To help you plan your professional development budget for 2026, Facilities Dive has compiled a list of top conferences next year for building operations professionals. The list includes major events like NFMT 2026, IFMA World Workplace, the ASHRAE Annual Conference and Realcomm | IBcon, along with specialized events for professionals who manage schools, data centers and healthcare facilities. Leveraging AI in your building systems and securing your property against threats are among the topics to get deep looks next year.
If you’d like to submit an event for the list, please reach out to [email protected]. For details of facilities management events happening through the rest of this year, check out our 2025 conference list.
ASHRAE Winter Conference
Jan 31.-Feb. 4
Las Vegas
ASHRAE brings together industry HVAC, sustainability and facilities management specialists for five days of sessions, technical tours and working groups. Sessions will cover energy conservation, indoor air quality, data center liquid cooling and other topics in facility management and operations.
2026 AHR Expo
Feb. 2-4
Las Vegas
Hosted by ASHRAE and the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, AHR Expo features more than 100 seminars, panel series and product presentations.
RETCON 2026
March 9-11
Las Vegas
Owners, operators, developers, proptech startups and technology and service providers will discuss trends shaping the commercial real estate landscape. Sessions will cover AI, data integration, technology and sustainability, among other topics.
NFMT 2026
March 10-12
Charlotte, North Carolina
Learn from a mix of technical sessions, attendee-driven discussions and expo hall presentations on facilities management. Sessions are expected to cover smart and autonomous buildings, lifecycle data and technology, digital twins, AI-powered maintenance and building envelope assessments.
New York Build Expo
March 18-19
New York City
The largest construction and design show for New York and the tri-state region includes a facilities management track that will address facility planning and design, sustainability, energy management, maintenance strategies, tech integration and regulatory compliance.
DCD Connect
March 23-24
New York City
Join more than 3,500 senior leaders working on North America's largest data center projects to forge partnerships and identify innovative solutions to your core challenges. Hear from 250 data center leaders and 120 exhibitors showcasing the latest in cooling and other technologies critical to data center management.
IFMA Facility Fusion 2026
April 7-9
San Francisco
Hosted by the International Facilities Management Association, sessions will include TED-style talks, learning labs, team-building exercises and networking opportunities. Topics are expected to include human factors in the workplace, tech-enabled offices, data-informed strategies and reaching net zero emissions.
CONNEXFM National Conference
April 19-22
Orlando, Florida
With its focus on multi-site facilities management, sessions will tackle project management, professional development, emerging technologies, sustainability and smart systems.
Data Center World
April 20-23
Washington, D.C.
The largest global gathering of data center solution professionals, sessions will cover the full spectrum of trends and provide an early glimpse of the latest technologies and services shaping the industry.
Cleanmed 2026
May 12-14
St. Louis
Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth have joined together to host this event for healthcare facilities managers. The conference provides a platform for health care leaders to convene on environmentally preferable purchasing, sustainable food strategies, “greening the operating room,” renewable energy and other topics.
Realcomm | IBcon
June 1-4
Savannah, Georgia
The annual “intelligent buildings” event brings together industry leaders at the intersection of real estate and technology. Look for sessions focused on AI, autonomy and talent.
NASFA National Conference & Expo
June 7-10
Austin, Texas
The event is hosted by the National Association of State Facilities Administrators, whose mission is to help its professional members communicate best practices to one another and provide leadership in the development and implementation of state facility administration practices.
NFPA Conference and Expo
June 22-24
Las Vegas
This National Fire Protection Association event provides insights into fire, electrical and life safety. It will address compliance with prevailing codes and standards in the design, construction and operation of buildings and facilities.
ASHRAE Annual Conference
June 27-July 1
Austin, Texas
The five-day conference will provide a mix of technical sessions and committee meetings on HVAC, sustainability and related building management trends. Popular topics include building environmental quality and ventilation, heat pumps, decarbonization, leak detection, thermal energy storage and automation controls. Attendees can also go on technical tours.
APPA 2026 Annual Conference
July 16-18
Washington, D.C.
Connect with more than 400 senior facilities officers and others from K-12 schools, community colleges, universities and industry to discuss cost of ownership, sustainability best practices and workforce development.
ASHE Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference
Aug. 2-5
Minneapolis
The American Society for Health Care Engineering conference focuses on technology and trends that ensure quality patient care. It aims to provide insights on maintaining facilities that are resilient, adaptable and sustainable in the face of changing demands and challenges in healthcare.
IFMA World Workplace
Nov. 18-20
Anaheim, California
The International Facilities Management Association’s annual conference provides career development, vendor demonstrations, one-on-one discussions with FM leaders and networking opportunities. Education sessions in 2025 addressed communications, facility operations, technology & data management, business and finance, leadership and strategies, project management, quality, real estate, risk management, and sustainability.
Editor’s note: Data Center World is hosted by Informa, parent company of Informa TechTarget, of which Facilities Dive is a part. Facilities Dive makes editorial decisions independent of Informa.
