Gearing Up for the 2026 World of Modular
World of Modular’s Opening Night Party is one of the single largest industry networking events of the year.
The Modular Building Institute (MBI) is bringing its global World of Modular (WOM) conference and tradeshow back to Las Vegas in April, and with it comes some of the industry’s best opportunities for networking, business development, and education. Over the course of the conference’s four days, there will be numerous opportunities for attendees to connect, learn, and leverage event resources to get the most out of the conference.
The 2026 World of Modular agenda includes some big changes versus past years, including 60% more exhibit floor hours, so attendees may overlook some of the best ways to engage with new and unfamiliar faces.
Here’s a day-by-day preview to help first-time and returning attendees alike.
Maximizing Day 1
Though the first day of World of Modular is mostly known for its golf outing and the event’s opening party, the afternoon of Day 1 also offers all attendees that chance to get oriented to the event (and with MBI) at the day’s lone breakout session: Maximizing Your WOM Experience.
“I always encourage attendees to utilize MBI staff at the show to make personal introductions with new contacts and potential business partners, and Day 1 is a great time to do that,” says Dave Sikora, MBI’s business development director. “And attending the Maximizing Your WOM Experience session on Day 1 is a fantastic way to get introduced to MBI’s staff and make connections with new attendees.”
Day 1 is also a great time to download and get acquainted with the World of Modular app. Though it’s made available for download in the days preceding the show (registered attendees should keep an eye on their email!), getting proficient with the app will give attendees access to a host of features, including—perhaps most importantly—direct communication to facilitate introductions and meetings.
“The app is a critical tool for this conference,” says John McMullen, PCM, marketing director for MBI. “You can see your fellow attendees, send direct messages to anyone that’s registered, get conference updates, advertise your presence at the show…and since we keep it active for a period after the show, it’s really the best way to maximize the value of your attendance.”
World of Modular’s annual golf outing has long been a relaxing way to start the conference and get a head start on critical networking.
Tom Hardiman speaks to a packed room during day one’s Maximizing Your WOM Experience session. Attendees were able to learn more about the conference and introduce themselves and their companies.
Navigating the Exhibit Hall
Without question, the second and third days of World of Modular are the busiest. It’s during these two days that the exhibit hall—World of Modular’s most attended function—is open and active, and though the buzz in the air is palpable, navigating the exhibit hall itself can be an overwhelming experience.
With more exhibit booths and longer exhibit hall hours in 2026 than ever before, creating a plan—and leaning on WOM’s event resources and MBI’s staff—can help new and long-time attendees alike.
Tips for success include:
- Refer to the onsite brochure. The onsite contains a floorplan of the exhibit hall and identifies what companies are in each booth. Take a few minutes before entering the hall to identify key exhibitors and mark those booths on the floorplan.
- Keep the event app handy. MBI does its best to secure everything long before the event, but last-minutes changes happen. The event app will have the latest information about exhibitors and their locations.
- Visit the MBI booth. Clearly identified in the onsite brochure’s floorplan, MBI’s booth is the best place to find staff members who can assist with introductions and answer questions.
Organized & Focused Education
Besides featuring speakers and industry experts from across the industry and around the world, this year’s educational sessions have again been organized with attendees’ interests in mind.
“Attendee feedback from prior WOMs led us to develop tracks for the educational breakout sessions,” says Heather Packard, MBI’s professional and workforce development director. “After having success with content tracks last year, we’ve honed this year’s tracks to address different aspects of the industry and to support learning across a variety of attendee role types.”
- Design, Build, & Install: This track will feature case studies of completed projects and innovative approaches and techniques across the design, build, and install phases of commercial modular construction. This track will also include sessions specifically for those that are new to or looking to learn more about modular construction as well as technical sessions geared towards seasoned industry professionals.
- Development Opportunities & Sustainable Practices: This track will feature practical approaches owners, developers, contractors, and other industry stakeholders are taking to spur development within a variety of markets as well as practices and techniques that can reduce the environmental impact of construction.
- Government & Regulatory Affairs: Sessions in this track are geared toward government agencies, officials, and other stakeholders interested in keeping pace with industry advocacy efforts, updates, regulatory challenges, and opportunities for modular construction.
- Managing Your Business: This track offers techniques and practices that can improve the efficiency, longevity, profitability, and culture of attendee organizations.
- Research & Innovation: This track highlights recent research and emerging technologies that are underpinning and driving change in the industry.
Session and track details can be found in the onsite event brochure but be sure to keep the event app handy onsite as it will contain the latest updates on sessions and locations.
World of Modular offers unrivaled opportunities for industry networking. Between the event app, in-person receptions, and personalized introductions through the MBI staff, attendees have numerous chances to meet peers and further their businesses.
Making the Most of WOM26
“The single most important thing is to participate,” says Sikora. “By that I mean attend as many breakouts as you can, visit with as many exhibitors as you can, and attend all the networking functions. And throughout, don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to other attendees; WOM attendees absolutely welcome new connections and conversations.”
And though active participation is key, there are several additional ways that companies can bring greater attention to their presence at WOM.
- Join one of MBI’s interest-based councils. Open to all members internationally, MBI’s array of councils—organized by both topic and geographic region—offer fantastic opportunities to network with like-minded members both in-person at the event (at Council-specific receptions and meetings) and virtually all year round.
- New in 2026! MBI’s Middle Eastern Council will have its inaugural in-person at World of Modular. Interested in the Middle Eastern market? Check the agenda and join us!
- Message attendees before, during, and after the event. The World of Modular app offers direct messaging between attendees, starting and ending about two weeks from the event dates. A coordinated messaging campaign—both within the event app and through MBI’s other year-round channels—can lead to significant engagement with your company.
- Use social media while onsite. There’s no better way to make your attendance known to the world than by making good use of social media both prior to and at the event. Take pictures, post selfies, tag peers, and leverage the #WOM26 hashtag to connect your posts with those from MBI and other attendees.
- Engage with MBI at—and beyond—WOM. Diving head-first into World of Modular will no doubt yield results, but staying engaged with MBI throughout the year will guarantee continued exposure, recognition, and branding for your company. Join one of MBI’s councils, submit news and articles for publication, attend town halls and webinars, volunteer for a working committee, visit the MBI Learning Center, and/or join MBI at one of this year’s five sponsored Offsite Construction Summits to continue conversations, learning, and networking throughout the year.
“I have seen this event—and MBI—grow mostly through more architects, engineers, traditional contractors, owners, developers, and government agencies attending,” concludes Sikora. “The growth directly correlates to more learning, networking, and business development across all aspects of the industry for attendees & exhibitors alike.
“My best advice is to just get involved. There’s never been a better time.”
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