early adopters defined and implemented them and what have been the key issues on the road to data integration.

13.10

Talk 1: Value of digitalisation in transport

Andrew Smith, Solutions Executive, Bentley Systems

13.20

Talk 2:

Roger Wahl, Chief Technology Officer, Innovo Group

13.30

Talk 3:

Mohyeddine Al-Khatib, Manager and Senior Consultant, Khatib & Alami

Short Talks: Reality capture and progress tracking for time & quality certainty

13.40

Talk 1:

Zak MacRunnels, CEO, Reconstruct

13.50

Talk 2:

Khader Dastagir, Vice President & Country Head, Shapoorji Pallonji Group

14.00

Talk 3:

Eng. Anas Alshamrani, Senior Director – DevCo Operations, Awj Holding Company

Short Talks: Advanced design visualisation, automation & collaboration

Discover how the latest design approaches can help alleviate manpower shortages, enforce quality and enhance collaboration between internal and external stakeholders and shareholders. Examples include digital twins, immersive virtual and game engine experiences, automation and collaboration platforms. Early and continuous stakeholder collaboration in virtual environments prevents unexpected issues and misalignment in complex projects, saving costly mistakes, delays, with lower risk.

14.10

Talk 1: Avoiding costly surprises with early stakeholder engagement

Rune Vandli, CEO, Vrex

14.20

Talk 2:

Arsen Safaryan, Director BIM & GIS, SEVEN

14.30

Implementation services and best practices

Todd Hay, Consulting Sales Manager Middle East & Africa, Oracle

14.40

Networking lunch

Track 2: Viability & competitive edge
Conference hall B
12.30

Panel: Smart by design - what needs to be in place now for a smart city of the future?

Easy to claim, but complex to achieve. Designing now, for something later, in a rapidly changing technological landscape is a challenge. Smart needs to be the ethos of a truly intelligent, sustainable or cognitive community or district. This panel will explore how to ensure the pieces for a smart city are in place from the concept phase that will deliver value during operation, as well as which city technologies are influencing design.

Led by:

Patrick Sheldon Wee, Vice President, Strategy & Innovation, Confidential

in conversation with:

Abdurrahman Arruhaily, Deputy Director EPMO, Madinah Regional Municipality

Aliuddin Aquil, Chief Engineer Infrastructure, SAUDCONSULT

Ben Edmonds, Director of Smart Cities, King Salman Park Foundation

Mohammed Shah, IT & Smart City Director, Knowledge Economic City Company

Short Talks: Tangible uses in AI

As AI becomes more structured and intuitive, most serious companies are embedding dedicated strategies and budgets to explore and make use of how AI can benefit their business. But what use-cases and values are really being seen at the corporate level? This session delves into real life experiences in AI implementation with benefits realisation and lessons learned.

12.55

AI and BIM enabled cost estimating, a practical approach

Tolis Chatzisymeon, CEO and Co-founder, Nomitech

13.05

AI in schedule optimization & creation

Wissam Hijazi, VP Innovation - MENA, EllisDon

13.15

AI in real estate investment and financial modelling

Michael Slage, Real Estate Development Executive Director, Soudah Development

13.25

AI in construction procurement and tender stages

Abdurrahman Arruhaily, Deputy Director EMPO, Madinah Regional Municipality

13.35

AI in cognitive cities and smart destinations

Ahmad Almontshery, Digital Architecture and Delivery Director, ARDARA

13.45

Panel: What’s real in AI?

With maturity and scalability an issue for AI in the industry – what can really be done with AI (Llm vs. small bespoke interfaces) and how long do these solutions take to be created and trained to bring about good results?

Led by:

Rob Jones, Partner, b2b Connect | Ventures Connect

In conversation with:

Dr. Anas Bataw, Chairman of Technology Committee, UN & Strategy and Innovation Director, KEO International Consultants

Bandar Al Shahrani, Executive Director of Technology, Rua Almadinah Holding Company

Mohammed Shah, IT & Smart City Director, Knowledge Economic City Company

Roger Wahl, Chief Technology Officer, Innovo Group

14.10

Panel: How to connect, integrate and leverage data for competitive edge

How are organisations starting to better leverage engineering data from disparate sources (BIM, GIS, Drones, IOT etc.) so that they are not isolated verticals but part of the bigger picture. This session explores the next steps in connecting and integrating different applications to improve cross-organsational processes and business edge.

Led by:

Christos Emmanouilidis, Chief Customer and Commercial Officer, Danaos Projects Software Solutions

In conversation with:

Andrew Smith, Solutions Executive, Bentley Systems

Reda Bin Abdoun, Information Technology Director, Ajdan Real Estate Development

Rishad Khalid, Associate Director, Digital, AtkinsRéalis

Selim Edde, Associate Director, GIS, ROSHN Group

Shadi Alghanim, Vice President of Information Technology, Al Ayuni Trading & Contracting Co.

