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 Courtney Kearney, CPSM Owner/Founder CKearney Consulting |
CRM failures and bad data are rarely technology problems. They are people and culture problems. This session explores how human behavior, shared expectations, and firm-wide data culture drive the success of CRM systems and the quality of business intelligence. Through a real-world firm story, participants will learn how shifting from blame to curiosity, creating a shared language of data, and clearly defining data ownership transformed messy records into trustworthy insights. Attendees will leave with practical first steps to audit their firm’s data culture, assign clear data roles, and build habits that support transparency, accountability, and reliable marketing and business development data.
Learner Outcomes
 Tim Asimos, CPSM Chief Marketing Officer Timmons Group |
This session examines how AEC marketers can look beyond industry norms by drawing inspiration from consumer marketing strategies. Designed for in-house marketing professionals, the session explores how proven B2C approaches such as brand storytelling, customer experience, creative campaigns, and audience engagement can be thoughtfully adapted to the built environment. Attendees will gain practical examples of how leading consumer brands capture attention and build loyalty, along with actionable ideas to translate those tactics authentically for AEC clients and prospects. Participants will leave with fresh perspectives and tools to elevate their firm’s marketing, break away from formulaic approaches, and deliver more engaging, differentiated brand experiences.
Learner Outcomes
 Karl Feldman Managing Partner Hinge |
This session examines how the A/E/C buyer landscape has shifted and what those changes mean for today’s marketing strategies. Designed for A/E/C marketers and business development professionals, the session explores current buyer priorities, how service providers are evaluated, and the evolving role of RFPs and relationships. Drawing on newly released research, attendees will gain data-backed insights into buyer behavior across the decision-making journey and learn how to adapt messaging, plans, and relationship-building efforts to meet modern expectations. Participants will leave with practical strategies and clear takeaways to strengthen relevance, build trust, and align their marketing approach with how buyers make decisions today.
Learner Outcomes
 Josh Miles Founder Bold Brand LLC |  Tyler Chartier Commercial Photographer/Director Tyler Chartier Photography |
This session examines how photography and video can move beyond basic headshots to become powerful tools for differentiation in AEC branding and recruiting. Designed for AEC marketing professionals, the session explores how visual storytelling shapes first impressions, strengthens employer brand, and attracts both clients and talent. Attendees will gain insight into the creative and practical considerations behind photography and video, including production trade-offs, budget realities, and emerging trends such as short-form video and AI-enhanced workflows. Participants will leave with a clearer framework for planning modern, authentic visual content and making a compelling case to leadership for investing in people-focused brand assets.
Learner Outcomes
 Wendy Simmons Founding Principal Middle of Six |
This session examines how AEC marketers can make smarter, more strategic go/no-go decisions when their firm is the underdog. Designed for professionals involved in pursuit strategy, the session explores how to assess qualifications, weigh risk versus reward, and determine when a longshot opportunity is worth the investment. Attendees will learn how to evaluate positioning, guide project teams through tough pursuit decisions, and tailor proposal messaging when pursuing work outside their traditional strengths or markets. Participants will leave with practical frameworks to strengthen decision-making, elevate pursuit strategy, and approach underdog pursuits with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Learner Outcomes
 Tim Klabunde, FSMPS, CPSM Principal Growth Impact Partners |
This session examines how AEC firms can intentionally develop rainmakers by equipping technical professionals with the skills and confidence needed to support business development. Designed for marketing and business development leaders, the session explores how to foster a culture where relationship-building is shared across the organization rather than limited to a few individuals. Attendees will gain practical strategies for breaking down internal barriers, coaching technical staff, and implementing repeatable tools that support trust-building and outreach at every level. Participants will leave with a clear framework for enabling relationship-driven growth and positioning their firms for sustained business development success.
Learner Outcomes
 Rohan Jawali Founder and CEO Joist AI |  GinaRenee Autrey Director of Marketing & Strategic Impact Kleinschmidt Associates |  Rawle Sawh Director of Operations Technology Gilbane |  Edward Benes, PE, Esq Chief Executive Officer LEO A DALY and Lockwood Andrews & Newnam |
This session examines how AEC firms navigate transformation by focusing on the human side of change, including culture, communication, and trust. Designed for professionals at all levels, the session brings together AEC leaders to share real-world experiences guiding teams through uncertainty, evolving tools, and shifting expectations. Attendees will gain insight into what inspires adaptation, how trust is built during disruption, and the role curiosity and clear communication play in moving organizations forward. Participants will leave with practical perspectives and actionable takeaways to help influence change, strengthen collaboration, and contribute meaningfully to their firm’s future during times of transformation.
