Thoughts from Peter Foster about Dalux Summit 2022

In the months of October to December the industry seems to want to cram in as many events as possible, which makes it hard to attend the ones you want to and do your daily job. So, finding the right events to aide in your business and personal growth is key. Last week I attended the Dalux summit and wanted to provide an overview of the event, so next year you may want to attend yourself!

An Introduction to Dalux

Dalux is “A User-friendly, mobile BIM software for Construction and Facility Management’. At Exyte Hargreaves we use this solution as the core backbone to our business processes:

• We use the Box module for our document storage and processes;
• The Field module for our digital workflows and main communication routes;
• The Location module for our ways of interacting with the 3D models;
• Finally, the Tender module to assist in the supply chain procurement process

Each of these modules has a lot of functionality, I will write about these in future posts.

Priorities at Dalux Summit 2022

My main reasons to attend the event were:

1. Meet other Dalux users and share stories, both good and bad, on implementation and use
2. See the development roadmap in its current state, knowing that these things can change of course
3. Let everyone know who took the time to attend my presentation about the great things we are doing at Exyte Hargreaves (EHL)

And all three reasons were a massive success as outcomes at the event.

Reason #1 was my core reason for attending, and the networking evening events combined with discussions in the Hall and the presentations that occurred gave me a wealth of knowledge and contacts and ideas for improving our use of Dalux and ways of working. This knowledge and the contacts made will pave way for our next year of digital use of Dalux and the ongoing transformation within EHL. For this reason alone the attendance to the Dalux summit is worth the cost, I’ve attended many events and spoke to lots of people through the years and I can honestly say it is so rare to meet a large number of attendees who are all really positive about the solution (in this instance) and are so willing to share not just the ‘Why’ that is often the agenda at events, but also the ‘How’

Those who know me personally know I get quite jaded with a number of events and those who present at them as they very rarely speak about the ‘How’ and that is what is important to me, and in turn EHL. So, attending an event like the Dalux summit was a breath of fresh air and I left the event feeling energised and full of plans for 2023.

Reason #2 was a follow up to #1. In that no software can do everything, and user demands, and improvements are a critical aspect both within EHL and with Dalux themselves.

A large number of developer goals were discussed, and nearly all of them will have a positive impact on EHL and our use of Dalux, and thus our business efficiency. As my team within EHL are also responsible for user help desk aspects, which includes asking for quality of life improvements of Dalux and wish list needs, this roadmap will enable us to respond to the business and the users in a positive manner as the updates are released, and of course not all of our wishes have been solved, but it certainly has the vision and goals within the development plans to ensure that we can have a positive quality of life impact on our teams.

Finally, Reason #3 was more of a personal reason to me , and EHL as a business. Having the opportunity to speak about the reasons why we chose Dalux, our implementation strategy and provide an example of a ‘How’ was a great opportunity, and I am thankful to the Dalux team for giving me this chance. While few questions occurred in the room after the presentation itself (I think there were 6 questions from memory) I had several people grab me during the rest of the day to discuss, ask questions, and share knowledge on their behalf on the topics I raised.

But what also occurred was a growth in my network of Dalux users, and I hope that we all do stick to our commitments to keep in touch and share going forward.

A Summit Summary

To sum the event up I would say I went with no expectations and came away with a positive vibe to my plans for continuation of the digital roadmap at EHL, and a connection to many people and businesses that I hope will provide benefit to all over the coming years. So, when the next event comes along, either locally in your country, or at the next Summit next year, I hope to see anyone who is reading this there and they come up to me to say Hi and have a chat. No-one can do their digital journey alone, and positive events where actual ‘How” discussions occur are like hitting the jackpot.

Hope to see you all in the future, and if you wish to ask questions / connect then please do either through my EHL LinkedIn profile.