I enjoyed an insightful and inspiring 1.5 days at NexusCon in Denver. Met a lot of genuine, down to earth leaders in our industry and felt a spirit of collaboration and mutual support throughout the conference. I attended 3 seminars and a good number of product demos on Tuesday. I was bummed to miss several interesting talks on the last day, but here are some of the top takeaways I jotted down on my flight home to NYC.
- Focus on the outcome, not the tech. The most successful people in this industry don’t lead with technology—they lead with the outcomes it delivers.Tech for the sake of tech isn’t the answer; it’s about how that tech can drive results like energy efficiency, tenant experience, or operational ease — and what that feels like for the end-user.
- "Use cases" everywhere. Everyone is talking about use cases for commercial real estate, but I overheard the team at Goldman Sachs say a lot of them are just recycled. Innovation means thinking beyond what's already been done. What unique problems can your tech solve for your unique client?
- AI meets building management. We’re starting to see real-world examples of AI in smart buildings. How long before facility managers are having full conversations with their BMS (building management systems) to get real-time insights and make decisions on the fly?
- **It’s all about energy conservation and carbon reduction. 95% of what I saw at NexusCon was geared toward sustainability—whether it was hardware, software, or FDD (fault detection and diagnostics). You can’t reduce what you don’t measure, so the focus on precise data collection was everywhere.
- Occupancy sensors & integration. It’s exciting to see occupancy sensors that do more than just track desk availability—they can now track mobile assets like shared equipment to make sure TV carts or other key tools are where they’re supposed to be. This level of real-time data helps keep operations efficient. The smart building ecosystem is evolving to be more proactive and responsive.
- Tech’s biggest challenge: trust. Startups and small tech companies are bringing great ideas to the market, but the question remains—will they be here long enough to earn trust? No one wants to invest in tech that might not last.
- Frustration with legacy BMS players. Closed systems from the big names—JCI, Honeywell, Siemens—are still a sticking point. We need more open systems for real innovation.
- Pick a lane. If you want to grow in the smart buildings industry, you have to be clear on what you do best and stick to it. For Techmenity, that’s designing and implementing the Digital Foundation™. The result is a building or space that’s secure, easy to manage, adapt, and update. For the other project teams, having this detailed technology plan allows each trade to focus on their specialization and ensures the property is equipped to meet the needs of today’s tenants and tomorrow’s technology.
