#AECTechCon, Low-Code & AI, Oh My!

Last week, I finally attended my first #AECTechCon on May 7 and 8 at the St. Charles Convention Center in St. Charles, MO, just outside St. Louis. This event had been on my radar for a while, and it did not disappoint. It offered a solid mix of learning and knowledge sharing around AEC tech, plus a strong expo hall. The usual suspects were there, along with some standout locals and a few new-to-me gems (you really need to check out iPlanTables).

The keynotes were strong, the cornhole tournament was chaotic in the best way, and the schedule left room to network or catch your breath after a long day of sessions, booth duty, or both.

Keep reading for a look at my session from the conference and why I think this one belongs on your 2026 must-attend list.

AECTechCon started as the AGCMO event, the regional yearly gathering hosted by the Associated General Contractors of Missouri. What began just over ten years ago with 75 attendees has grown steadily. This year, it hit a new milestone with nearly 500 attendees, making it the biggest one yet.

If you have attended BILT events before, you know there is something comforting about that ~500 attendee mark. It is big enough to attract solid exhibitors and strong speakers, but still small enough to easily find both old friends and new ones. Plus, let’s be honest, the catering is usually better when they are not trying to feed thousands at once.

We can’t forget the networking. The conference was set up with at least 20 minutes between sessions, which gave attendees time to head over to the expo hall, grab a snack or drink, and say hi to the exhibitors. It also meant that, as a speaker, you had enough time to get set up for your session without needing to rush the previous speaker out if they were still answering questions.

The “Happy Hour,” which actually lasted two hours, was a blast. It gave people a chance to network, visit more booths, and enjoy an adult beverage or two if they felt like it. IMAGINiT also sponsored a cornhole tournament that ended up being the hit of the evening, pulling in a big crowd of both players and spectators.

Unlike some conferences that wrap up with a big final-night event, this shorter networking session gave everyone time to unwind, catch up with friends from the industry, or do some low-key team bonding. You did not feel like you were missing anything by keeping it chill. It felt like the best of both worlds and probably helped keep the cost down too, which is always a bonus.

Image credits to Shawn Foster

Personally, I had the chance to present two sessions on the first day of AECTechCon. I still enjoy speaking, and when I get to talk about new technology or geeky workflows to people who love geeking out on the same stuff, it’s just awesome.

My first session was an updated version of a talk I gave at #BILTANZ 2024 in Melbourne, Australia, back in September. “The Power of Low-Code Automation” isn’t about turning you into a programmer, it’s about giving you practical info, resources, and tips to help you squeeze more data, functionality, or interoperability out of your BIM workflows using low- or no-code tools.

If you missed the session, you can check out the presentation and some extra resources HERE

You can also watch the “dry run” I recorded while practicing for the real deal, delivered on May 7 in St. Louis (well, technically St. Charles).

My second session was on AI, which, as you can imagine, is red hot in AEC right now. It was a standing-room-only crowd with lots of great questions and solid interaction at the end of the presentation.

My session, “The AI Advantage: Tools, Techniques, and Truths,” focused on practical AI applications for professionals using innovative tools and the “AI Sandwich” technique. The goal was to help overcome adoption challenges and drive real-world success, no matter your level of AI experience.

Image credit to the BIMsider (yes my selfie game needs work)

If you missed the session, you can check out the presentation and some extra resources, including helpful AI prompts, HERE

You can also watch the “dry run” I recorded as practice for this session, delivered on afternoon of May 7 in St. Louis (well, technically St. Charles).

So in conclusion, I really enjoyed AECTechCon. I got to catch up with many of my BIM conference buddies and even met a few from the online world in real life for the first time, which is always a highlight. (Great to finally catch up in person, Brian and Tom!) There were some excellent sessions from folks like Melanie Stone, Rob McKinney, Cindy Baldwin, Dalton Goodwin, Micah Gray, and Brian Myers, just to name a few.

Being in St. Louis made it easy to get to from just about anywhere. Maybe not Vegas easy, but pretty close.

To bring this unexpectedly long “short post” to a close, I’d highly recommend finding your way to AECTechCon next year.

Big thanks to Matthew Halveland for constantly reminding me about this event and making sure I finally showed up!

Until next time, keep learning and start plotting your 2026 conference game plan!