The 2026 SMACNA Industry Night Roundtable presentation explores the evolving landscape of building automation and control systems, focusing on three key themes:  Open Systems, Packaged Controls and Equipment Analytics.  It provides a detailed comparison of open protocol, open source, and open distribution models.  It highlights their benefits, limitations, and real-world implications for interoperability, vendor flexibility, and system ownership. The discussion extends to the pros and cons of field-installed versus factory-installed controls, emphasizing the importance of early design coordination, scope clarity, and stakeholder alignment to avoid costly scope gaps and inefficiencies.

The final section delves into the transformative role of equipment analytics and Alo T platforms in reducing downtime, labor costs and energy consumption.  It outlines the current market players, the sift from reactive to proactive maintenance strategies, and the foundational elements of scalable, AI-driven platforms.  With aging infrastructure, skilled labor shortages, and increasing regulatory pressures, the presentation underscores the urgency of adopting intelligent, data-driven solutions to optimize HVAC operations and ensure long-term building performance.

The event is structured into three concise presentation segments, each followed by a roundtable panel discussion.  This format is designed to foster interactive dialogue, allowing industry experts and attendees to explore the practical implications of each topic in greater depth.  The roundtable discussions aim to surface diverse perspectives, share real-world experiences, and collaboratively address challenges facing the HVAC and controls industry today.

Presentations will be by representatives of Automated Logic and Havtech.