Learner Outcomes
 Sarah C. McGillicuddy Associate Principal BR+A |  Peter A. De La Mora, CPSM Vice President HDR |  Carrie Mandelin, CPSM Vice President, Client Accounts Jacobs |  Lynn Murphy Associate Vice President Facilities Planning UK HealthCare |  Samir Patel, PE Associate Vice President for Clinical Infrastructure The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
This moderated panel session examines what it takes to move beyond winning work to earning long-term trust and loyalty in the AEC industry. Featuring perspectives from industry end users and national business development professionals, the discussion explores the critical transition from initial pursuit to sustained partnership. Attendees will gain insight into the consistent, intentional strategies that help relationships remain strong over time, including delivering ongoing value, communicating proactively, and adapting to evolving client needs. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how trust is built, renewed, and maintained, ensuring client relationships endure well beyond the first win.
Learner Outcomes
 Troy Parkinson Principal SagePresence |  Kristin Kautz, FSMPS, CPSM AI Strategist | Consultant | Speaker | Trainer JAM Idea Agency |
Winning shortlist interviews still depends on human connection, even as AI transforms how teams prepare. This dynamic session explores how AEC firms can blend proven business development strategy, storytelling, and artificial intelligence to gain an edge in high-stakes interviews. Participants will learn how to integrate AI tools across each phase of the shortlist process, from research and message development to rehearsal, delivery, and follow-up. Through real-world examples and live demonstrations, attendees will discover how AI can surface client insights, streamline preparation, and support more confident, authentic performance, turning shortlist interviews into a data-informed, insight-driven advantage.
Learner Outcomes
 Katie Weber, CPSM Associate, Director of Marketing Moriyama Teshima Architects |
This session examines how an architecture firm navigated an unexpected, high-profile public controversy with professionalism, integrity, and strategic communication. Designed for AEC marketing and communications professionals, the session explores Moriyama Teshima Architects’ response to the sudden relocation and closure of Toronto’s Ontario Science Centre, a landmark project deeply tied to the firm’s legacy. Attendees will gain insight into how to balance advocacy with diplomacy, respond effectively under media and political pressure, and protect firm reputation without a dedicated PR team. Participants will leave with practical lessons and a replicable framework for proactive communication planning that strengthens credibility, aligns messaging with firm values, and builds trust in complex, fast-moving situations.
Learner Outcomes
 Margaret Winch President Communication Resources Northwest, LLC |
This session examines how changes in project delivery, client expectations, AI tools, and competition have reshaped shortlist interviews in the AEC industry. Designed for marketing professionals who coach pursuit teams, the session explores emerging interview formats such as workshops, scenario-based exercises, and tightly timed Q&A, and what it takes to succeed in these environments. Attendees will learn strategies for preparing and coaching technical teams beyond traditional public speaking, with a focus on facilitation, critical thinking, and interpersonal communication. Participants will leave with practical approaches and proven processes to build confidence, improve performance under pressure, and increase win rates in today’s evolving interview landscape.
Learner Outcomes
 Adam B. Kilbourne, FSMPS, CPSM President Tec Inc. Engineering & Design |  Kevin Hebblethwaite, FSMPS Director, Business Development Stambaugh Ness |
This session examines the core business functions that underpin successful AEC firms and the leadership insight marketing and business development professionals need to advance into executive or ownership roles. Designed for professionals looking to deepen their business acumen, the session explores how finance, accounting, HR, risk management, and operations influence strategy, profitability, and long-term sustainability. Attendees will gain practical perspective on essential concepts such as cash flow, revenue recognition, insurance, and mergers and acquisitions, and learn how these elements connect to daily marketing and BD responsibilities. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how firms truly operate and a stronger foundation for positioning themselves as informed, credible leaders within their organizations.
Learner Outcomes
 Ryan Suydam Founder & CX Evangelist ClearlyRated |
This session examines Client Experience (CX) as a critical growth strategy for AEC firms looking to build loyalty, drive repeat business, and differentiate in competitive markets. Designed for marketing, business development, and emerging leaders, the session explores what CX truly means in an AEC context and why many firms struggle to define, measure, and implement it effectively. Attendees will learn how to assess their firm’s current CX approach using the CX Maturity Model and gain practical guidance for positioning CX as a driver of retention and growth. Participants will leave with actionable tools, including a CX Charter, and the confidence to lead meaningful CX initiatives within their firms.