14.40

Networking lunch

Track 1: Productivity & efficiency
Conference hall A
15.30

CxO Panel: Making modular mainstream - the business case for offsite methods

Despite the increased talk and excitement around offsite solutions, scratch below the surface and general knowledge and capability in the region, remains thin – with the majority of projects limited to temporary builds. This debate reveals actual benefits to business and when to go offsite and when not.

Led by:

Hassan Alassafi, GM - Engineering and Construction, National Housing Company

In conversation with:

Bandar Alkahlan, General Director: Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Institute, KACST

Graham Petty, Operations Manager, LINQ Modular

Hattan Nazer, VP KSA, AMANA Group

Muntaser Kalahji, President & COO, Shurfah Holding

Rayan Algarawi, Founder & CEO, Arka Modular

16.20

Panel: Hosting data now and in the future – exploring the latest demand & plans for in country data

Understand how to host data now and in the future and the implications on project delivery, data and energy usage. Where can you currently host data and what types of data centres are still required? What are the latest hyperscaler commitments and what makes a market attractive from compliance, technology, incentives & investment perspectives?

Led by:

Alan Coary, Regional Data Centre Lead, Turner & Townsend

In conversation with:

Amr Saad, MENA Vice-Chair, QSI, Executive Director BIM, Confidential

Kristin DeSha, Director of Product Strategy, Oracle

Shadi Alghanim, Vice President of Information Technology, Al Ayuni Trading & Contracting Co.

Zainab Alamin, Vice President, National Digital Transformation, Microsoft

16.55

CxO Panel: Innovation in Saudi giga project delivery

This session explores key digital delivery and innovation needs and initiatives underway in the Kingdom’s Giga projects that are leading to faster, greener and better outcomes. As project demand heats up, how will competing programmes react to planning, resources and supply chain barriers and what kind of technologies/new approaches/solutions will help the kingdom deliver these projects? Which ones are being invested in/pursued and what efficiencies do organisations expect?

Led by:

Ehab Abdo, Chief Delivery Officer, Saudi Downtown Company

In conversation with:

Abdulghafoor Abdulhaleem, Director General, Misk Foundation

Hatem Salaheldin, Chief Executive Officer, KCG

17.35

Close of conference

Track 2: Climate & well-being
Conference hall B
15.30

DesertBoard’s PSB®
Pioneering circular economy in construction

Kamal Farah, Director, DesertBoard (ECC Group)

15.40

Digitally powered construction sustainability

Zakaria Osman, Senior Manager Digital Construction, El Seif Contracting Engineering

15.50

Panel: Extending value and sustainability through smart asset management

This future of asset management panel discussion embarks on astute journeys through the realms of digital infrastructure, showcasing how organizations can leverage predictive data insights through centralised asset management platforms, to unlock the full potential and value of their assets.

Led by:

John Seed, Group Director, Strategy & Development, Dar Al Riyadh Consulting

In conversation with:

Irfan Soneji, Digital & Asset Information Director, AMCL

Junaid Abdussalam, Director of Operation Excellence, City Operations, Emaar the Economic City

Umashanker Achyutun, Executive Director - Business Applications Design & Delivery, Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN)

16.20

Building a digital ecosystem from scratch for cost, time and sustainability

Eng. Khaled Alkolfat, Director, Planning, Cost Control and Performance, Shibh Al Jazira Contracting Company

16.30

Fireside chat: Unlocking construction safety & security through technology

This panel of industry specialists, who are at the forefront of utilising technology to enhance safety and security measures on construction sites, will delve into the innovative technologies available today and how they are being used to monitor, predict and respond to incidents onsite transforming the industry for the better.

Rob Jones, Partner, b2b Connect | Ventures Connect

In conversation with:

Rakenth Thampy, Business Development Manager, Stanley Black & Decker

16.40

Close of conference

18.30

Awards networking reception

19.00

Awards ceremony & gala dinner

20.30

Close of Construction Technology ConFex & Awards KSA

Wednesday, 23 October 2024
CTF 101 Talks: How to implement digital twins

CTF 101 is a special series of talks that take the fundamentals of Construction Technology back to basics and explain how AEC organisations can start from zero.

Meeting room 1
08.30

Registration and networking

How to implement digital twins

Powered by:

Full details and register interest here

09.00

Digital Twins 101

A simple overview and exploration of a Digital Twin and what it means for those working to create the built environment. What is a Digital Twin? What can a Digital Twin do? How does a Digital Twin work? How much does a Digital Twin cost? What is the ROI?

Wissam Hijazi, VP Innovation - MENA, EllisDon

09.15

How to start implementing a Digital Twin

How to build a business case that allows operators to create sustainable impact from the data and respond to its goal. How to start implementing a minimum viable twin through the right analysis, planning, execution, training and change management.

Wissam Hijazi, VP Innovation - MENA, EllisDon

09.30

Lessons learned in Digital Twin implementation

Real-life experiences and lessons learned in implementing Digital Twins across multiple case studies to help avoid costly mistakes and provide realistic expectations on return of investment.

Wissam Hijazi, VP Innovation - MENA, EllisDon

09.45

Close of How to implement digital twins CTF 101 talks