Case study: prefabAUS Offsite 2024
Demand for offsite construction, or modern methods of construction (MMC), is expected to grow significantly. Particularly, following the Australian government’s announcement of their target to build 1.2 million new homes by 2029!
prefabAUS – the peak body for Australia’s off-site construction industry released its Prefabrication Industry Roadmap to 2033 which also drove the theme and agenda of their annual conference, produced by JTPM in 2024.
More than 200 delegates representing more than 130 companies and organisations from every Australian state (plus the ACT) came together for Offsite 2024: prefabAUS Roadmap to 2033 in Sydney, on 28 – 29 August 2024.
A key event for professionals in the prefabrication and offsite construction sectors, this event brings together industry leaders, innovators, experts, and government representatives to discuss the latest advancements and opportunities in the field.
This year’s conference also saw the inaugural Smart Building Industry Awards (SBIA) held at the conclusion of Day 1, to showcase and celebrate the excellence, innovation and sustainable practices of Australia’s prefabricated building industry.
Here’s a brief rundown of what happened!
Venue:
Located in Bicentennial Park, Sydney Olympic Park, Waterview boasts floor-to-ceiling windows and space for 200 delegates and up to 20 exhibitors.
The venue is a 15-minute drive from Sydney CBD via WestConnex, 18km from Sydney Airport and a 10-minute walk from Concord West or Olympic Park Train Stations. Free all-day parking was available onsite for Offsite 2024 delegates (permits were collected from the Registration Desk).
prefabAUS secured the entire ground floor and JTPM worked closely with the venue teams, including catering and AV, in the lead up and on the day. Spaces we utilised included:
- Park Room
- Welcome Reception
- Exhibition Space
- Catering Station
- Lake Room
- Plenary Sessions
- Panel Discussions
- Additional Spaces & Activations:
- Registration area – BlueScope exhibit
- Terrace – BlueScope Coffee Cart
- Outdoors – Tiny House location
SBIA Venue:
Set in a sleek tower overlooking Accor stadium, the Novotel hotel is a 2-minute walk from Olympic Park train station, and less than a 10-minute drive from the Conference venue.
The Freshwater Ballroom is an expansive space drenched in an abundance of natural light, offering sweeping views of Cathy Freeman Park from the balcony. Spaces we utilised included:
- Foyer
- Registration
- Canapés
- Bar
- DJ
- Media Wall
- Networking
- Freshwater Ballroom
- Awards formalities
Conference overview and highlights – courtesy of prefabAUS:
- Day One – Wednesday 28 August
Setting the scene on Day One was Keynote presenter Trudi Sully from Mott MacDonald (UK), who took the delegates on a global journey to industrialised construction – a term that’s been gaining great momentum in the last few months alone.Following Trudi, a deep dive into what the industry requires to be able to truly contribute to the housing sector with insights from Lance Worrall, Gerard de Valence, Dr Michael Fotheringham and Chris Knierim.Following lunch, the technical with a CPD session was led by Dino Vrynios with presentations diving into every aspect of DfMA-D with Enza Angelucci, Nick Hewson, Pete Morrison, Travis Yap, Cameron Kaufman and Simon McCarthy! - Day Two – Thursday 29 August
There wasn’t a spare seat on the morning of Day Two, as David Chandler OAM and Gary Rake took to the stage and their presentations and Q&A did not disappoint. David reminded the industry repeatedly of its obligations to the end consumer while Gary spoke of the ways in which the ABCB is working to improve confidence in the offsite construction industry – while ensuring that the highest standards continue to be met.An insightful panel discussion with Paul David, Hutchinson Builders and Terry Tsapaliaris, Sarah Constructions exploring the reasons these traditional building companies began modular businesses, how it’s going and what they have learned along the way. An interactive session run by Homes NSW (Scott Hearne and Alisha Filmer) followed and attendees were able to contribute on the topics of Building the Industry and the Journey to Adoption.The event closed out with New South Wales, Victorian and Queensland state governments presenting on their different approaches to supporting the burgeoning MMC industry and Siddhesh Godbole presenting the latest research into market size that prefabAUS is undertaking.
- The inaugural Smart Building Industry Awards
Nominees, industry participants and special guests gathered at the Novotel Sydney Olympic Park for the cocktail event to celebrate the presentation of the inaugural Smart Building Industry Awards.Over forty nominations were received across the nine categories. Congratulations to the winners on their fantastic achievements and a special acknowledgement to the high-quality entries received from all nominees. - The Autodesk Challenge Cup
This annual team challenge is designed to discover the next generation of young built environment design professionals, to help propel the industry into an innovative future.This year’s Challenge Cup competition explored how “smart” building practices could be used to create an architectural intervention that supports real intergenerational connections in built environment programmes, beyond mere colocation strategies.The finalist team captains were invited to present their ideas at Offsite 2024 before the Cup was awarded to the winning team.Watch the video here
EVENT FAST FACTS:
prefabAUS Offsite 2024
- Dates: 28 – 29 August 2024
- Format: In person
- Location: Waterview Bicentennial Park, Sydney Olympic Park
- Registered attendees: 207 attendees
- Speakers & presenters: 30
- Event Partners: 6
- Exhibitors: 12
- Program highlights: 1 keynote, 20+ sessions, 3 panel discussions and more
- Website: www.prefabaus.org.au/offsite-2024
Inaugural – Smart Building Industry Awards
- Dates: 28 August 2024
- Format: In person
- Location: NOVOTEL, Sydney Olympic Park
- Registered attendees: 96 attendees
- Winners: 10 awards and trophies
- Website: www.prefabaus.org.au/smart-building-industry-awards
What’s next?
As we always say, the end of an event is just the beginning of new possibilities and opportunities…
With leading brand exhibitors and key industry partners keen to return in 2025, we recommend locking in a venue and date as soon as possible, to keep up the momentum, develop those professional relationships further and begin working together to make Offsite 2025 bigger and better than ever! We also look forward to the expansion of the SBIA program to attract more entrants and attendees in 2025.
Are you ready for 2025? Do you run a major event or Conference that helps bring about innovation, impactful change and leave the world a better place?
Book an event discovery and design session and get ready to make your 2025 events the most extraordinary and impactful yet!
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