Why the Fit Out Conference Matters, According to Maria Rice of Millimetre Design

For Maria Rice, Creative Director of Millimetre Design, the value of the Fit Out Conference 2026 comes down to something straightforward: it puts everyone in the same room.

"The conference matters because it brings everyone involved in fit-out into the same room — clients, contractors, designers, advisors, and suppliers," she said in a pre-event interview. "That does not happen often, and it creates a real opportunity for more open, practical conversations about where the sector is going and what it needs next."

Rice will appear as part of the Designing for Experience and Emotion panel on 11 June, joining a line-up of 22 practitioners at the inaugural forum at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry. 

Her perspective on the day reflects a broader point about how the sector develops, specifically not through individual disciplines working in isolation, but through the kind of direct exchange that shared physical space makes possible.

"Being in person is important because real collaboration depends on trust, direct discussion, and shared understanding," she said. "Things that are much harder to build remotely."

The one-day event runs from 09:00 to 15:00 and brings together three themed panels, three hot topic sessions, and a Fit Out Leaders Award Winners Panel closing the afternoon. 

A networking lunch and industry expo run alongside the programme, creating further opportunity for the kind of cross-discipline exchange Rice describes. 

Among the 22 confirmed speakers are June Koh of Cushman & Wakefield, Tim Allen of HCG, Kay Killmann of GBCI Europe, Sara Cosgrove of Sara Cosgrove Studio, Ronan Holohan of Millimetre Design, and Graham O'Donnell of O'Donnell O'Neill Design.

Hear more from Rice and other speakers at the Fit Out Conference 2026 on 11 June from 09:00 to 15:00 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry. Visit the official event website to explore the full programme and book your place at fitoutawards.ie/conference/book-your-place.