Higher Ed Facilities Forum 2026

The Higher Ed Facilities Forum (HEFF) is an invite-only retreat for senior college and university facilities leaders. It covers campus planning, design, construction and operations through peer talks, roundtables and curated vendor meetings. Influence Group runs it.

Higher Ed Facilities Forum 2026

Higher Ed Facilities Forum runs November 8–10, 2026 in San Antonio.

What it is

The Higher Ed Facilities Forum (HEFF) is a retreat for senior facilities leaders at colleges and universities. The organizer calls it "a collaborative retreat to connect on what's working, what's not, and what's next in campus planning, design, construction, and operations." It is invite-only and "not a trade show," with attendance limited to 200 industry leaders.

Industry vendors take part as partners. Influence Group produces it, as part of CloserStill Media, and also runs the K12 Facilities Forum, HealthSpaces and several other retreats.

How it works

• Attending: senior facilities, design and construction leaders request an invitation. Qualified executives attend at no cost, including two nights' lodging, meals and networking excursions. The organizer also offers a justification letter for getting approval to attend.
• Sourcing meetings: curated one-on-one meetings with vetted partners are built into the agenda.
• Roundtables: Monday's Mastermind Roundtables are for facilities leaders only. Tuesday's roundtables are open to everyone.

The 2026 agenda

• Sunday, November 8: check-in from 11 a.m., optional afternoon excursions (a cavern tour, Toptracer golf, a salsa-making contest), then a welcome dinner.
• Monday, November 9: talks on capital planning, campus energy and funding priorities, sourcing meetings, roundtables, and an evening dinner party.
• Tuesday, November 10: AI office hours, a closing keynote on the "100-year campus," open roundtables, and a farewell brunch that ends at 1:30 p.m.

The listed 2026 topics include keeping projects moving without full funding, reworking existing buildings, managing campus energy demand and prioritizing capital projects.