Learner Outcomes
 Dhoreena Ventura Senior Director of Product Marketing OpenAsset |  Alexa Ramsey, CP APMP Pursuit Strategy Manager, Corporate Sales Enablement Team Burns & McDonnell |
This session examines how AEC marketing leaders can demonstrate the business value of proposal operations and build stronger cases for investment in resources, technology, and staffing. Designed for professionals responsible for proposal strategy and performance, the session explores how to measure proposal ROI, assess efficiency, and translate data into leadership-ready insights. Attendees will gain practical frameworks and tools, including guidance on building a Proposal Performance Dashboard, to help move proposal management from reactive to strategic. Participants will leave with the clarity and confidence to advocate for smarter investment and position marketing as a revenue-driving partner within their firm.
Learner Outcomes
 Deirdre M. Booth, FSMPS, CPSM President + Lead Strategist TankGirl Marketing |  Emilie Austin Director of Trainings + Marketing Strategist TankGirl Marketing |
This session examines how A/E/C marketers can leverage cultural moments and timely trends to build visibility and relevance without sacrificing credibility. Designed for marketing professionals navigating fast-moving digital landscapes, the session explores what makes trendjacking effective, how to assess cultural and brand fit, and when participation adds value versus risk. Through real-world examples, including viral brand moments from consumer and industrial sectors, attendees will learn how audience psychology, speed, and authenticity drive impact. Participants will leave with practical frameworks and tools to create agile, on-message engagement that helps their firms stay memorable and competitive in a rapidly changing marketplace.
Learner Outcomes
 Briana Carter, CPSM Senior Associate / Marketing Manager Page, now Stantec |  Kendra Cabler Rather, PhD Senior Manger, People Strategy DEI Etsy |
AEC professionals bring relentless hustle to demanding work, often carrying heavy personal and professional pressures behind the scenes. In a market where talent is tight and burnout is real, firms must rethink how they attract, support, and retain their people. This candid, interactive roundtable explores what it truly takes to build cultures rooted in authenticity, trust, and belonging. Through facilitated discussion and shared perspective, participants will examine meaningful recognition, flexible career pathways, and leadership behaviors that honor the whole human, not just the job title. Attendees will leave with practical ideas and renewed clarity on how people-centered cultures drive engagement, resilience, and long-term firm success.
Learner Outcomes
 Kristin Studabaker, CPSM Director of Business Development Carpenter Marty Transportation |  Shannon Stewart, CPSM Director of Client Engagement Design West Engineering |
In an industry built on relationships, the difference between casual connections and intentional partnerships can determine long-term success. This session explores how authentic relationships evolve from chance encounters into meaningful professional impact. Using a real-world case study, presenters introduce the Connection → Intention → Impact framework to demonstrate how everyday interactions can be transformed into purposeful collaborations. Through stories, discussion, and practical tools, participants will learn how to move beyond transactional networking and strengthen relationships that support business development, client trust, and career growth.
Learner Outcomes
 Skot Waldron Communications Strategist Skot Waldron / GiANT |
In AEC firms, marketers work at the intersection of creativity, deadlines, and structure, often collaborating with teams that approach work very differently. This keynote challenges the common narrative around procrastination and productivity, showing how different work styles, when understood and communicated, can strengthen trust, collaboration, and results. Participants will explore a simple framework for identifying their own work style, reducing internal judgment, and navigating cross-functional dynamics with greater clarity. Attendees will leave with practical tools to own how they work, improve relationships across departments, and position marketing as a strategic partner rather than a last-minute responder.
Learner Outcomes
 Courtney Messick, CPSM Senior Marketing Manager WSP |  Stephanie Murdoch, CPSM Marketing Director, Mid-Atlantic Region WSP |
Color team reviews are essential to winning work, but their success depends on more than simply scheduling meetings and collecting comments. This session provides a practical, end-to-end framework for planning, facilitating, and executing effective color reviews that improve proposal quality, ensure compliance, and drive better outcomes. Drawing from real-world scenarios, participants will learn how to select the right reviewers, align review timing with proposal complexity, and avoid common pitfalls such as insufficient planning, unclear roles, lack of structure, and weak accountability. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to lead confident, productive reviews that move teams from reactive feedback to intentional, winning proposal decisions.
