Explore the Agenda
8:30 am Registration & Coffee
9:20 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Enforcing Operational Creativity for Asset Management Within Budget
9:30 am Case Study: Creating a Robust Inventory Management System with Limited Resources to Free Up Capacity
- Understanding the importance of simplicity in inventory management to ensure accuracy and reliability in your tracking system
- Leveraging inventory data to facilitate purchasing and meet scientific needs
- Recognizing the operational considerations to take into account when designing your solution
10:00 am Roundtable Discussion: Advancing Your Asset Management Strategy to Support Operations
- How do you consistently maintain your assets throughout their lifecycle?
- What criteria do you currently use for end of life repairs?
- What are your future plans for your asset management strategy and how are you currently working to get there?
10:30 am Speed Networking & Coffee
Prioritizing Spend & Cutting Inefficiencies to Protect 2025 Budgets
11:15 am Navigating Through Financial Uncertainty & Prioritizing Operational Improvements for Fundraising to Maintain Your Lab
- Working with stakeholders to assess current lab requirements and align on operational improvements to execute into action
- Navigating limited resources across workforce and equipment when awaiting fundraising to maintain running of the lab
- Differentiating lab essentials versus negotiables when creating your proposal for C-suite decision makers to facilitate approval
11:45 am Accelerating Lab Performance: How Digital Tools Help Minimize Downtime and Boost Productivity
- Unplanned instrument downtime costs your lab in many ways Lab operations software provides a comprehensive understanding of your lab’s productivity and operational efficiency
- Leverage data insights to assess asset utilization, identify bottlenecks, and predict maintenance needs
- See how a leading diagnostic solutions company uses lab operations software to minimize downtime and for faster results
12:15 pm Repositioning Your Financial Model to Make Cost-Effective Decisions & Develop Robust Operations
- Assessing how to consolidate on multiple pieces of equipment and take advantage of service agreements to cut costs and operate lean
- Embedding RFP scoring for high risk and valuable assets to evaluate and compare vendor proposals, making cost-effective purchasing decisions
- Allocating insourcing vs outsourcing operations to make smart investments
12:45 pm Lunch Break
Perfecting Operational Culture to Support Workflows & Safety
1:45 pm Panel Discussion: Advancing Operational Leadership to Support Personnel & Lead Through Uncertainty
- Applying the principles of goal-oriented management to provide continuous junior support
- Exploring metrics tracking in operations to understand where to establish improvements
- Establishing useful mentoring tips to help direct reports reach their full potential to support R&D
2:15 pm From Chaos to Control: The Critical Role of Vendor Support in Lab Success
- Discover how labs evolve from alarm-heavy, reactive environments to streamlined operations with fewer tickets, clearer visibility, and stronger decision-making. We’ll walk through what shifts at each stage, from unsupported chaos to vendor-backed control
- Understand how strong vendor support transforms more than just systems. It lifts the burden off your team
- With the right partner, labs move from having daily issues to peace of mind, better SOP adherence, and technology that works for your people, not against them
2:30 pm Establishing Safety Culture Within Early Operations to Ensure Regulatory Compliance & Functioning of the Lab
- Differentiating mandatory best practices against optional safety measures to prioritize time effectively
- Setting up compliance in association with Cal/OSHA and CalEPA to enforce the correct safety programs and trainings to secure the working environment
- Establishing best practices around chemical labelling and hazardous materials management to collate safety information in the best way
3:00 pm Streamlining New Process Implementation When Shifting Away from Manual Systems to Smoothly Transform Operations
- Understanding how to effectively implement novel asset management software seamlessly to avoid disruptions in operations
- Assessing initial vendor software compatibility to ensure seamless implementation
- Establishing effective and instant onboarding training with your team to ensure a smooth shift to new systems
3:30 pm Afternoon Break & Networking
Refining Your Facilities Expertise to Secure Scientists’ Working Environment
4:00 pm Designing Your Office & Space Planning for Flexibility of the Future
- Outlining the basic principles of design to understand standard requirements and plan ahead
- Designing with creativity in mind to easily adapt to future changes in requirements
- Strategically designing for risk assessments and regulatory requirements
4:30 pm Session reserved for Elemental Machines
4:45 pm Understanding & Maintaining Your HVAC System to Promote Operational Safety
- Supporting biosafety connectivity to HVAC systems to allow for pressurization adjustments and energy-efficient operations
- Understanding how to support energy savings through smart scheduling and shutdowns to save money
- Deploying internal initiatives to reduce run times for fume hoods to promote operational efficiencies