This session draws on insights from the Simulation Showcase, a year-long, peer-reviewed webinar series organized by IBPSA-USA’s EPSI committee, that evaluated a diverse set of young professional-led simulation projects applying modeling to real-world building performance challenges. This first installment of Simulation Showcase started with the receipt of 25 submissions that organizers reviewed out of which 15 speakers were invited to present across five webinars, and two professionals reviewed each presentation.

This session focuses on what consistently distinguished strong simulation work during the review process. Reviewers and organizers will synthesize their feedback for the top performing submissions. Sessions were evaluated for clarity, innovation, impact, and communication.

The session will further highlight recurring strengths observed in higher-quality submissions, such as effective problem framing, alignment between modeling objectives and project context, transparent treatment of assumptions and uncertainty, and clear communication of results to technical and non-technical audiences. It will also address common challenges identified during reviews. Selected examples from the Showcase will be referenced to ground the discussion.

Learning Objectives:

- By attending this session, participants will:

Identify key characteristics for high-quality simulation work and presentation.

- Understand what the Simulation Showcase is, who it is for, and what organizers, reviewers, and participants took away from it.

- Learn from examples of effective and less effective simulation work and presentation to strengthen technical and communication skills for emerging professionals.

- Strengthen their ability to communicate simulation assumptions, limitations, and results to support real-world decision-making.

The session synthesizes reviewer perspectives into actionable guidance that attendees can apply when developing, reviewing, or presenting simulation-based work.