Learner Outcomes
 Jerry Gennaria President TOKY |  Dr. Will Percy Executive Vice President TeamOptix, LLC |
Every firm claims to have strong values, but when the culture employees experience does not match the culture leaders describe, a credibility gap quietly forms. This “culture gap” erodes trust, engagement, and brand strength, particularly during moments of change such as mergers and acquisitions, leadership transitions, AI adoption, or talent challenges. In this session, brand strategist Jerry Gennaria (TOKY) and organizational culture and talent development expert Dr. Will Percy (Team Optix) explore how marketers and leaders can recognize and respond to misalignment between stated and lived values. Drawing on brand strategy and behavioral science, they examine how values shape behaviors, behaviors define culture, and culture ultimately drives both the employee and client experience. Through practical frameworks and interactive discussion, attendees will learn how to identify cultural misalignment, understand its impact on brand credibility, and play a more strategic role in closing the gap between what their firm says and how it shows up.
Learner Outcomes
 Josh Hanosh Vice President, Business Strategy Three29 |
AI is becoming the front door to discovery. Prospects are asking ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude who to hire and what to do next, and the answers they get are shaped by what those systems can clearly understand and confidently cite. In this workshop, we’ll cover the two things that matter most for being surfaced in AI-driven research: (1) making your website easy for answer engines to interpret without guessing, and (2) writing service and FAQ content in a citation-ready structure that AI can lift accurately. Attendees will walk through a simple diagnostic, see examples of what “extractable” structure looks like, and leave with a practical checklist plus templates they can apply immediately.
Learner Outcomes
 Frank Lazaro Principal AE Marketer |
This session will explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way proposals are written, reviewed, and evaluated, often by AI on both sides of the process. As project owners increasingly use AI to assess submissions, speed alone is no longer a differentiator. Instead, consistency, clarity, and strategic alignment determine success. This session reframes common concerns about AI into a practical opportunity, showing how AEC marketers can design AI-enabled workflows that strengthen, rather than replace, human expertise. Attendees will learn how to centralize institutional knowledge, reduce reliance on billable technical staff, and produce proposals that are more consistent, defensible, and aligned with owner priorities. Moving beyond AI novelty, the session positions marketing as a driver of utilization and revenue by accelerating pursuit timelines, improving proposal quality, and supporting leadership goals in an environment where AI review is becoming the norm. Participants will leave with a clear, tool-agnostic framework for becoming indispensable as the human in the loop in an AI-enabled firm.
Learner Outcomes
 John Campanella Chief Executive Officer Entro |
Private equity investment is reshaping the AEC industry, creating new pathways for growth, scale, and long-term value creation. For firms considering or navigating investment, marketing leaders play a critical role in positioning the organization for opportunity and guiding the narrative through change. Presented through the lens of a CEO, this session offers practical insight into how private equity evaluates firms, what makes an organization investment-ready, and why strategic alignment and storytelling are essential before, during, and after a transaction. Attendees will gain clarity on how to position their firms to attract investment, how to shape and manage a compelling narrative throughout the investment lifecycle, and how to anticipate post-investment shifts in strategy, metrics, and expectations. The session will also explore marketing’s expanded leadership role in reinforcing culture, communicating vision, and translating performance metrics through a private equity lens to drive confidence and momentum across the firm.
Learner outcomes:
 Jason Simms Principal Theirsay |  Stacey Crawshaw Marketing Director Work Program Architects |
For many A/E/C firms, press coverage is often limited to conveying the basics of a project in local and trade media. This session will explore how to bring forward press coverage that goes deeper and makes a lasting, meaningful impression.
The principal of Theirsay, a PR agency that specializes in A/E/C communications, joins the Marketing Director of Work Program Architects (WPA), a firm nationally recognized for its community-centered and resilient design projects, to break down in detail how their partnership generated top-tier media coverage for WPA that has transformed the firm’s public profile.
Drawing on three specific case studies, the presenters will walk through how each produced an outstanding result through different means: vulnerability, collaboration among stakeholders and dogged persistence. Participants will leave with a new perspective on how to approach earned media for their firms and clear, replicable paths they can pursue immediately.
Learner Outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
 Nikhil Almeida Co-Founder Joist AI |
A download of the most impactful tech shaping AEC—minus the hype, plus the how.
