ERAPPA 2026 – Call for Presentations

Join the Revolution. Shape the Future.

As the host for ERAPPA 2026, the Southern New England Chapter of the Eastern Region of APPA invites you to submit a proposal to be considered for presentation at the ERAPPA Annual Meeting & Exhibit in Providence, RI from September 20, 2026, through September 23, 2026. These presentations will form the core of our educational program on September 21^st and 22^nd providing a platform for sharing knowledge and expertise.

Audience
Our conference attracts approximately 500 attendees, including facility managers, from educational institutions throughout the northeastern United States and eastern Canada, as well as business partners supporting the APPA mission. We seek presentation ideas that cater to the needs of both our U.S. and Canadian members.

Theme

Inspired by the fearless curiosity of Benjamin Franklin, this year’s conference theme is “REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS”, and we are calling on thought leaders, change agents, and hands-on innovators to lead a revolution in campus facilities. In a time of accelerating disruption, our institutions need not just solutions — but bold, actionable ideas that challenge the status quo.  The ERAPPA 2026 professional development series has been designed to spark cutting-edge discussions and deliver value to facilities professionals across every level — from strategic planning to daily operations.

Potential Topics/Areas of Interest

We invite passionate presenters to share transformative approaches, emerging technologies, field-tested lessons, and bold successes — or even failures — that inspire meaningful action aligned with our conference theme of “REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS”. Bring your best ideas, forward-thinking case studies, and candid reflections. We especially encourage creative, engaging presentation formats that spark discussion and stimulate revolutionary thinking.

1. Revolution in Action: Pioneering New Frontiers in Maintenance and Operations

Today’s operations teams are no longer just maintainers — they are inventors, first responders, and futurists. This track is about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in maintenance and operations with smart systems, innovative training, and future-focused thinking.

This track explores the radical transformation of maintenance and operations through technology, workforce development, and strategic innovation.

• Automation in Action: How Roombas, drones, and autonomous tech are redefining daily operations — from floor cleaning to aerial inspections.
• Strategic Storytelling with Data: Using Facilities Condition Assessments and benchmarking tools to build persuasive, fundable business cases.
• FCI/SCI as Power Tools: Using data to drive funding, investment, and accountability.

• Next-Gen Emergency Response: Advanced strategies for protecting critical infrastructure in real time and during crises.
• The Human Element: Futureproofing maintenance teams with skills development for a tech-augmented world.
• From Reactive to Predictive: Cost-effective ways to implement IoT and AI for predictive maintenance and continuous condition monitoring.
• Supervisory Success Models: Empowering supervisors and emerging leaders to lead with confidence — blending emotional intelligence, mentorship, and strategic decision-making to inspire high-performing teams.

2. Leading the Charge: Visionary Leadership: Turning Bold ideas into Tangible Results

Today’s facilities leaders are being called to do more than manage change — they are tasked with inspiring innovation, fostering inclusivity, and boldly shaping the future of our institutions.  

Facilities leaders must do more than manage change — they must champion it. This track focuses on leadership that inspires innovation, builds inclusive teams, and reshapes institutions to meet the future with confidence. What skills, technologies, or leadership approaches will facilities teams need by 2030 — and how do we start preparing for them now.

• Sparking visionary change: Inspiring bold thinking and building momentum for long-term transformation across facilities teams.
• Failing Forward: Real stories of leadership missteps and what they taught us about agility, accountability, and innovation.

• Managing Up: Proven tactics to increase executive-level support for essential facilities funding and priorities.

• Inclusive Innovation: Cultivating diverse, high-performing teams that lead with equity, creativity, and purpose.

• Leadership Roundtables: Interactive sessions for leaders to share strategies, challenges, and real-time problem solving.

• Outside-In Thinking: Explore how lessons from corporate, healthcare, and startup sectors can help facilities leaders engage stakeholders, shape the future, and drive campus innovation.

3. Constructing Freedom: Design and Building for Tomorrow

This track explores the freedom to design smarter, more adaptable, and more sustainable campuses — using innovative financing, future-ready materials, and resilient systems.

