In November, the University and Healthcare Estates and Innovation (UHEI) conference took place in Solihull, and with it being almost on our doorstep a number of colleagues from the University took part. The conference addressed a number of the key issues facing the university and healthcare sectors including sustainability, efficiency, and continuous improvement.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, technology and data were anticipated to be key themes in the majority of presentations and stands, so Estates invited us along to the event to understand what could be in store for IT Services in the coming years.
We were interested in four primary topics:
- Building Information Management (BIM) – how the future of construction and maintenance relies on accurate building data
- Intelligent buildings – the opportunities (and challenges!) that the Internet of Things presents
- Wayfinding and navigation – providing information to users where and when they need it
- Agile working – both in terms of methodology and working practices
Colleagues from the Estates Office presented a number of sessions during the event, sharing their expertise and their experience of building our world class estate. With innovation being a major theme, we were delighted to be invited to take part in a panel session with Matt Beveridge (Estates Innovation Manager) and Rich Draper (Head of BIM and Digital Assets) to discuss how our two departments are working together to innovate. This is great recognition of the working relationship between our two departments!
One of the key topics discussed was the structure of our teams and how essential it is for both Estates and IT departments to have roles focusing on innovation and strategy; it was clear that Birmingham is ahead of the curve for the industry.
If you would like to find out more about what was discussed at the event, please contact either Tim Packwood or Sam Harrow.
Author, Sam Harrow, Business Partnering