Opening Ceremony and Keynote Speaker – Joel Neeb
The Insight Age
Friday, March 7 | 1:30 PM – 3:15 PM
Joel Neeb, chief transformation and business operations officer at 8×8, will keynote the 2025 IIBEC International Convention and Trade Show. Neeb oversees a company that impacts over 10 million end users, 50,000 customers, and thousands of partners worldwide. A former F-15 mission commander in the US Air Force, Neeb commanded more than 3,000 missions and 300 senior combat pilots—including presidential escort operations. His keynote address is titled, “The Insight Age.”
As building enclosure consultants and architects who have witnessed the evolution from paper blueprints to BIM technology, you’ll appreciate Joel Neeb’s insights on navigating the transition from the information age to the AI-driven insight age. Drawing from his experience as an F-15 fighter pilot and transformation leader, Neeb explores how organizations must evolve beyond simply collecting data to leveraging predictive insights for strategic decision-making.
The presentation draws compelling parallels to our industry, showing how building science has progressed from reactive maintenance to predictive analysis of building performance. Neeb argues that while the past two decades made information universally accessible, the next era will democratize insights and predictive capabilities, fundamentally changing how we approach problem-solving and innovation.
The key to success in this new era requires what Neeb calls “dual capability”—both precise execution (a principle IIBEC members understand well) and the ability to adapt rapidly to changing conditions. This mirrors how building science must continuously evolve to meet new environmental challenges and performance requirements while maintaining exacting standards.
Most compelling is Neeb’s assertion that periods of dramatic technological change, while potentially unsettling, present the greatest opportunities for those who are methodical in their preparation and bold in their adaptation to new methodologies. For building enclosure professionals, this means not just embracing new tools, but fundamentally rethinking how we approach the entire life cycle of building performance and consultation. In Neeb’s words, “Chaos isn’t a pit, it’s a ladder,” and those who are prepared will find unprecedented opportunities for growth and innovation.