By invitation. Thursday and Friday, 2027.
Data Center Facility Leaders Summit
Two days with peers who keep data centers powered, cooled and running, and only the vendors you choose to meet.
- ColumbusApril 29–30168 days to go
- DetroitOctober 28–29350 days to go
Led a project worth 20 minutes? Tell it to your peers.
Ten past delegates, in their own words · 1:47
- 35summits since 2007
- 29data center and critical facility leaders have come
- 7past summits had data center leaders in the room
- 2days. Home Friday afternoon.
Data center leaders have stood at the front of this room.
Data center operators, and the companies that work with them, presented their own projects at FMA’s Progressive Data Center Summit, and data center leaders came to hear their peers. Past speakers and delegates, not the 2027 program.
Data center speakers at past FMA summits
Brent NessData Center Segment LeaderCummins Power Generation“Backup Power Systems from Cummins Help Digital Realty Convert Old into New”
Chuck GrosbierDirector, Technical OperationsDigital Realty“Backup Power Systems from Cummins Help Digital Realty Convert Old into New”- PTS ConsultingSteve BarnesPrincipal Consultant, Data Center Practice ManagerPTS Consulting“Beyond MEP: Selecting the Right Data Center - A Case Study”
- Future FacilitiesSherman IkemotoGeneral ManagerFuture Facilities“Can You Afford Lost Data Center Capacity?”
- Primary Integration SolutionsJames McEnteggartVice-President - OperationsPrimary Integration Solutions“Mitigating Human-Error Risks Intrinsic to Data Center Operations”
Lisa ZembrodtManager of Global Research & AnalyticsSchneider Electric“Five Global Energy Trends Shaping Energy Prices”- Solution DynamicsCalvin WohlertPrincipalSolution Dynamics“Optimizing the Assets You Already Have - Your Best Return on Investment”
Paul K Mattingly, PEDirector, ApplicationsSmardt“Cooling Plant Technologies to Achieve Greater Reliability and Reduce Energy Usage”- NortecDuncan CurdGeneral Manager, V.P. Sales America'sNortec“Humidification and Evaporative Cooling: Scalable Solutions to Improve PUE and Operational Reliability”
Nick MagliatoCOOSunGard Availability Services“Avoiding the Cost of Downtime- How Colocation Can Help Your Organization Achieve High Availability”- ERS InternationalJeffrey MendezGlobal Communications DirectorERS International“Life Beyond Landfill”
- xByte TechnologiesStephen JaynesCOOxByte Technologies“Need IT fast? Need IT now? You need xByte.”
- Advanced Power TechnologiesDevin GrandisCEO & PresidentAdvanced Power Technologies“An Informative Look at Lighting Options, UV Applications and Creative Funding Opportunities”
Jim HughesNational Sales ManagerMitsubishi Electric Power Products“Total System Effectiveness”- SealcoPeter MatteDivision ManagerSealco“Decreasing Operational Expenditures While Increasing Reliability”
- SealcoRick TinucciProject ExecutiveSealco“Decreasing Operational Expenditures While Increasing Reliability”
- Optimum PathDaniel TautgesPresident & CEOOptimum Path“What's Next in Software and Services to Help Manage Cloud Operations?”
Eli HertzCEO & PresidentHergo“Get Hergonized - See the Hergo Difference”
Joel StoneVP, Global Data CentersSavvis“The Greening Of Our Chicago Data Center”- Drew LeonardVP Colocation Product ManagementSavvis“The Greening Of Our Chicago Data Center”
- ORR Protection SystemsPaul NelsonVP Sales & MarketingORR Protection Systems“New Fire Code Changes for Hot/Cold Aisle Containment... It's Significant!”
- 10/35 Economic Development AllianceHolly CovingtonMarketing and Research Director10/35 Economic Development Alliance“The Benefits of Doing Business in Central Texas”
Raymond ParpartSenior Consultant, Data Center OperationsUniversity of Chicago“Energy Efficiency Competes With Escalating Compute Demands in the Academic Environment”
Dan KruppDirector - Sales & EngineeringUniversal Air Filter Company“Air Filter Solutions for Data Centers”
Data center leaders who came as delegates
29 data center and critical facility leaders from 15 organizations. Their titles, as they registered.
- Savvis
- VP, Global Data Center Operations
- Facilities Manager
- Data Center Manager
- Lead Mechanical Engineer
- Regional Mechanical Engineer
- Lead Electrical Engineer
Rackspace- Data Center Director
- Facility Design Engineer
- Director Sustainability
- Sustainability Manager
- Project Engineer
Discover Financial Services- Senior Data Center Manager
- Director- Data Center Management & End Use Support
- Data Center Manager
Equinix- Engineering Staff Director
- Senior Manager, Facility Operations
- SunGard Availability Services
- Chief Operations Officer
- VP Technical Service Delivery Midwest
- CareFirstCareFirst
- Director, Enterprise Data Center Services
- Manager - Data Center Services
Argonne National Laboratory- Data Center Facility Manager
CoreSite- building manager
Cushman & Wakefield- Director of Critical Systems and Project Management
- Digital Realty
- Director, Technical Operations
Froedtert Health- Data Center Lead
JM Family Enterprises- Data Center Facilities Manager
See all 15 organizationsShow fewer
OfficeMax- Data Center Facilities
- University of Chicago
- Director Data Center Operation
- Server Farm RealtyServer Farm Realty
- VP Critical Infrastructure
Built around the problems you’re working on.
