Questions & Answers
Everything you need to know about the Forum.
The Built Leadership Forum is a curated one-day leadership event for the built environment, held Monday, November 16, 2026 at the The UMass Club in Boston. It is capped at 200 seats and organized around one question: what do leaders see ahead, and what are they doing about it?
- What it is
- A curated one-day leadership forum for the built environment.
- Date
- Monday, November 16, 2026 · Morning to mid-afternoon (9 AM–3 PM ET)
- Location
- The UMass Club, One Beacon Street, 32nd Floor, Boston, MA 02108
- Capacity
- 200 seats maximum — limited venue capacity
- Tickets
- On sale now — $155 early-bird, $165 standard
- Pricing
- $155 early-bird, $165 standard — includes the full program, lunch, and post-event networking
- Format
- Curated conversation — no long presentations, no pitches, no table sponsorships
- Part of
- Official kick-off event of Boston Built Week 2026 (Nov 15–21)
- Produced by
- Blue Strategy & Creative Intl, with High-Profile as media partner
Attending the Forum.
Dates, tickets, capacity, and who is in the room.
What is the Built Leadership Forum?
The Built Leadership Forum is a curated one-day leadership event for the built environment, organized around one question: what do leaders see ahead, and what are they doing about it? It gathers owners, developers, designers, builders, innovators, sustainability leaders, capital partners, and advisors in Boston.
When and where is the Built Leadership Forum?
The Forum takes place on Monday, November 16, 2026, from 9 AM to 3 PM, at The UMass Club, One Beacon Street, 32nd Floor, Boston, MA 02108. It runs as a one-day program and opens Boston Built Week 2026.
How do I get tickets?
Tickets are on sale now at $155 early-bird and $165 standard. Buy yours at builtleadershipforum.com/tickets — the Forum is capped at 200 seats.
How many people attend?
Attendance is capped at 200 seats because of venue capacity. The room is deliberately small and assembled around proximity to decisions rather than titles, so conversation stays candid and every attendee can actually meet the people they came to meet.
How much do tickets cost?
Tickets follow an early-bird and standard model of $155 and $165, which includes the full program, a box lunch, and post-event networking. Tickets are on sale now at builtleadershipforum.com/tickets.
Who should attend the Forum?
Senior leaders across the built environment: owners and developers, institutional real estate teams, architecture, engineering and construction leadership, sustainability and innovation leaders, technology executives, and the capital partners and advisors who finance and guide the work.
Is the Built Leadership Forum part of Boston Built Week?
Yes. The Forum is the official kick-off event of Boston Built Week 2026, which runs November 15–21, 2026. The week continues with events including the Founder Summit, BOOST Demo Day, and BuiltWorlds Venture East.
Is there an event program?
Yes. The official program is published as the Built Leadership Forum pull-out supplement in the November edition of High-Profile, in both print and digital. Attendees receive it in the room, and it also reaches High-Profile's full monthly readership across the Northeast built environment. It carries the agenda, speakers, leadership segment features, and sponsor recognition.
Who produces the Forum?
The Built Leadership Forum is produced by Blue Strategy & Creative Intl with High-Profile as media partner. High-Profile carries the conversation before, during, and after the event through announcement coverage, leadership Q&A, speaker spotlights, and recap reporting.
Can my company sponsor the Forum?
Yes. Sponsorship is built around access, editorial and media value, and proximity to decisions — not table packages. Sponsor lanes range from presenting to founding partner. Request a sponsor conversation at builtleadershipforum.com/sponsors.
Can I recommend a speaker or attendee?
Yes. The kick-off room is curated, and peer recommendations carry weight. You can recommend a speaker, sponsor, partner, or senior attendee at builtleadershipforum.com/recommend, and the team reviews every submission.
Is the Forum recorded or covered by media?
High-Profile provides editorial coverage around the Forum, including recap reporting on what leaders said is ahead. Sessions are structured to keep conversation candid, so specific recording and attribution details are shared with attendees ahead of the event.
Is the venue accessible?
The Forum targets WCAG 2.2 AA standards online, and the UMass Club is a Boston event venue with accessible facilities. If you have a specific access requirement, note it when you buy your ticket and the team will follow up directly.
Schedule, networking & getting involved.
Exact timing for the day, the leadership theme behind it, how post-event networking runs, and how to nominate someone or express sponsor interest.
What time does the Built Leadership Forum start and end?
The Forum runs from 9:00 AM to approximately 3:00 PM ET on Monday, November 16, 2026. Registration and networking open at 9:00 AM, the program begins at 9:45 AM, and post-event networking runs from 2:30 PM to 3:00 PM at The UMass Club at One Beacon Street in Boston.
What is the full schedule for the day?
