Agenda
Each year at the Housing Technology Conference, we have a full agenda of over 36 talks from leading experts and IT partners in our sector. We're currently building our agenda for 2025. To give you an idea, please download our agenda from 2024.
Tuesday 5th March
Registration Open
If you are joining us from Tuesday, you can pick up your lanyard from 12 pm at the registration desk in the EMCC.
Pre-Workshop Welcome
Join us in the conference theatre from 3pm for a welcome from George Grant before heading over to the individual workshops.
Workshop: Foster the people – Cultural evolution alongside business/IT changes
This ‘Foster the people’ workshop will focus on the human, behavioural and cultural aspects of business- and IT-enabled change. This workshop will be moderated by Tim Brighton from Choice Housing, with the aim of using the collective experience of the workshop’s participants to discuss common problems and potential solutions to the cultural evolution that is usually needed alongside business/IT changes. The Housing Technology 2024 workshops aren’t presentations, so please come along and expect to participate and engage in the discussions!
Workshop: Are they being served? – Faster repairs, better communications & happier tenants
How can you serve your tenants better and make them happier, using both in-house and external IT-based solutions? This workshop will be moderated by Adam Rigg from Housing Solutions, with the aim of using the collective experience of the workshop’s participants to discuss common problems and potential solutions around achieving faster repairs, better communications & happier tenants. The Housing Technology 2024 workshops aren’t presentations, so please come along and expect to participate and engage in the discussions!
Workshop: Rethinking your enterprise – Digital transformation, rapid deployment & resilience
If you’re ‘rethinking your enterprise’ or undertaking any form of digital transformation, then this workshop is for you. This workshop will be moderated by Kristin McIntosh from Newark & Sherwood District Council, with the aim of using the collective experience of the workshop’s participants to discuss common problems and potential solutions around digital transformation, rapid deployment and resilience. The Housing Technology 2024 workshops aren’t presentations, so please come along and expect to participate and engage in the discussions!
Workshop: Show me the data – Building the strongest foundations with data management
Data management underpins every aspect of housing providers’ operations, from basic data-entry up to regulatory reporting and strategic planning. This workshop will be moderated by Claire England from Orbit Group, with the aim of using the collective experience of the workshop’s participants to discuss common data management problems and potential solutions to how you can build stronger foundations with data management. The Housing Technology 2024 workshops aren’t presentations, so please come along and expect to participate and engage in the discussions!
Workshop: The rise of the machines – Best practice & ethics for AI, machine learning & IoT
Are you ready for ‘the rise of the machines’? This workshop will be moderated by Jon Cocker from Platform Housing, with the aim of using the collective experience of the workshop’s participants to discuss common problems, potential solutions and best practice (incl. ethics) for AI, machine learning & IoT. The Housing Technology 2024 workshops aren’t presentations, so please come along and expect to participate and engage in the discussions!
Workshop: Stay protected – Cyber security in housing
Cyber security isn’t just an ‘IT thing’; it affects business operations, staff behaviour (esp. with the growth of AI) and financial/regulatory scrutiny. This workshop will be moderated by Lawrence Gardner and Danny Rushton from Wrekin Housing Group, with the aim of using the collective experience of the workshop’s participants to discuss common cyber-security problems and potential solutions to keeping the bad guys out.The Housing Technology 2024 workshops aren’t presentations, so please come along and expect to participate and engage in the discussions!
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WISH MIDLAND: WOMEN IN TECH #INSPIRINGINCLUSION
WISH Midlands are holding their IWD2024 event at Housing Technology. There will be a speaker panel running from 5.30-6.30pm and afterwards all attendees are welcome to the reception held by the Housing Technology Conference for drinks and nibbles until 7.30pm. For further information and to pre-book your place, please click the link below.
Welcome Evening Reception
We are hosting an informal welcome reception in the Orchard Hotel foyer and bar during the evening of Tuesday 5th March. All sponsors, speakers and full conference ticket holders are invited as Housing Technology’s guests. We are also delighted to be welcoming members of WISH (The network for women working in social housing), who will be hosting a panel discussion prior to the reception from 5pm in conference room 1.
Wednesday 6th March
Registration Open
Please come to the registration desk in the EMCC to pick up your lanyard from 8am.
