EDspaces 2026 Call for Presentations
Join the innovative thought leaders speaking at EDspaces 2026, the conference driving the future of learning facilities. Contact UsSubmit Your Proposal
Overall Theme: Where Space Shapes Learning
At EDspaces 2026, education sessions explore how the learning ecosystem — the network of physical spaces, systems, and environments that support education — shapes learning, wellbeing, safety, and performance.
Learning does not happen in isolation. It is influenced by the physical spaces learners and educators move through each day, the systems that support comfort and safety, and the operational decisions that sustain schools over time. Together, these elements form a learning ecosystem where physical space actively shapes educational experience and outcomes.
We are seeking presentations, workshops and panels that explore:
- Evidence-based design and measurement
- AI, data, and emerging technologies in learning ecosystems
- Sustainability, resilience, and lifecycle thinking
- Environmental performance (IAQ, acoustics, materials, energy)
- Policy, standards, and accountability frameworks
All submissions due by March 31
Why Apply?
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Share your expertise with an audience of diverse facility professionals including decision-makers from Pre-K to Higher Ed, dealers, architects, and interior designers.
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Gain visibility in the industry and contribute to the advancement of your profession as an EDspaces speaker.
EDspaces “walks the talk” with education sessions held in unique classrooms designed by your peers. These spaces give speakers the opportunity to model authentic teaching and learning and demonstrate real-world application of cutting-edge products.
There is no submission fee, but all speakers chosen to present must register to attend the full conference and will be offered a ½ price discounted rate off their registration category fee. Each speaker, including all co-speakers, must agree to allow Emerald to use their name and to reproduce and distribute all or selected portions of their presentation in printed, audio video or electronic format.
Questions about the EDspaces Education program should be directed to Adrienne Dayton at [email protected] or (301) 495-0234.
Session Tracks
Across four focused tracks, EDspaces examines how physical space and operational strategy influence pedagogy, human experience, implementation, and future readiness —from vision to reality, and from evidence to impact.
- Track 1: Learning Spaces, Reimagined — Evolving physical spaces shaping the future of learning
- Track 2: Designing for the Human Experience — Wellbeing, inclusion, safety, and human performance
- Track 3: From Vision to Reality — Planning, funding, delivery, operations, and safety
- Track 4: Evidence, Impact & the Future of Practice — Research, systems, sustainability, and accountability
As learning has evolved, so too have the physical spaces that support it. This track explores how learning spaces within the broader learning ecosystem are reshaping instructional models, learner experience, and educational outcomes. Sessions should examine the relationship between pedagogy and physical space, recognizing that learning is influenced by a connected network of environments and systems across a school. While pedagogically focused, this track welcomes perspectives that address learning-support spaces and environmental conditions that directly impact teaching and learning.
We are seeking sessions that explore:
- Future-focused learning models (project-based, experiential, SEL, interdisciplinary learning)
- How physical space influences teaching and learning practices
- Student agency, engagement, and ownership supported through space
- District or school transformation stories driven by spatial change
- Post-occupancy insights connecting physical space to learning outcomes
- Learning-support spaces that enable education across the learning ecosystem
Effective learning ecosystems support the whole human — physically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially. This track centers on inclusive, sensory-aware, and wellness-driven design across learning spaces and the physical environments that support students, educators, and staff. Sessions should demonstrate how thoughtful physical space design promotes wellbeing, supports neurodiversity, and integrates physical safety in ways that enable people to feel secure, supported, and able to perform at their best.
We are seeking sessions that explore:
- Neurodiverse and inclusive design strategies
- Sensory environments (acoustics, lighting, materiality, movement)
- Physical safety and Safe-by-Design approaches
- Wellness, trauma-informed, and emotionally supportive spaces
- Cognitive load, attention, and human performance
- Universal design across learning and support spaces
Bold ideas only matter if they can be implemented. This track focuses on the processes and decisions that shape the physical learning ecosystem, and represents a primary point of engagement for facilities, operations, and procurement professionals. Sessions examine how planning, funding, design, construction, procurement, operations, and physical safety considerations intersect to bring learning ecosystems to life and sustain them over time.
We are seeking sessions that explore:
- Capital planning, bond strategy, and funding equity
- Renovation, modernization, and adaptive reuse
- Design and project management lessons learned
- Procurement strategies and partnership models
- Facility operations that support learning and performance
- Integrating physical safety into planning, design, and daily operations
This track bridges education and facilities by focusing on performance, systems, and long-term impact across the learning ecosystem. Sessions examine how research, data, technology, building systems, and lifecycle thinking inform better decisions related to physical space and future readiness. This track is especially relevant to audiences engaged in IAQ, energy performance, sustainability, resilience, and building systems, while maintaining a strong connection to educational outcomes and accountability.
We are seeking sessions that explore:
- Evidence-based design and measurement
- AI, data, and emerging technologies in learning ecosystems
- Sustainability, resilience, and lifecycle thinking
- Environmental performance (IAQ, acoustics, materials, energy)
- Policy, standards, and accountability frameworks
Session Formats
EDsessions will be presented in three formats:
1) 60 minutes in length, including introduction, presentation, and Q&A
2) 90 minute Interactive Workshop meant to engage the audience
3) Mini sessions (20 to 30 minutes) are also available for learning on the exhibit floor
*Please note that panel presentations are limited to four (4) speakers, including a moderator. Panels should include at least one presenter from an educational facility. Speakers may submit more than one session for consideration by submitting each separately.
Review/Selection Process
The Education Advisory Group seeks presentations that are engaging, creative, fun, useful, and informative. Reviewers will evaluate proposals based on several criteria: relevance of the topic to the overall conference, educational significance and contribution to the respective topic, unique value to participants, presenter knowledge and experience, actionable learning objectives, and interactive delivery methodologies. The Advisory Group, comprised of recognized industry leaders as well as representatives from EDspaces partner organizations, will review all complete submissions to recommend which are selected.
Improving Selection Odds
- Submit your presentation proposal on time.
- Be clear and concise in your description and identify four learning objectives that satisfy AIA, LEED, and/or NCIDQ accreditation requirements.
- If submitting a Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) topic (highly sought after), be sure at least three of the four Learning Objectives address the HSW requirement.
- Design your presentation to encourage audience interaction by using methods and tools such as facilitated delivery with high participation, peer-to-peer components, small-group discussions, participant brainstorming, and participant involvement in case study analyses.
- Involve school administrators, teachers, and students where possible to add credibility, performance, and reference to the sessions.
- Confirm the commitment of all speakers listed in your proposal to actively participate in the planning and presenting.
- Develop quality presentations that address key issues facing current institutional planning and delivery.
- State how your session will present new information, research, trend data, etc.