9:00 AM registration and networking; 9:45 AM welcome; 10:00–11:00 AM keynote from Thomas N. O'Brien of The HYM Investment Group; 11:00–11:45 AM Market Direction regional briefing; 11:45 AM–12:20 PM lunch and networking; 12:30–1:15 PM The Leadership Response cross-industry panel; 1:15–2:00 PM Innovation Realized: From Pilot to Project case examples; 2:00–2:30 PM Leadership Town Hall; 2:30–3:00 PM post-event networking.
Who is the keynote speaker at the Built Leadership Forum?
Thomas N. O'Brien, Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of The HYM Investment Group, delivers the opening keynote, “Setting the Charge: Market Realities, Leadership, and What Gets Built Next,” at 10:00 AM on November 16, 2026. He frames the day's three arcs — market reality, the leadership response, and where innovation is changing what gets built — and returns at 2:00 PM to co-anchor the Leadership Town Hall.
What is the leadership theme of the Forum?
The Forum is built on one question: what do leaders see ahead, and what are they doing about it? It defines leadership as having a point of view and the willingness to act on it, and moves through three arcs — SEE, RESPOND, and BUILD WHAT'S NEXT.
What is the post-event networking format?
Post-event networking runs from 2:30 PM to 3:00 PM immediately after the Leadership Town Hall, in the same venue, and is included with every ticket. It is an open, standing networking half hour designed for continued conversation with speakers and peers rather than a seated dinner or awards program.
Are there events after the Forum?
The Forum itself concludes with post-event networking at 3:00 PM. The following days continue with Boston Built Week 2026 programming through November 21, including the Founder Summit, BOOST Demo Day, and BuiltWorlds Venture East.
How do I nominate a speaker or attendee?
Submit a nomination at builtleadershipforum.com/recommend. You can recommend a speaker, sponsor, partner, or VIP attendee, and the form asks who you are recommending, their role, and why they belong in the room. The team reviews every submission as the kick-off room is curated.
Who can be nominated for the Forum?
Senior leaders across the built environment: owners, developers, institutional real estate teams, AEC leadership, sustainability and innovation leaders, technology executives, capital partners, and advisors. Nominations are evaluated on proximity to real decisions rather than title alone, and peer recommendations carry meaningful weight.
How do I express interest in sponsoring the Forum?
Request a sponsor conversation at builtleadershipforum.com/sponsors. The form captures your company, sponsor interest, business goals, and the audience that matters most to you, and the team follows up directly. Sponsorship is built around access, editorial value, and proximity to decisions — not table packages.
What sponsorship options are available?
Sponsor lanes range from presenting sponsor through founding partner, alongside moment sponsorships that support the official program, recap coverage, and the photo gallery. Each lane is scoped in conversation rather than sold as a fixed package.
How much do tickets cost and when do they go on sale?
Tickets are on sale now, on an early-bird and standard model of $155 and $165, which includes the full program, a box lunch, and post-event networking. Attendance is capped at 200 seats.
How the program works.
The day progresses from what leaders see, to how they are responding, to what comes next — and each audience takes something specific from it.
How is the program structured?
The day moves as one connected story in three moves: SEE — what leaders are actually observing in the market right now; RESPOND — how they are adjusting capital, projects, teams, and priorities because of it; and BUILD WHAT'S NEXT — where innovation is genuinely changing the equation and what to be ready for next.
What happens in the SEE portion?
Short executive perspectives and market briefings that put real observations on the table — demand, capital, cost, labor, and policy conditions as leaders are experiencing them, not forecasts.
What happens in the RESPOND portion?
Candid conversation about the decisions being made in response: what got re-scoped, re-financed, delayed, accelerated, or re-staffed, and what leaders learned doing it.
What happens in BUILD WHAT'S NEXT?
Case examples of innovation that has moved past pilot into real projects, plus a closing exchange on what the room should be ready for over the next 12 to 24 months.
What will owners, developers, and institutions get out of it?
A clearer read on where peers are placing capital and risk, how owner priorities are shifting, and which approaches are actually delivering on real projects.
What will AEC and construction leaders get out of it?
Direct line of sight into how the people commissioning work are thinking — what they are prioritizing, what they are willing to try, and where delivery expectations are moving.
What will innovators and technology leaders get out of it?
An honest picture of where adoption is real versus stalled, and proximity to the leaders who decide what gets deployed. This is not a pitch venue — the value is context and relationships.
What will capital partners and advisors get out of it?
Market signals straight from operators and owners: what is getting financed, what is being repriced, and where the next round of activity is forming.
Is this a panel conference?
No. Sessions are curated and tightly moderated — focused conversations, fireside and town hall exchanges, and brief case examples. No long presentations, no technology pitches, no abstract predictions.
What should I expect to leave with?
A clearer view of what's ahead, how leaders are responding, and a few ideas worth taking back to work.
Still deciding?