Welcome & Ask the CIO discussion: Customer-facing operations, comms & service
In the first of two ‘Ask the CIO’ interactive discussions, this is your chance to put your questions to our panellists about all and any aspects of housing providers’ customer-facing activities and their IT-based enablement.
Defining & solving the damp & mould problem with co-designed & technology-led solutions
Explore the 2024 UK social housing damp and mould challenge, defining issues, assessing sector status, and examining best practices. Delve into our collaborative year-long journey with RSLs, co-designing innovative damp and mould technology solutions.
AI – be afraid, be very afraid! Achieving ethical & transformational AI
AI is a hot topic, with transformational opportunities for social housing. Should we be afraid of AI or embrace its potential? It’s already in use across the housing sector, delivering real outcomes to big challenges with lessons being learned. We’ll be looking at how AI is being used, where it’s going next, and the ethics and governance needed to manage the risks it presents.
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The rise of the machines
With more and more AI tools available for business use, we need to be prepared and agree best practices for the housing sector. Platform Housing has already successfully applied AI and machine learning to recent key projects. As well as presenting what we learned, we’ll look at the frameworks needed to establish the best use of AI.
Decoding the data dilemma – Unstructured data vs. structured data
Unlocking the power of automation, BI and AI with your data spread across structured, unstructured, and disconnected locations is like solving a puzzle in the dark. Come and join us – we’ll switch on the lights, helping you to understand how to connect your structured data, and unlock trapped data and knowledge. We’ll bring to life specific examples of how to organise your data so you can better leverage your tech.
Roadmap for digital & data – Where are you now?
From chatbots to ride-hailing apps, digital technologies have transformed lives. Using the latest research, we explore the progress of digitisation across government departments against the ambitious 2022-2025 ‘Roadmap for Digital & Data’ reform. We’ll take you through some of the areas where progress is being made, blockers, current and future digital priorities, and strategies that aid transformation.
The future of systems integration in housing
Systems integration delivers 24/7 services, automation, and cost savings in every area of housing, but the challenges of building and supporting the integration are huge and pose many risks. With the retirement of BizTalk heralding the death of in-house integration platforms and the advent of AI redefining what’s possible, how can housing providers move forwards with risk-free integrations?
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Increase tenant satisfaction using AI through your communications partner
Join us for a discussion on using AI in housing to enhance tenant satisfaction. We will delve into how 8x8’s AI-powered solutions, such as the intelligent customer assistant and AI-driven speech analytics, are redefining tenant engagement. Richard Harvey from Housing Solutions and Leanne Thistle from Beyond Housing will join us, sharing their experiences of integrating these technologies to streamline operations and improve tenant interactions.
A data observability odyssey at Sovereign Network Group
Over the past two years, Sovereign has embarked on an ambitious ‘data observability’ odyssey to improve our processes, systems and data, all to transform how data is engaged with and used by our people. Our data observability programme has an exciting experience, and we’ve learned a huge amount along the way.
Lunch - Wednesday
A complimentary lunch buffet and refreshments will be hosted in the Atrium of the EMCC.
Connecting people, not just processes
Stakeholder connectivity is a vital consideration when choosing and maintaining software. By ensuring your chosen solution enhances communication and collaboration with staff, tenants and contractors, you can allow more informed decision-making, better service delivery and, ultimately, greater tenant satisfaction.
Panel discussion: A modular approach to delivering Microsoft-powered HMS
Dynamics 365 is a contender to replace legacy HMS but many projects have been hit by spiralling costs and go-live delays. In this panel session, you’ll hear from your peers about how they avoided these pitfalls by taking a modular approach to implementing Dynamics for repairs, compliance and rent accounting. You’ll uncover how: off-the-shelf, tried-and-tested products developed for Dynamics 365 are key; technologies such as AI & IoT can increase RoI; sprints de-risk implementations; using Power Platform (incl. Power Automate & Power Flow) can link systems and migrate data from legacy systems; and our panel’s roadmaps for the future.
Leading through innovation – AI strategies for housing technology
This session delves into the transformative power of AI in reshaping housing. We’ll discuss cutting-edge AI applications, incl. predictive maintenance and debt prevention, and discuss their implications for efficiency, sustainability and tenants’ experience. It will also address the challenges of implementing AI, incl. ethical-considerations and data security, and provide practical solutions to your problems. Join us to navigate the future of housing technology through the lens of AI-based innovation.
