The Croatian Chamber of Economy and the Centre for Digital Built Croatia are organising a professional conference entitled Digital Technologies in Construction – Innovations, Challenges, and the Future, which will take place on 21 May 2025 in Zagreb, at the Croatian Chamber of Economy Council Hall, Roosevelt Square 2. Participation is free of charge, with mandatory registration via the online form.

This professional event is intended for construction industry professionals, including contractors, site supervisors, designers, and project managers, with the aim of fostering a constructive dialogue on the digital transformation of the construction sector in Croatia and beyond.

Focus on the Digital Transition in Construction

The conference will address key topics related to the digitalisation of construction processes, the implementation of new technologies on building sites, and the challenges and opportunities this transition presents for contractors and stakeholders across the construction industry.

Participants will have the opportunity to gain practical insights, learn from the experiences of regional industry leaders, and hear the latest updates on European policies and requirements concerning digital standards — including the application of Building Information Modelling (BIM) technologies.

What can you expect from the programme of Digital Technologies in Construction – Innovations, Challenges, and the Future?

The conference will begin at 2:00 PM at the Croatian Chamber of Economy Council Hall, with welcome addresses by representatives of the Croatian Chamber of Economy and the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets. This introduction will set the stage for a discussion on the importance of digital transformation within the construction sector, as well as the role that national institutions play in supporting this process.

The first keynote presentation will provide an overview of the key findings from the latest European Construction Sector Observatory report, with a focus on digitalisation. Monika Mlakić, President of the Centre for Digital Built Croatia and Operations Manager at DCT, together with Goran Anić, Head of the Structural Engineering Working Group at CDiH and Associate Partner at ATP, will present European trends and strategies, analyse Croatia’s current position compared to other EU member states, and highlight opportunities that should not be missed. Special emphasis will be placed on digital tools that facilitate construction workflows, reduce costs, and increase on-site efficiency — as well as on EU strategic documents that are increasingly promoting digital transformation as a key factor for enhancing the competitiveness of the construction industry.

The following is an extremely current topic – ISPU, one of the key national digital systems in the spatial planning and construction sector. Alen Grabar, Head of Sector at the Directorate for Information Systems Development and Digitalization, will present the implementation of ISPU to date, analyze the practical aspects of its application and discover what awaits us in the future.

The challenges that accompany digital coordination among different stakeholders will be discussed, as well as new functionalities planned for the next phase of development. This presentation will provide important insights for all those who work with ISPU on a daily basis.

The final, but certainly the most dynamic part of the program is a panel discussion, in which leading people from some of the most successful construction companies in Croatia will participate:

• Sanjin Purić, president of the management of GP Krk,
• Miljenko Zovko, member of the ING-GRAD board,
• Hrvoje Patekar, member of the management of KAMGRAD,
• Boško Mišlov, Technical Group Manager at STRABAG.

The panel will be moderated by Katarina Moškatelo, a communication expert with experience in leading public debates and strategic communication in technical sectors. The discussion will include concrete experiences from the construction site, the application of digital tools in everyday work, the obstacles that contractors encounter and the ways in which they have successfully overcome them.

Special emphasis will be placed on cultural change within companies, employee education, digital skills, and how management can deal with resistance to new technologies. Expect a lively and open discussion, with lots of practical examples and first-hand lessons.

Through this program, participants will have the opportunity to gain a comprehensive insight into the current state of digitalization in the construction sector – from the European context to national policies and concrete practices in the field.

The meeting will end with a summary of conclusions and the beginning of the development of a document that will contain recommendations for further steps in the digitalization of the sector and serve as a basis for future initiatives, collaborations and education.