The construction industry’s premier national event, the Future of Construction Summit (FCON), focusing on creating a more progressive, productive and sustainable construction industry and delivering big infrastructure projects, is back for the fourth successful year.
Launched in 2021, FCON has previously been held in Sydney and Melbourne, and has been moved to Brisbane in 2024 in recognition of the “once in a generation” infrastructure boom taking place there where billions are being invested to deliver the 2032 Olympic games and support the ever-growing population.
The need for infrastructure has created new challenges and prospects for contractors, owners and investors in Australia. What are the government infrastructure priorities for the next five years? How can investors help governments build expensive infrastructure projects? Where will the money come from? How is technology revolutionising the way infrastructure is planned, built and maintained?
These questions and more will be covered at the Future of Construction Summit 2024, FCON24, the most respected annual gathering of senior public and private sector leaders from across the Australian infrastructure market. The event connects some of the nation’s leading business, policy and political decision makers ensuring high quality debate.
Each year the program is carefully constructed to provide guests with the opportunity to engage industry leaders from across the nation, as well as international guests.
The first day of the event will start with a government address by Leah Kelly, Deputy Director-General from the Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, Queensland; followed by an update on one of Queensland’s most transformational projects – the Cross River Rail. Spanning 17 construction sites and employing thousands of workers, the Cross River Rail project comprises 10.2km of track, 5.9km of tunnelling, several new stations, and the redevelopment of three others between Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
The Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF) will deliver the ACIF Forecast Briefing on Day 1, which will highlight the projects being funded across Australia and what this means for project owners, constructors, government and the entire industry.
There will also be a construction leaders panel discussion examining the macro trends driving change and opportunity across the construction sector featuring Camilla Drover, Deputy Secretary, Infrastructure and Place for Transport for NSW along with Jason Spears, CEO from CPB Contractors, Louise Adams, Group Chief Operating Officer from Aurecon, Graeme Newton, CEO from Cross River Rail Delivery Authority and Trevor Cooke, CEO, Commercial & General.
In the afternoon, leading Queensland Departments will share updates on the progress of projects being undertaken, the labour required to deliver them, and what the impact will be both for the construction industry and for Queensland.
Achieving a more diverse and inclusive workforce has been the goal of construction companies for some time. Leading figures with responsibility for people and culture, along with key industry associations will discuss how the sector can foster cultural change, encouraging more women, gen Z and Indigenous Australians into construction.
Sustainability will also be a big topic in the first day with Fulton Hogan’s case study on dealing with the Scope 3 data challenge and a comprehensive panel discussion on Net Zero and more sustainable construction practices, with Bouygues Construction Australia, Lendlease, Aurecon, John Holland Group, Infrastructure Sustainability Council and the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council.
Moving towards the second day, the morning program will focus on collaboration and productivity, with an opening international presentation on how innovation and technology plays a fundamental role in developing unique solutions for complex construction projects.
The program will also examine cooperation and how contractors can both partner and compete for the greater good. Considering the complex nature of infrastructure projects and ways to solve the productivity crisis, c-level executives from CIMIC, Richard Crookes, Hansen Yuncken, ADCO Constructions and Helix Legal will discuss how to foster greater industry collaboration and break down internal silos that hinder the impact of technology and compromise projects.
Collaboration and productivity topics will also cover AI, digital twins, prefab modular construction, worksite safety and venture capital’s perspective.
Regarding technology investment and implementation, it is important to look at all the considerations when making a tech investment and the secrets to securing an ROI across multiple projects and stakeholders. The event is bringing in specialists from McConnell Dowell, John Holland, Mirvac and RSGx in a panel discussion and Dean James, Digital Design Manager from Richard Crookes will share a case study on exploring the role digital design is having upon the automation of construction processes.
To wrap up two-days of insights from industry leaders, the conference will focus on digital innovation. Attendees will hear how to create a future ready, agile business that can fully leverage the benefits of digital technology through organisational change management with another panel, McMahon Services’ case study on custom-building a ConTech application and the now famous ConTech Shark Tank, with four leading start-ups who are each delivering solutions to meet the ever-evolving challenges of the construction sector.
For more information and how to register, go to: futureofconstructionsummit.com
The national event will be held in Brisbane on 14-15 May.