TOPICS & CATEGORIES
By Cassidy Mills, Staff Writer
The National Center for Simulation, alongside Orange County Government, hosted the Florida Simulation Summit (FSS) at the DoubleTree by Hilton at the Entrance to Universal Orlando, May 9.
This year’s theme, “Smart Decisions Build Smart Cities: Optimizing Operations with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Simulation,” focused on how advanced technologies are transforming urban development and operational efficiency.
The one-day FSS conference, which began in 2015, is an annual gathering for Central Florida’s modeling, simulation, and training (MS&T) community to showcase technology and applications to the broader business community.
Attendees participated in keynote presentations, expert panels and interactive sessions exploring the critical role of simulation and artificial intelligence in digital transformation. The event also offered opportunities for networking, product evaluations and engagement with vendors from across the technology sector.
Emcee Valerie Boey Ramsey, CEO of VBR Ink, kicked off the event by introducing the summit and its focus. Ramsey said the industry’s goal involves creating models, simulating behavior and using those tools for training and creating realistic experiences.
“Today is about smart decisions for new smart cities, and we’re going to be talking about Central Florida’s modeling simulation and training industry,” Ramsey said. “These technologies help make Orlando a smart cities leader and global center for technology innovation, and we’re going to be seeing that on our stage today and even around the room.”
George Cheros, president and CEO of the National Center for Simulation and co-chair of the Florida Simulation Summit, emphasized the relevance of this year’s theme, noting how the integration of artificial intelligence and simulation technologies is becoming essential for urban planning and infrastructure management.
“Today, we are focusing on something really important to our community – smart cities” Cheros said. “Our Planning Committee has worked extremely hard to put together an informative and exciting day for you.”
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, host of the summit, reflected on the broader impact of the region’s simulation industry, emphasizing its vital role in driving economic development and technological innovation across Central Florida.
“Over the past decade, the Florida Simulation Summit has explored the many contributions of the regional model assimilation and training industry, from defense to transportation, healthcare and other key economic sectors,” Demings said. “This year’s theme, optimizing operations with AI and simulation, brings it all together to show how these rapidly evolving technologies can move us forward.”
The summit featured tabled organizations, such as the Mixed Emerging Technology Integration Lab (METIL) at UCF’s Institute for Simulation and Training, Reality Capture Network (RCN), Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS), the Florida High Tech Corridor, Team Orlando News and Central Florida Tech Grove, who were on site to demonstrate their latest innovations and connect with attendees.
Interactive demonstrations further enhanced the event. Moderated by Sheena Fowler, CEO of Innovate Orlando, the session featured presentations from Bobby Carlton, global business development for digital solutions at FS Studio, and a joint talk by Matthew Hogan and Justin Spears of M3D Technologies. These presentations offered attendees an in-depth look at simulation in action and explored its potential to create smarter, more efficient communities.
The three panels featured at the FSS included “Industry Applications for Digital Twins,” “Operational Excellence: Emerging Technologies Powering Smarter Cities” and “Investing in Intelligence: How AI and Simulation Are Shaping the Smart Cities of Tomorrow.”
The summit brought together a diverse group of experts, industry leaders and local stakeholders, providing a collaborative environment for discussing the latest advancements in simulation technology.
This gathering allowed participants to exchange ideas, share insights and address the challenges and opportunities facing various sectors in the MS&T community.
Additional coverage on FSS include:
Industry experts discuss real-world applications of digital twins at 2025 Florida Simulation Summit
Florida Simulation Summit spotlights AI and simulation in smart city innovation
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