Transforming customer service
This session will cover Vivid Homes’ Microsoft-powered omni-channel solution integrating new online accounts, live chat, WhatsApp and phone. Hear about our journey so far, as the first organisation in the UK to deploy Microsoft Omnichannel with voice for all customer contacts.
Digital assistance – Exploring the power of AI Copilots & digital adoption in housing
Join TechLabs London, the team behind the iProperty Cloud platform, to discuss how the latest in AI Copilot innovations and the use of digital adoption tools can support your organisation to evolve digitally. From discovering tangible use-cases for AI in your business to how you can help onboard, train and support your staff with the implementation of new technologies, now is the time to harness the power of ‘digital assistance’.
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The creation & implementation of an organisation-wide data strategy
Gone are the days of data teams being back-office functions creating bespoke reporting, detached from front-line business operations. To create a data-driven organisation, data must be considered a business priority, with genuine engagement at every level. A data strategy is at the heart of driving the change and engagement needed to reach your organisation’s data goals. We’ll take you through a first-hand account of achieving business buy-in and implementing an organisation-wide data strategy.
Eating the cyber elephant
Cyber security – it’s a big beast and one that gets more daunting the closer you get to it. Once upon a time, life was simpler and our defence requirements were purely technical, but now the demands have become wider and more complicated – increased governance, busier staff, larger and more numerous attack surfaces, the list goes on... This presentation will cover how Sovini is working with our diverse business areas and evolving our approach to address the ever-evolving risks.
Driving a brighter future for housing – Your guide to transforming service delivery
An insight into the key innovations that are transforming service delivery and empowering housing providers to drive better employee productivity, enhance first-time fix rates and make the shift from reactive to proactive maintenance, to enable sustained improvements in outcomes.
Enhancing customer engagement with AI – Microsoft Copilot’s role in housing
Discover the potential of Microsoft Copilot in elevating customer engagement in social housing. This talk and practical demonstration will cover strategies for capturing real-time tenant communications and proactive service improvements using the power of AI.
Lessons from a prolonged digital journey
Choice Housing launched a digital roadmap back in 2016 with three key deliverables: a tenants’ portal, mobile capabilities for field staff, and a robust BI platform. Expected to take 18 months, the actual transformation has extended over seven years (and counting). In this conversation we’ll discuss digital transformation through the lens of organisational culture and the lessons learned from a protracted shift to a business partnership.
The ‘halo effect’ – Transforming corporate support services
We will explore how LHP is transforming the way corporate support services are delivered through a people-centric, platform-based approach. We’ll discuss the challenges of our previous system, our vision for the future and the innovative steps we are taking to achieve it. We’ll also highlight the importance of budgeting, environmental considerations and RoI. Join us to discover how LHP is putting our colleagues’ experience at the centre of our corporate support services, enabling a modern and agile workforce.
The transformation triad
A reflection on the factors that can derail transformation plans including people, process development and system limitations, and some of the lessons we learned along the way – ignore them at your peril!
Housing Technology Awards
Join us for our first Housing Technology Awards which will be taking place in the conference theatre. This is a great chance to see some of the great innovative projects taking place in our sector. The awards will be followed by an evening reception.
Evening Reception
We're hosting an evening reception for all attendees in the exhibition hall where you'll have the chance to catch up with colleagues and network whilst enjoying great hospitality.
Thursday 7th March
Registration
If you are joining us on Thursday only, please make sure to pick up your lanyard from the registration desk in the EMCC from 8:00 am.
Ask the CIO: Better internal business operations
In our second ‘Ask the CIO’ interactive discussion, the focus turns to how, where and why technology leaders can use IT to achieve better, faster and more compliant internal business operations.
Beyond digital – Use-cases for AI in social housing
AI is rocket fuel for digital transformation, freeing staff from routine tasks, streamlining processes and lowering operating costs. But where and how can AI be deployed? What are the most promising use-cases? We’ll explore how Microsoft Copilot’s AI capabilities to scan, digest and structure information and interact more naturally with customers can be incorporated into existing solutions, transforming the tenant experience and boosting operational efficiency.
The satisfaction equation – Macroeconomics, maintenance & centralisation
Plentific presents newly-commissioned research from residents’ perspective. We’ll explore the macro-economic influences on residents and housing providers, and hear about the scale of the maintenance challenge and its impact on mental health and finances. The centralisation and digitalisation of property operations emerge as important catalysts, offering new opportunities, unlocking resources and elevating residents’ satisfaction.
