Call for Speakers 2026
The Buildings Show offers a comprehensive educational program with skill building sessions, workshops, panel discussions and roundtables to equip attendees with knowledge needed to compete in today's evolving market. The sessions will focus on a wide range of design, construction, property management, concrete and masonry, and hard surfaces related issues and best practices for new construction, retrofits, maintenance, and management of all types of buildings.
We would like to invite industry professionals to submit a session topic to be presented in the educational program December 2 - 4, 2026 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. See below the submission guidelines to help you develop a topic for your proposal. The submission deadline is March 23, 2026, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
The full program for 2026 will be available online in June.
Conference Streams and Topics include:
Apartment & Condominium Management
Smart Buildings, Technologies & Innovations
Optimizing Building Performance & Enhancing Net Asset Value
Professional Skills, Strategy & Leadership
Project Design, Planning, Delivery, Mgmt. & Best Practices
Legal, Regulatory & Risk Management
Design Concepts, Health, Wellness & Interiors
Building Envelope Solutions
Sustainable Design, Environment & Higher Performance Buildings
Urban Planning, Design and Strategies
Frequently requested and popular topics include:
Accessible and universal design
Artificial intelligence (AI)
Building case studies
Building condition assessment
Building envelope and science
Building Information Modeling (BIM)
Building operations and management
Developing leadership and professional skills
New construction methods, technologies, and materials
Passive House design
Sustainable design and carbon neutrality
Submission Guidelines:
Topics will be selected based on market trends and current issues. Preference will be given to speakers who can present new and innovative content to a broad audience.
Topics must be educational in content, not commercial or advertorial in nature.
There is no minimum level of title or qualifications for speakers, although most accepted speakers tend to be senior-level professionals.
Panels should have a maximum of 3 speakers and 1 moderator.
Honoraria, airfare, and accommodations will not be covered for speakers.
A title and description are required. Limit of 90 characters. The title should be clear, concise and capture the essence of the session topic in a few words. The description should provide a brief yet comprehensive overview. The description should be in narrative form and between 4-6 sentences. The description is published in the program and is used by attendees in selecting their sessions. It should therefore include current/recent market trends related to your topic, course objectives, learning outcomes, and/or specific skills attendees can expect to gain from attending your session as well as target audience demographics, skill level (beginner, intermediate, advanced), and field(s) of interest.
Review Criteria & Timeline
Review Criteria
NEW FOR 2026 - Submissions will undergo a peer-review process based on the following criteria
Clarity - ensuring the content is presented in a clear and understandable manner;
Relevance - assessing the alignment of the session with the show and audience interests; and
Originality - gauging the uniqueness and innovative aspects of the proposed content.
Expertise - evaluating the speakers' relevant experience, track record of thought leadership, and credentials.
Timeline
March 23, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time – Form submission deadline. All speakers must be confirmed prior to the form submission deadline. Additions or changes to sessions with more than 1 speakers will not be accepted after the deadline.
May 2026 – All primary contacts to be notified of session status - accepted, rejected, or waitlisted.
June 2026 – Session program is published, and attendee registration opens.
October 2026 - Speakers will be automatically registered for the event and receive complimentary registration for their guests
November 2025 – Speaker registration opens.
October 30, 2026 – Deadline for any sessions changes / Deadline for complimentary guest registration
December 2 – 4, 2025 – The Buildings Show
Terms and Conditions
The primary contact is responsible for obtaining consent from and giving consent on behalf of all the speakers as it relates to the terms and conditions of submitting a proposal. By submitting this application, you understand and agree that if chosen to present at The Buildings Show 2025, you will abide by and consent to the following terms and conditions. In order to submit your proposal and in order for it to be considered for The Buildings Show 2025 programming, you MUST CONSENT to EACH AND EVERY term and condition. You will not be able to submit if you do not select each and every term and condition. Some sessions will be professionally recorded and posted on our information sharing portal www.BuildingsCanada.com and/or Streamly. Should your session be selected for recording, the following on-demand permission statement will be applicable to each session speaker: "We will be recording your session in audio and/or video format. Sessions may be made available to attendees and the broader community who have purchased or been granted access rights to view content on our on-demand video content platform (Streamly) for an unlimited period of time. We are offering this extension to meet the information needs of the community (including those who were unable to attend the event) whilst also amplifying your thought leadership. Recordings are only accessible to those who have attended the conference or who have purchased or been granted access rights to view conference presentations or other digital content recorded and uploaded to an on-demand video content platform. Recorded content is in view-only format, with no capacity for download/edit or sharing. By agreeing to speak at the conference you are confirming that the content of your presentation is your own and has not been copied from a third party and that you give us permission to record your participation, make the recording accessible after the event and use your name, likeness and biographic information with the recording and utilize excerpts of the recording or the presentation in any publications published by Informa (we confirm that your personal data will be processed in accordance with applicable data protection laws and in accordance with Informa’s privacy policy). As a speaker you will be given access to the on-demand video content platform." You will not be able to submit a proposal if you do not consent to being recorded. Although you must consent to being recorded, your session may or may not be selected to be recorded. Copyright and Authorship - I have proper authority to use, reproduce and present and represent the course including but not limited to pictures representations, video, photographs, graphics, text, whether copyright is written or not and that these rights to such do not conflict with or infringe on the intellectual property or other rights of any other person or entity. Originality - The Presentation will address the original topics as submitted to or requested by Informa Connect. Informa Connect must approve all changes made to the original topic. Professionalism - I agree to maintain a professional level of presentation in terms of verbal skills and quality of content. Racial, sexual, or otherwise obscene or discriminatory remarks or materials are unacceptable. Informa Connect's Right to Cancel a Session - I consent to Informa Connect retaining the right to cancel my session at any time for any reason, including but not limited to the appearance of a conflict of interest, redundancy of presentations, or need to make the slot available for another speaker. Informa Connect's Right to Distribute a Session - I consent to Informa Connect retaining the right but not the obligation to record, photograph, reprint and distribute the full or a portion of your presentation for marketing purposes. Informa Connect's Right to Make Changes to the Session Title and Description - I consent to Informa Connect's right to make changes to my session title and description. Informa Connect may need to adjust session titles and descriptions to maintain thematic alignment, accurately represent evolving content, and ensure clarity for attendees. Edits also contribute to audience appeal, program coherence, and ultimately enhancing the overall success of the conference.