Getting up on stage for the first time is nerve wracking. But there’s so much to be gained from speaking at events like Digital Construction Week. Not only will it boost your confidence, it’s the best way to grow your authority and reputation in an industry.

As part of our call for speakers, we’re encouraging first time speakers to apply to present at Digital Construction Week and share new ideas that will help drive the industry forward.

We asked three speakers who presented at the show previously to tell us what they enjoyed most about the experience and share their advice.

Sofia Stouki, Group Head of GIS at Costain

What did you enjoy most about presenting at DCW?

Presenting at DCW was an invaluable experience. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking in front of an engaged audience comprising of subject matter experts and industry professionals, who had insightful questions at the end of my presentation. These led to very interesting discussions and introductions to professionals who I have stayed in touch with to this day!

What’s your best piece of advice for someone presenting for the first time?

Remember to leave at least five minutes at the end for questions from the audience to conclude your presentation with an engaging discussion.

Andrew Gamblen, Digital Manager at Willmott
Dixon Construction

What did you enjoy most about presenting at DCW?

The friendly atmosphere of those at the event and the engagement from those who attended the presentation. It was great to have a number of people come up to me after my session to ask some further in depth queries and have a discussion about it. The team running the stage were also very good, making it easy to just head to stage and present.

What’s your best piece of advice for someone presenting for the first time?

My advice would be to breathe, speak slowly and have around one slide per minute of presentation where pictures and visuals are used more than text. This really helps get your message across to those listening to your presentation.

Dan Rossiter, Sector Lead for Digital Transformation
at BSI

What did you enjoy most about presenting at DCW?

When presenting at DCW, what I enjoy most is luring audience members. As DCW has several stages running simultaneously, there are people constantly touring the exhibition. It is a great feeling to watch your audience grow as you present, attracting people off of their exhibition tour through poorly executed humour, brightly coloured slides and large text.

What’s your best piece of advice for someone presenting for the first time?

Be confident. Be bold. There will be several other presentations fighting for visitors’ attention too, so you need to make sure yours stands out. Instead of including five slides on your organisation and its relationship with your parent company, immediately jump into your opening gambit. If you start strong you might even convince the audience of the previous presentation to stay! Keeping your content tight with a clear narrative is the best way to present at DCW. That’s the kind of presentation I’d stop to listen to.

Apply to speak at Digital Construction Week

Have you got interesting insights or a fresh perspective to share with the built environment community? Then we want to hear from you!

APPLY  NOW

We’d love you (and anyone you know who you think would make a great speaker) to submit a presentation for this year’s event.

The call for speakers is open until Friday 23 February 2024. To apply, fill out the speaker application form here.

Take a look at our helpful tips for making your session stand out before you apply.