The Modular Building Institute (MBI), the world’s largest international association serving the commercial modular construction industry, is bringing its global World of Modular (WOM) event back to famed Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, April 20-23 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.
Organized & Focused Education for Everyone
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. Ranging from introductory “101” courses developers and contractors new to the industry to more in-depth, technical sessions for seasoned industry professionals, World of Modular offers something for everyone.
“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 these in 2025, 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.”
Educational tracks include:
- Design, Build, & Install
- Development Opportunities & Sustainable Practices
- Government & Regulatory Affairs
- Managing Your Business
- Research & Innovation
Session and track details can be found online ahead of the event, in the onsite event brochure and in the attendee-inly onsite event app.
Making the Most of WOM
“The single most important thing is to participate,” says Dave Sikora, MBI’s business development director. “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 this year! MBI’s Middle Eastern Council—comprised of industry leaders based and doing business across the Middle East—will have its inaugural in-person meeting at World of Modular.
- 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.
“This is best event of its kind,” concludes Sikora. “There’s never been a better time to dive into the industry, MBI and World of Modular.”
