Advancing Data Center Retrofits 2026
About the Event
Advancing Data Center Retrofits is a three-day conference convening facility owners, operators, design engineers, and contractors modernizing operational data centers to support high-density and AI workloads. Organised by Advancing Construction, a Hanson Wade Group division, the gathering takes place December 1-3, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. The event brings together over 80 retrofit specialists and 18 expert speakers, running alongside the co-located Advancing Data Center Construction East.
Programming Focus
- Evaluating retrofit economics, available electrical headroom, and time to capacity against new-build development
- Operational risk mitigation and maintenance of uninterrupted uptime during live cutovers and shutdowns
- Power distribution and electrical topology upgrades to support high rack densities
- Retrofitting legacy air cooling with direct-to-chip liquid cooling and customized fluid loops
- Structural floor loading and roof capacity assessments for heavy compute and mechanical hardware
- Verification of legacy site drawings through laser scanning and building information modeling
Featured Speakers
Operators and Hyperscalers:
- Sushant Waidande, Retrofits Program Lead, Meta
- Ashley Kangas, Director of Preconstruction, Microsoft
- John Schaefer, Design & Construction MEP, Vantage Data Centers
- Ahmed Anwar, Head of Construction, Prometheus Group
Advisory, Engineering, and Design:
- Sean Farney, Vice President, Data Center Strategy, Jones Lang LaSalle
- Duane Warren, Director of Engineering, Jones Lang LaSalle
- James Carr, Chief Operating Officer, Data Center Solutions, CBRE Global Workplace Solutions
- Aimee Lopez, Senior Global Program Manager, CBRE
- Robert Hibbard, Director, Program, Black & Veatch
- Bill Kosik, Mission Critical Sector Leader, HED
- Undra Patrick, Vice President of Data Centers, Introba
- David Eisenband, Senior Manager of Mission Critical, Ramboll
- Spiros Liolis, Data Center Strategy, Ramboll
- Treye Denton, Senior Project Architect of Mission Critical, The Lamar Johnson Collaborative
- Venkatesh Thumala Janakiraman, Associate Principal Electrical Engineer of Mission Critical, The Lamar Johnson Collaborative
- Aaron Morency, Project Manager, Engineering, Mesa Associates
- Matthew Haight, Senior Vice President of Engineering, Saragon
- Chris Heaslip, Head of PMO, PIC
Contractors:
- Damean Hilty, Vice President of Mission Critical, Sargent Electric Company
- Brad Mohler, Manager, Virtual Construction, ColonialWebb Contractors Company
Who Should Attend
- Data center facilities and operations executives
- Mission-critical retrofit and refurbishment project managers
- Mechanical, electrical, and structural engineering consultants
- General contractors and specialty MEP trade subcontractors
- Real estate strategy and capacity planning executives
Logistics
- Venue: Hyatt Regency Atlanta, 265 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30303
- Room block reservation: Hyatt Regency Atlanta group block available through November 9, 2026
- Registration rates: Architecture, engineering, and contractor pass at $2,299 conference-only or $3,097 including pre-conference workshops before October 9, 2026; specialty contractors at $2,499 conference-only or $3,297 including workshops; complimentary passes for qualified data center operators, hyperscalers, colocators, and ENR Top 400 general contractors
- Co-located event: Advancing Data Center Construction East 2026