What data center leaders are up against this year and next, with the numbers behind it. Every talk on the program answers one.
to get a grid connection in primary data center markets.
Deliverable power, on site and on the grid.
JLL, 2026AEP Ohio makes new data centers over 25 MW pay for at least 85% of the capacity they sign up for, for up to 12 years.
Stop paying for megawatts you can't use.
AEP Ohio / PUCO, 2025said their last major outage came to more than $100,000; one in five said more than $1 million.
Rehearse the failure before you live it.
Uptime Institute, 2026to build, on average worldwide, in 2025.
Ready for service, and ready to operate.
JLL, 2026PJM's capacity price hits its cap from June 2027. Ohio, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia budgets feel it first.
Procurement, peak demand and the contract.
PJMFixed a problem that isn’t on this list? Propose it for the program.
Propose a talk
Data center leaders come to hear how other sites fixed it.
The program is built from projects data centers actually finished, presented by the leader who ran them. Every session below is open. If you’ve solved a problem like these, your story belongs here.
PowerYou need power in 2027. The grid has other plans.Speaker wanted
Grid connections take over four years in primary markets (JLL, 2026).
The problem: New capacity is waiting on the utility, and on-site generation, storage and phased energization all have trade-offs.
We’re looking for: A data center that got deliverable power sooner, and what it took.
OutagesThe $1 million outage: rehearse the failure before you live itSpeaker wanted
57% of respondents said their last major outage came to more than $100,000; one in five more than $1 million (Uptime Institute, 2026).
The problem: Transfers, generators and switching procedures fail when they haven't been tested under load.
We’re looking for: A team that ran a real failure drill, found the weak link and fixed it.
DensityFrom 10 kW to 100 kW: retrofit the hall or start again?Speaker wanted
High-density racks are outgrowing the cooling most halls were built with.
The problem: Air cooling, floor loading and power distribution limit how far an existing hall can go.
We’re looking for: A site that retrofitted a hall for higher density, or decided not to, and why.
Stranded capacityStop paying for megawatts you can't useSpeaker wanted
AEP Ohio makes new data centers over 25 MW pay for at least 85% of the capacity they sign up for, for up to 12 years.
The problem: Contracted capacity and the load you actually run drift apart, and the bill follows the contract.
We’re looking for: A data center that matched its contract to its real load, or put stranded capacity back to work.
CommissioningReady for service is not ready to operate: commissioning, staffing and handoverSpeaker wanted
Building a data center took $10.7M per MW on average worldwide in 2025 (JLL).
The problem: Halls open on schedule with systems not fully tested, procedures not written and staff who haven't trained on them.
We’re looking for: A build or retrofit handed over ready to run, and what the team would do again.
PeopleEvery shift covered: switching skills and the people who have themSpeaker wanted
A facility-management vacancy takes 17 weeks to fill on average (IFMA, 2026).
The problem: Qualified technicians are hard to hire, and switching skills fade when they aren't practiced.
We’re looking for: A team that built a training pipeline or kept its switching skills current across every shift.
Controls securitySecuring the facility side: power and cooling controlsSpeaker wanted
The power and cooling controls now sit on networks too.
The problem: Vendors and contractors reach the controls remotely, often without anyone tracking it.
We’re looking for: A team that inventoried and locked down access to its power and cooling controls.
- Open slotYour project goes here.Propose it
People like you came before.
Past delegates are not 2027 attendees. They show who you’d be in the room with.
- 29data center leaders from 15 organizations
- 2energy and sustainability leaders
- 10facilities and physical-plant leaders
See the organizations that came, and the ones that came back
They came back.
- Rackspace4 summits, 5 people
- Equinix2 summits, 2 people
Colocation, hosting and cloud
Savvis, Rackspace, Equinix, SunGard Availability Services, CoreSite, Digital Realty, Server Farm Realty
Enterprise data centers
Discover Financial Services, CareFirst, Argonne National Laboratory, Cushman & Wakefield, Froedtert Health, JM Family Enterprises, OfficeMax, University of Chicago
The people at your table.
Operations, critical facilities, engineering and energy leaders from enterprise, colocation and hyperscale data centers: people working on the same problems you are. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are assigned seating, so you meet them.
We’re inviting colocation providers, hyperscale campuses, enterprise data centers, bank and insurance data centers, telecom and network sites and hospital and university data centers.
Thursday and Friday. Home Friday afternoon.
Same two days in Columbus and Detroit: 20-minute talks by peers, the meetings you picked, and meals at a table of people like you. Not a trade show.
