R-CON Digital Twins event opens with keynote welcome from RCN CEO Matthew Byrd

By Cassidy Mills, Staff Writer

 

Reality Capture Network (RCN) hosted R-CON Digital Twins at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center in Orlando, Florida, June 26–27. This industry-focused event centered on the expanding role of digital twin technologies and brought together professionals from infrastructure, energy, defense, aerospace and academia to examine how digital twins are evolving from isolated prototypes into integrated systems supporting enterprise-wide decision-making.

 

Matthew Byrd, chief executive officer of Reality Capture Network, opened the conference by emphasizing the importance of expanding the conversation around digital twins beyond traditional boundaries. He said bringing the event to Orlando was a deliberate step toward engaging new communities of practice and accelerating cross-sector collaboration.

 

“We’ve been talking about coming here for a couple years now,” Byrd said. “This is our first time breaking off and doing another event here in the state, and we’re so excited to welcome you all.”

 

The two-day event focused on applied use cases, technical workflows and cross-sector collaboration. Presentations explored foundational elements of digital twin development alongside strategies for scaling and sustaining them.

 

Byrd said successful adoption of digital twin technologies depends not only on technical capability but on the ability to inspire stakeholders and move them toward concrete outcomes.

 

“The industry is growing, and it’s growing fast,” Byrd said. “This growth signals tremendous opportunity and innovation, with new technologies and approaches reshaping the landscape at an unprecedented rate. Staying current and agile is becoming more critical than ever for anyone involved in the field.”

 

R-CON was structured to promote peer-to-peer knowledge exchange by limiting attendance and encouraging direct interaction among practitioners, solution providers and stakeholders. The single-stage format intentionally avoided concurrent breakout sessions.

 

“You would’ve only picked a class that was relevant to your industry,” Byrd said. “We want you to see applications of technology you’ve never seen before. That’s where inspiration comes from.”

 

The event reflects a broader shift in the digital twin landscape. Once viewed as conceptual experiments, Byrd said digital twins are increasingly treated as practical tools for enabling spatial intelligence and improving operational efficiency.

 

“Everybody I know is trying to hire people in this industry,” Byrd said. “Universities are asking how they pull this into training. Right now, most people in this space are self-taught.”

 

As digital twin technologies become more embedded in infrastructure planning, operations and analysis, Byrd said events like R CON provide a focused forum for advancing practical understanding.

 

“This community is one of the most important in the world,” Byrd said. “Because we are a mix of people building roads, airports and hospitals, it is very important work, and it starts with what each of us chooses to do.”