• Using Other people’s money: Creative financing through public-private partnerships (P3) to bring major projects to life off-book.
• Futureproofing Facilities: Designing flexible campus and mechanical spaces ready to support adaptive uses and next-gen systems (from electric to hydrogen).
• Revolutionary Renovations: Modernizing historic spaces without losing their soul.
• Zero Carbon Campuses: Applying cutting-edge strategies — like mass timber and electrification — to achieve carbon neutrality.
• Beyond the Building: Integrating green space, smart technology, and wellness design into campus master planning to boost enrollment and student success.
• Cost-Effective Delivery Models: Exploring options to offset the cost and impacts of tariffs, long lead items, and project delivery methods that maximize capital efficiency.

4. The Digital Tea Party – Technology and Change

Technology is shaking up every aspect of facilities work — and this track is your invitation to join the revolution. Explore what it means to not just adopt but truly adapt and lead with technology.

• Technological literacy: Building organizational literacy and leveraging tech-savvy staff to champion digital adoption.
• The quick search: using technology to organize decades of information and analyze historic data to predict future construction costs, logistics schedule.  
• Institutional Memory, Modernized: Systems and techniques for capturing and converting institutional knowledge into searchable, usable digital tools.
• AI in Action: Real-world applications of AI to prioritize capital planning, predict failures, and streamline operations.
• Cybersecure Campuses: Creating resilient digital infrastructures to protect both systems and physical spaces.

5. Lightning Strikes: Sustainable Innovation for a Better Future

Sustainability isn’t just a goal — it’s a launchpad for innovation, resilience, and long-term freedom. This track seeks bold approaches to energy, climate, and campus-wide stewardship.

• New Frontiers in Energy: Planning and implementing microgrids, BESS, geothermal, and electrification as part of a strategic decarbonization roadmap
• Paying it forward: Funding strategies, cost-saving innovations, and energy master plans that are both visionary and fundable. 
• Energy Consumption Challenge: Driving cultural change to align everyday campus operations with long-term sustainability goals.
• Beyond FCI Basics: Using facility condition indexes and sophisticated reporting to shape investment decisions, unlock deferred maintenance funds, and identify gaps across aging campuses.
• Disruptive Sustainability: Creative, low-cost solutions that radically reduce energy and resource use.
• Radical Resilience: Designing for climate adaptation, extreme weather, and a more unpredictable future.

The ERAPPA 2026 Host Committee also encourages submissions on other timely and relevant topics that offer value to attendees, focusing on the latest technology, policies, procedures, and best practices. Participation from both business partners and their respective institutional clients that offer a collaborative “lessons learned” approach are encouraged.

Selection Process
Presentation opportunities are open to ERAPPA member institutions and business partners collaborating with member institutions. Joint presentations are particularly encouraged to highlight successful partnerships. All presentations must be non-proprietary and free of specific product or service endorsements.

The Professional Development Committee will evaluate each submission based on:

• Relevance to the conference theme
• Timeliness and interest
• Innovation
• Presenter qualifications
• Degree of institutional involvement

Preference may be given to presentations featuring institutions local or regional to the conference location.

Presentation Requirements

• Educational sessions are 60 minutes in length, including time for questions and discussion.
• Presentations must use the standard ERAPPA PowerPoint template.
• Presentations are subject to review and approval prior to the conference.
• Presenters are expected to register for the conference.
• This conference is fully in-person; no virtual sessions will be held.
• The Committee seeks innovative and engaging presentation techniques to enhance the attendee experience.

Learning Units and Professional Development Credits

Attendees may seek presentations for personal interest or earn continuing education credits in various disciplines (e.g., AIA credits). Presentations offering such credits should indicate this in the submission form. For high-quality presentations without official certification, the ERAPPA Professional Development Committee can assist in the certification process. ERAPPA is a registered AIA/CES provider.

Please provide the following:

• Contact person and contact information for future correspondence, if different from the presenters
• At minimum, 4 Learning outcomes.

The deadline for submission is January 9, 2026.

Notifications of selected presenters will be made in April 2026. 

• Questions may be directed to The ERAPPA 2026 Professional Development Committee:
  • Jean Robinson – Jean_Robinson@uml.edu
  • Carolyn Compot – ccampot@bond-building.com
  • Karl Calvo – khcalvo@uri.edu

We look forward to receiving your submissions!

Submitting
Submissions will only be accepted online at: