Your tech team’s Guide to Groundbreak
Remember when “construction tech” meant greasing your pneumatic impact hammer? No, you don’t. In fact, you don’t know an impact hammer from a cheese soufflé. But that’s okay. Some of us are equally clueless about what you do. I mean, Binary Large Object?
You are the new Construction Tech guru. No, you wouldn’t be easily confused with a GC. You think “joist” is a medieval duel between knights, and that “shoring” is the rest period that follows surfing. What you do know is how to augment art, muscle, and spirit—the grand construction practices—with brilliant work-saving digital technologies that are making construction safer, leaner, and more profitable. Thank you!
You can walk a PM through an immersive and insanely detailed virtual build. You can teach a drone to inspect thermal leaks near the top of a glass tower that once would have required a hardhat, a harness and a prayer. You can teach a roaming ‘bot to patrol the jobsite after hours. What your tech savvy is doing for the construction industry is almost inconceivable. So thanks. Just...you know...don’t let it go to your head.
Groundbreak. Class Time Your Way.
And now here comes Procore’s much-anticipated annual Groundbreak Construction Technology Conference 2019. You’ve heard of Procore? We join the field and office, the GC and the software developer, the steel-toe boot…and whatever that goofy shoe is you’re wearing. Naw, looks really good. Groundbreak is where your people and our people gather once a year to talk “latest construction technology”, converse excitedly in bustling innovation labs, and stare at emergent tech brilliance.
We’re talking 80 breakout sessions— all approved for continuing education units (CEUs) by construction organizations (excluding Procore product trainings), and a sprawling candy shop called the Partner Pavilion, where you are invited to check the wares and look under the hoods of Procore’s indescribably varied Integration Partners. Groundbreak is lots of networking and enthusiasm and technological ideation (a real word), and maybe a quiet evening by lamplight in the heart of a beautiful desert city. If you prefer to unwind under a swirling disco ball, that has also been arranged. You in?
Here are a few of the Breakout Sessions Procore has prepared especially for you and your construction tech team at Groundbreak.
Notable Tech Team Breakout Sessions
Mindset 4.0: Think Automated
Subject: Construction Automation Advances
Tuesday October 8
1:30PM
You're already aware of automation in your life, ("Alexa, turn on the lights"), but automation in the construction industry may not be as obvious––yet. Connected devices and automated flows and integrations are all going to be a huge part of our industry. And what's the first thing you need to do to prepare? Adjust your mindset. Without the right mindset, these tools of the future will be underutilized.
In this session, you'll learn how to have a Mindset 4.0––an understanding of what kinds of tools are coming in this 4th industrial revolution, and how to develop the skills you'll need to use those tools.
Speaker:
- Hitesh Dewan, Director of Technology Integration, Roebbelen Contracting Inc.
Bringing BIM to the Field: Reduce Rework with Technology
Subject: Building Information Technology and Reduced Project Surprises
Tuesday October 8
1:30PM
Learn how to connect the office to the jobsite by empowering your team to view and share the latest 2D or 3D documents while freeing up time, increasing productivity, and reducing rework.
Speakers:
- Steve Jones, Senior Director, Industry Insights Research, Dodge Data & Analytics
- Noah Evans, Virtual Construction Coordinator, Harrell-Fish
Driving ROI with Technology in the Low-Margin Business of Construction
Subject: Construction Technology as a Margin-Widener
Wednesday October 9
11:30AM
It’s easy to get distracted by the cool factor of upcoming technologies like lasers, drones, 3D printing, and AI, while forgetting about the immediate ROI that can be gained by adopting new technology in the building process.
As an industry we must come to grips with the low margin business that we’ve created, and acknowledge that we can do something about it through people, process, and technology adoption. In this session, we’ll review many of the technologies that can be adopted to transform companies and dramatically impact the bottom line.
Speakers:
- James Benham, CEO, JBKnowledge
Security State of the Union
Subject: Cyber Security Discussion by Leading ENR Techies
Wednesday October 9
11:30AM
This round table discussion will feature CIOs from leading ENR construction firms, moderated by Mike Hanson, Procore’s CIO/CISO. The conversation will explore the cyber threats and attacks being experienced in the construction industry and sector in general.
Speakers:
- Michael Hanson, CIO, Procore
- Justin McFarland, VP of IT, McCarthy
- Jason Kasch, CIO, Structural Technologies
Inspiring a Shared Vision
Subject: Leading Through Shared Aspirations
Thursday October 10
9AM
You can make a difference in your company, but you can't do it alone. Learn how the most successful leaders mobilize others through shared aspirations to drive results.
Speaker:
- KJ Jenison, Manager of Global Leadership Development, Procore
Your Groundbreak
What’s in it for you? Oh, you know... High-octane networking, a first-look at vanguard construction technology, and a menu of breakout sessions that’ll send you home with new knowledge and an actionable competitive edge. Not to mention the Groundbreak perks—social events, dancefloor madness under swirling colored lights (we won’t post your dance moves if you don’t post ours), and in Phoenix this year, a beautiful and celebrated downtown that is yours for the taking. And the color of a desert sunset. Ever seen one?
We’re looking forward to hosting you and your team at Groundbreak 2019. It’s an experience you won’t forget—a bunch of information and celebration that’ll charge your battery, and in the company of colleagues whose mission you share. Your…project…will thank you. And so will we. You ARE Procore.
