IT²EC Returns to London to Chart Future of Training and Simulation

This week, from 26-28 April, IT²EC 2022 reunites the modelling, simulation and training community at the ExCel Centre in London to connect and share knowledge about the technologies underpinning current and future training solutions.

The show welcomes thought leaders and innovators from across the sector for a three-day event structured around the central theme of ‘Navigating rapidly evolving technologies for Training and Education’.

Day One of the conference will begin at 10:00 am BST with opening remarks from Gary Waterfall, Senior Defence Advisor, Clarion Defence & Security, and Rusmat Ahmed, IT²EC 2022 Committee Chair.

The keynote address will follow at 09:45 am BST from Air Marshall Ian Gale MBE MBA MA CMgr FCMI, Director-General, Defence Academy and Joint Force Development, UK Strategic Command; who will be joined at 10:00 am BST by Colonel Heath McCormick, Commander of the Joint Multinational Simulation Center, ATC, and Major General Richard Oppelaar, Commander, Netherlands Defence Academy, for the Keynote Discussion.

The Keynote Panel will take place at 11:30 am BST. Chair Matthew Smith, Director of Analysis, Shephard Media, will be joined by Karen Saunders, Program Executive Officer for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, United States Army and Nick Taylor, Head of Soldier, Training and Special Project Portfolio, DE&S, for a discussion on the US/UK Procurement Act.

The main conference will then split into three strands: ‘Human Factors and Performance’, ‘Technologies and Architectures’, and ‘Emerging Solutions’.

In the DisTec theatre, the first session will begin at 11:30 am BST with a presentation on ‘The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA): Tackling defence challenges for a safer future’ from Anita Friend, Head of DASA. Presentations will follow across the day with speakers from Hadean, Cervus Defence, BAE Systems, MAK Technologies, Varjo, Epic Games, Lockheed Martin UK, Vertex; and a session looking at ‘Using Data to Accelerate Live, Virtual, and Constructive Training in the US Marine Corps’, from Garrett Loeffelman, Science, Technology, and Analysis Lead, Training and Education Command (TECOM), Jesse Attig, Modeling & Simulation Officer for MAGTF Training Command (MAGTFTC) aboard the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), and Ryan Brown, Resource Integration Coordinator, Training and Education Command's Training Support Center, USMC.

On the exhibition floor, organisations will be showcasing and demonstrating training and simulation technologies and services. In addition to leading industry innovators, visitors will find NATO represented by the Modelling and Simulation Group (NMSG) and Allied Command Transformation (ACT), where visitors can learn more about the M&S Application Area of Military Training and M&S Standardization, uses of M&S in research, concept development and experimentation, and advanced distributed learning.

The UK’s DASA will also be represented on the show floor, showcasing how it finds and funds exploitable innovation for the defence and security of the UK, and supports UK prosperity.

IT²EC 2022 visitors will also find a new Technology Lounge as part of DisTec, where exhibitors will host live demos of wearable tech, Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning, Robotics and 5G networking. The lounge is free-of-charge and will offer attendees a hands-on experience of real-life applications, such as arson investigation, firefighter training and armed police response.