Thursday
- Breakfast at assigned tables
- 20-minute talks by facility leaders
- Coffee and shop talk
- 20-minute talks by facility leaders
- Lunch at assigned tables
- 20-minute talks by facility leaders
- The meetings you picked, 20 minutes each
- Coffee and shop talk
- 20-minute talks by facility leaders
- Reception, then dinner at assigned tables
Friday
- Breakfast at assigned tables
- 20-minute talks by facility leaders
- The meetings you picked, 20 minutes each
- 20-minute talks by facility leaders
- Closing lunch
- Last talks, then head home
Photos are real FMA Summit rooms. No stock photography.
Your total investment.
Each seat covers the whole summit: full access to both days, every talk, your meetings and all meals. The more people you bring from your company or data center, the lower the rate for each added seat. A seat is one person at one summit, and seats are interchangeable: use them in Columbus, in Detroit, or both.
- Your first 2 seats$2,900each
- Seats 3 to 5$1,850each
- Every seat after that$950each
A team of three is $7,650. A team of six is $12,300.
Register your teamPick how many people are coming and see your total.
Complimentary for speakers.Present a 20-minute talk and your seats are complimentary, as our thank you for speaking: up to 6 people from your company.Propose a talkAnd only the vendors you pick.
FMA brings in a short list of vendors from a range of industries to help with these problems. You choose which ones you meet.
- Tell us what you’re working on.Before the summit, in a few lines.
- Choose who you want to meet.Both sides accept, or the meeting doesn’t happen.
- Get your schedule before you arrive.20 minutes each, at a set time on Thursday or Friday.
- Getting deliverable power
- Data center power and infrastructure, microgrids, electrical, energy procurement, construction
- Expensive outages
- Backup power, electrical, data center power and infrastructure
- High-density cooling
- Data center cooling, HVAC
- The power bill and stranded capacity
- Energy procurement, energy optimization, building automation
- Builds and retrofits ready to run
- Construction, data center power and infrastructure, data center cooling
- Staffing every shift
- Facilities outsourcing, operations software
- Water, carbon and efficiency
- Data center cooling, solar, energy procurement, microgrids
- Controls security
- Building-systems cybersecurity
The kind of sponsors you can meet.
Past FMA sponsors who work with data centers, on camera at past FMA summits: power, cooling, backup power and microgrids. In 2027 you choose which vendors you meet.
Advanced Power Technologies, a 10-time FMA sponsor, and PowerSecure 3:34
LG Electronics, Degree Controls (AdaptivCool) and Smardt Chiller Group, an 8-time FMA sponsor 1:34
PowerSecure, a 5-time FMA sponsor, GE and MTU Onsite Energy 3:28
PowerSecure, GE, GE Solar, LG Electronics and MTU Onsite Energy 4:17
Your questions, answered by delegates.
Past FMA delegates on camera, in their own words: facility leaders from universities and from other industries. Each one is under a minute.
Brendan Sullivan, Estée Lauder · Stan Nolan, University of Connecticut · Mathew Emden, Principia College 0:38
David Muzzy, Texas Christian University · Al Hildreth, General Motors · Kevin Butt, Toyota · Brendan Sullivan, Estée Lauder 0:42
Jamie Meyers, Walgreens · Steve Driver, Sanofi · Stan Nolan, University of Connecticut 0:43
Chauncey Jenkins, University of Maryland · Jamie Meyers, Walgreens · Steve Driver, Sanofi 0:38
David Muzzy, Texas Christian University · Mathew Emden, Principia College · Jamie Meyers, Walgreens 0:32
Brendan Sullivan, Estée Lauder · Scott Bohnhoff, FBI · Mathew Emden, Principia College 0:49
Register your team.
Choose your summit and how many people are coming, and your total investment shows right away. Then fill in the participation agreement, sign it and make your investment by card. Seats are interchangeable: use them in Columbus, in Detroit, or both.
Have a project worth sharing? Tell it to your peers.
20 minutes, the real numbers and what didn’t work, in front of facility leaders working on the same problems. Bring the company that did the work, if you like. Proposing commits you to nothing.
Complimentary for speakers. Present a 20-minute talk and your seats are complimentary, as our thank you for speaking: up to 6 people from your company.
What every talk covers
- The problemWhat was happening at the site.
- What was at stakeUptime, power, cooling, energy or the build schedule.
- The decisionThe options you weighed, and why this one.
- The workWhat changed, how long it took, what went wrong.
- The resultsMeasured before and after. Achieved, estimated or identified, said plainly.
- The lessonsWhat another data center should check first.
Who's behind it.
Started FMA in Montreal in 2007 and has run every summit himself: 35 of them, 17,000+ meetings. Every delegate is invited, every meeting is booked before anyone arrives, and the group stays small.
Read the full story
Every sponsor and speaker, as printed. Data center and critical facility leaders came to 7 of the past summits.
Open any program
Your data center fixed something. Tell the room how.
Propose a 20-minute talk, or register your team. Reply to the email that brought you here, or write to Joe Piazza at info@fmasummits.com.
35 summits since 2007. The films and quotes on this page are from past summits.