DUC2026 Recap
Welcome to the 2026 Deighton User Conference (DUC) recap! Bringing together asset management professionals at Deighton’s headquarters, DUC has always served as a time of knowledge and collaboration, and this year was no exception. From insightful presentations to interactive sessions, DUC2026 not only showcased the latest advancements in dTIMS, but also explored the evolving landscape of global asset management. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the field, join us as we dive into the highlights and key takeaways from this year’s DUC.
Day 1
The conference kicked off with a celebration of the relationships that define Deighton – from long-standing client partnerships to the dedication of our internal staff whose anniversaries were recognized by Vicki Deighton, CEO. This year, Deighton celebrated 5 years with the Danish Road Directorate (Vejdirektoratet) and 35 years with Saskatchewan Highways.
Following the warm welcome, DUC2026 opened with a keynote by Gary Ruck and Jeff Zavitski entitled “40 Years of Turning Data into Information”. As DUC2026 fell on the year of Deighton’s 40th anniversary, this keynote gave a retrospective look of Deighton’s journey over the years and how the dTIMS Ecosystem evolved to what it is today supporting agencies from all around the world to make better decisions for their assets & networks. The problems asset managers faced 40 years ago have not changed much. Too much data. Not enough clarity. But dTIMS has evolved over the years to continue to solve these challenges for asset managers around the world.
Gary Ruck (right) and Jeff Zavitski (left) presenting their keynote.
Following the keynote, clients were invited to showcase their agency and highlight the transformative impact of the dTIMS product suite on their asset network during our client introductory sessions. Following this, members of the Deighton Team and attendees enjoyed a Welcome Reception social event at the Whitby Marina.
Members of the Deighton Team at the Whitby Marina.
Day 2
In the morning, agencies participated in personalized client sessions. DUC2026 featured a custom agenda tailored to each client and their agency’s needs, including one-on-one training sessions, collaborative discussions, and agency-specific sessions. These sessions were followed by bringing Joel Beaulieu, Director of Product Management, and his team to the stage to share ‘The Latest in dTIMS’. This presentation was a look at all the new features and improvements that have been added to the dTIMS Ecosystem since DUC2025. The team covered the progress made on all products and formally introduced dAISE - an AI assistant designed by Deighton to assist in the use of dTIMS BA!
Joel Beaulieu and team covers ‘The Latest in dTIMS’ presentation.
After a quick break, Joel came back on-stage welcoming Anthony Defilippis, Platform Development Lead, to join him. They introduced dTIMS CAR - showcasing the next generation of the dTIMS Common Asset Registry.
This session closed out our program for the morning. In the afternoon, DUC highlighted our clients and their accomplishments. In a case study presented by Jeff Zavitski and Reid Kiniry from the Vermont Agency of Transportation, we heard about the dTIMS Tactical implementations taking place in West Virginia, Vermont, and Indiana. Following this, our client from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia presented their network as one of the world’s largest and their use of dTIMS over the years. Finally, in honour of the 40-year anniversary, Phil Clements presented a retrospective look on the South Dakota Department of Transportation’s use of dTIMS since they first became a client in 1992.
After lunch, Matthew Spataro, Implementation Specialist at Deighton, highlighted one of Deighton’s newer initiatives “Assessments & Sensitivity Analysis”, highlighting the importance of assessing your dTIMS setup to optimize your use of dTIMS and how Deighton has supported clients with this.
Matthew Spataro presenting at DUC.
The formal agenda of the day closed with a dTIMS Challenge hosted by Dr. Stephan Schramm, Vice President of Strategic Growth. The night ended with a 40th Anniversary Dinner hosted at the Whitby Marina.
Vicki Deighton speaking on Deighton’s 40 year journey.
Day 3
The day kicked off with a session on the key dTIMS product plans and the dTIMS Roadmap from 2026 to DUC2027. This was presented by multiple members of the Deighton team and highlighted plans for enhancing features like dashboards, dTIMS CAR, dTIMS Tactical, and more over the next year. Dave Penney also showcased how dTIMS with AI-powered detection turns everyday video and imagery into an up-to-date road asset inventory with condition data — automatically.
In the afternoon, attendees participated in more personalized sessions and dTIMS Training led by members of the Deighton team. Each agency had discussions and training prepared specifically with their asset management needs and goals in mind. After these personal sessions, the Deighton team and DUC attendees spent the rest of the day in Toronto, for some sightseeing and a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game.
Day 4
The last day of DUC was primarily focused on the future of dTIMS, and was kicked-off by Dr. Gustav Rohde, who presented a keynote on ‘Leveraging New Digital Technology’. Discussing technology and asset management beyond AI, and the need to still work on continuous improvement as asset managers. Continuous improvement based on actual observations and human expertise in the loop with technology and AI will be key.
Gustav Rohde presenting his keynote.
After Gustav’s keynote presentation, Dave Penney went through the dTIMS Roadmap & Innovations session. This presentation covered a list of future dTIMS innovations the Deighton team is researching.
After Dave’s presentation, we announced the winner of the dTIMS Cup, a trophy awarded to the individual who demonstrated the highest level of achievement throughout our challenges. We are pleased to announce that Chance Desmarais from Saskatchewan Highways is the winner of the DUC2026 dTIMS Cup and will be added to the trophy located in Deighton’s head office.
Chance and the dTIMS Cup.
Vicki Deighton then came to the stage and officially closed out DUC2026! As DUC2026 came to a close, it was clear this year’s conference was fuelled by innovation and collaboration. From exploring the intricacies of dTIMS, to envisioning its future applications in global asset management, each session deepened our understanding and sparked new ideas. We extend our thanks to all attendees, whose contributions and enthusiasm made this event exceptional. We are always excited to share the dTIMS experience, and we can’t wait for DUC2027, scheduled for June 14-17, 2027! We hope you will join us.
Interested in learning more about any of the dTIMS products featured in these sessions? Book a demo with a member of the Deighton team today to learn more!