Digital Construction Week 2026: hit the ground running on day one

10am | The three ages of digital construction: Solving the career conundrum

Start your day at the Inspire Stage and join DC+, Digital Rising Star of the Year Emine Taylor-Unlu of Balfour Beatty Vinci, and Asad Vatchha from BAM UK & Ireland, plus James Daniel from HS2, as we debate how to build a career in digital construction, how to make a mark and whether it’s necessary to embrace the squiggly career.

11.30am | Foundation and flow: Correcting the structural misalignment in digital operations

In this session, the Digital Operations Working Group will reveal the overarching logic of its Digital Operations Playbook (on the Digital Operations Stage, naturally).

1.30pm | ISO 19650 revision and the IMI Framework

At the Information Management Exchange, the BSI’s Dan Rossiter, standards author David Churcher and Prof Sarah Davidson from the University of Nottingham will introduce the IMI Framework, outline its content, and provide an overview of the recent and planned changes in line with the 19650 revisions.

2pm | What performance is possible through effective design phase collaboration

Representatives from Laing O’Rourke are joined by fellow heavy-hitters from Aecom, WSP and BDP on the Main Stage. Together, they will explore what impact can be unlocked by embracing digital tools, effective collaboration and robust project management tools during the design phase of projects to improve delivery certainty.

3pm | Would I AI to you?

Get to the Inspire Stage early to guarantee a seat for this one. Based on the TV show Would I Lie to You, Vicki Reynolds from ONE Creative Environments and the BSI’s Dan Rossiter will present each other with AI-related scenarios and attempt to sort fact from fiction!

Following the success of the Crystal Wall at last year’s show – an interactive feature where nearly 140 digital construction professionals wrote their answers to three key questions on the wall – this year, DCW visitors can get involved with the Digital Construction Lab.

The Lab asks show visitors to share their answers to the following questions:

DC+ will analyse the answers and publish its findings in the summer.

There are plenty of names you know among the 150-plus exhibitors, but if you’re open to disruptive technology or you like to be the first to try new technology, head to the Start-Up Village (stand D170). 

DC+ has already highlighted Scopey Onsite, SmartStruct and TrakPro, but there are nearly a dozen startups to talk to.

Once you’re done with the formal networking, you can slip into something less comfortable and conduct some informal networking during the happy hour in the DCW Lounge or enjoy some ‘BIM & tonic’ on the Nemetschek stand, both at the end of day one.

And for those looking to clear the cobwebs after day one, there’s always the penance of a 3km or 5km run before the show starts on day two, led by that-man-again Dan Rossiter and Vicki Reynolds.

Register to attend DCW.

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