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Panel discussion: Are they being served? – Faster repairs, better communications & happier tenants
This session will feature a panel discussion with Magenta Living, sharing insights on leveraging Salesforce for efficient asset compliance, remote assistance and comprehensive customer visibility. It also includes an immersive demo showcasing how housing providers can serve residents through better diagnostics, dynamic DLO management and timely resident communications.
What next for housing? Ships, minerals, nails & hair…
From ship-building and coal-mining to nail bars and Turkish hairdressers – A look at jobs, wealth, society, how technology impacts it and what that means for social housing.
Self-service – The benefits of a full digital offering for both residents & staff
Let’s take a fresh look at self-service...We’ll explore the importance of self-service, and the link between residents and their housing providers and how the digital journey from our PanConnect self-service app and portal can create effective resident engagement and efficient ways of working for housing staff, including integration with back-office systems.
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Creating a connected customer experience with CRM in five steps
Join MRI Software and Beyond Housing as they delve into the housing provider’s transformative journey and the impact of its new CRM. Explore the evolving housing services landscape, the challenges requiring strategic shifts and technology’s role in: catalysing organisational change; creating a resident-centric approach for seamless personalised experiences; enabling efficiency through streamlined processes and data-driven decisions; and affecting the whole organisation from administration and customer services to strategic planning.
Lay the foundations for a brighter data future now!
Join us for an immersive and innovative exploration of the critical role data quality plays in a large housing group. We’ll walk you through how we challenged ourselves to think outside the box and use the tools at our disposal to create a unique and forward-thinking approach to laying the foundations for quality data. Don't miss this opportunity to discover how you can contribute and enable collective success!
Accessible innovation – Navigating data-rich landscapes & bridging tech-sector partnerships
Join Voicescape, Thirteen Group and WHG as they discuss how they’ve brought innovative best-practices into the sector, including intelligent automation, driven by AI and machine learning. WHG and Thirteen Group will share valuable insights on extracting actionable insights from rich data, leveraging automation, feedback, sentiment analysis and thematic exploration. Discover how a truly collaborative relationship between housing provider and technology partner can foster innovation.
Lunch - Thursday
A complimentary lunch buffet and refreshments will be hosted in the Atrium of the EMCC.
Resident digital estate inspections
How do you solve the age-old problem of tenants’ engagement with estate inspections? Let us introduce a new concept – resident digital estate inspections. Rather like Trustpilot or Tripadvisor but for tenant communities, this is an online service where residents can report problems on their estates, rate estate services, and see what others in their communities have also reported and rated. This is a new approach to estate inspections that puts the power in the hands of the community. After all, they know their homes and communities better than anyone.
Microsoft-based omni-channels – How to implement at the leading-edge and stay sane!
This presentation is a ‘warts and all’ look at how we delivered a new contact centre telephony system for NHG using Microsoft technologies, how we convinced the business, and how we implemented this leading-edge solution.
Sensor systems for healthier social housing
The incorporation of sensor systems to facilitate health, care and housing services is a transformative leap forward. In this presentation, we’ll discuss the potential value these sensor technologies bring to both individuals and the healthcare ecosystem as a whole. We’ll also address the risks and ethical considerations surrounding data privacy, security and consent, ensuring a holistic perspective on the implementation of such systems.
Time for innovation – How can technology help us do better?
The call for innovation has never been greater, but how do we embrace this in practice? Join us for an honest appraisal as we walk through our journey in reviewing our digital path, data security, data quality and technology adoption. Let’s look at how we can ‘Terminate the Jurassic’ and help get our technology teams ‘Back to the Future’ for more efficient, connected, sustainable and collaborative housing teams.
Getting your data ready for transformation – A journey of discovery!
New regulatory standards are focusing heavily on the quality of data and how it’s used, stored and protected in your organisation. This is a major change from the way in-depth audits were carried out in the past, which focused more on policies than outputs. This session will focus on the important lessons that are still being learned ahead of being ready to deal with these new expectations from the regulator.
Using practical AI to streamline compliance processes
An insight into research by North Star Housing have used Microsoft's AI technology to streamline its compliance processes. North Star Housing has cut its administrative time by 20% through the use of newly-available AI processes. The session will include a demonstration of receiving bulk LGSRs, automation checking and uploading into Microsoft Dynamics.