The conversation around technology in facilities management is maturing. Success is no longer about how many tools an organisation adopts, but about whether the workplaces it creates work for the people who use them. Ahead of her appearance at FM Today and Tomorrow 2026, Julie Nicholson, Bid Director at Bidvest Noonan, shared why she believes accessibility and inclusion belong at the centre of that shift.

Julie Nicholson leads a team of bid professionals shaping strategic solutions for major public and private sector opportunities, with more than 20 years in facilities management focused on where people, technology and operational excellence meet. She is Ireland's first Purple Tuesday Ambassador and Women in FM award winner from FM Awards 2025.

For Nicholson, what separates the organisations moving ahead in 2026 is not budget. "Organisations moving ahead are not necessarily those investing the most in technology," she says. "They are the ones harnessing data, operational expertise and human insight to create workplaces that are more efficient, sustainable and responsive to the needs of the people who use them."

She points to disability inclusion as an area that deserves greater attention. In Ireland, she notes, fewer than half of working-age people with disabilities are employed, one of the largest disability employment gaps in the EU, while OECD research shows that almost two-thirds of those receiving a disability-related payment report that they are able to work. Her conclusion is direct: "The issue is not a lack of talent, ambition or capability. Too often, it is the presence of barriers within our buildings and processes that prevent people from participating fully in the workforce."

That is why she sees the mix of voices at the conference as essential. "Diversity of thought is where the real magic happens," she explains, with technology experts showing what is possible, workplace leaders describing changing expectations, sustainability specialists widening the long-term view and FM professionals supplying the operational reality. One principle guides her: "Nothing about us without us." As she puts it, "the voices of those who will be affected should help shape the solutions."

Looking to 2027, she sees FM leadership as "creating places where people can be their authentic selves and do their best work." The most effective leaders, she says, recognise that "innovation and inclusion go hand in hand," and understand that "digital and technological transformation is not simply about adopting new tools, but about improving outcomes for people." Looking back from November 2027, she hopes the shift will be clear: "Success will no longer be measured by the number of technologies implemented, but by the outcomes they deliver for people, organisations and the environment."

Her message to anyone still deciding whether to attend was that "facilities management has never had a greater opportunity to influence how organisations perform." FM Today and Tomorrow 2026 matters, she added, because of one conviction: "The future of FM will not be shaped by one organisation, one technology or one sector. It will be shaped by the collective ideas, insights and collaboration of the people in the room." What she values most is the ripple effect: "A single conversation can influence a decision, remove a barrier, inspire a new way of thinking or improve someone's experience of the workplace."

Julie Nicholson joined the panel on what technology will mean for FM at FM Today and Tomorrow 2026 on 4th November at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry. Subscribe to the newsletter to stay informed on future event announcements and FM industry news.