Technology in the AEC industry is evolving at a rapid pace, and staying ahead is not about chasing every new platform. It is about understanding which innovations truly impact how firms win work, collaborate, and deliver results. In this fast-paced, story-driven session, Nikhil Almeida distills the most important technology trends shaping the future of AEC. Drawing on real-world examples and practical insight, he will cut through the noise to focus on what actually matters across digital collaboration, data automation, AI-powered insights, and client-facing technologies. Attendees will leave with a clear perspective on where AEC technology is headed and three actionable steps they can implement immediately to future-proof their workflows and make smarter technology decisions within their firms.
Learner Outcomes:
 Wally Hise, CPSM Senior Vice President HDR |  Sarah Nolan Hoff Principal, Marketing & BD Trinity Consultants |  Craig S. Galati, FAIA, FSMPS, CPSM Principal LGA Architecture |  Kate Attilio, CPSM Vice President, Marketing Communications James G. Davis Construction |
Have you ever left a leadership meeting thinking, I wish I understood how that decision was really made?
This interactive fireside chat invites you to ask senior AEC leaders the questions that do not always feel easy to raise inside their own firms. Through candid, audience-driven conversation, executives will share how they evaluate performance, influence, risk, growth, and readiness for advancement.
Panelists will speak openly about pivotal decisions, missteps, internal pressures, and the realities of balancing growth, culture, and accountability. The goal is not polished talking points. It is clarity into how leaders think and how decisions are made.
If you want a clearer view of executive decision-making and practical insight into navigating it more strategically, this is the conversation you will not want to miss.
Learning Objectives
After attending this session, participants will be able to:
 Russell Sanford, FSMPS, CPSM Chief Strategy Officer Rogers, Lovelock and Fritz, Inc. (RLF) |
Marketing and business development in AEC firms are evolving beyond tactical support roles and into strategic growth leadership functions. Expectations for marketing and BD leaders are rising as firms look to these teams to help guide strategy, influence decision making, and drive measurable business outcomes. Yet many organizations remain stuck in activity mode, where marketing teams are busy delivering work but are not fully engaged in shaping firm direction.
This session presents a practical three-stage pathway for transforming a traditional marketing function into a high-performing growth system that contributes directly to firm strategy and organizational change. Drawing on real-world experience leading growth strategy at a national engineering and environmental firm, the presentation will explore how operational excellence builds credibility, how financial disciplines such as ROI and Cost of Winning Work strengthen leadership trust, and how marketing and BD leaders can influence culture, client experience, and firm performance. Attendees will leave with practical insights for elevating marketing from a support function to a true driver of growth.
Learner Outcomes
 Liam Bickerton Managing Director of Strategy 829 Studios |
AEC firms are operating in a radically different marketing environment. Today’s clients often research potential partners long before the first conversation happens, evaluating firms through search results, digital visibility, thought leadership, and online reputation. To stay competitive, firms must move beyond fragmented marketing tactics and build a coordinated, data-driven growth engine that supports both marketing and business development.
In this session, 829 Studios will share proven multi-channel strategies that AEC firms can use to modernize pipeline generation and increase visibility in competitive markets. Drawing from real-world client examples, attendees will explore how integrated approaches across Paid Search, Paid Social, SEO, content strategy, and audience targeting can drive measurable improvements in lead quality and marketing efficiency. Participants will learn how to prioritize markets and verticals using data, align business development and marketing around shared metrics, and build repeatable processes that support long-term growth.
Learner Outcomes
 Laura Ewan, FSMPS, CPSM Brand Strategist Dragonfly AEC Consulting |  Melinda Hepp Founder & Principal Studio PR |  Joel Hoekstra Writer & Strategist |
Every AEC firm is chasing the project that changes everything. The win that takes years of relationship building, research, positioning, and persistence to secure. These pivotal projects often become defining moments for firms, proving credibility in a new market or opening the door to future opportunities. But winning the work is only the beginning. Once the celebration ends, both technical teams and marketing professionals must shift their focus to delivering on the promise and leveraging the opportunity to elevate the firm’s brand and market position.
This panel brings together professionals experienced in guiding firms through that critical moment. From strategic communications and public relations to content development and storytelling, panelists will share practical approaches for identifying a pivotal project early, planning the story before the project is complete, and capturing the right content along the way. Attendees will gain insight into how marketing and technical teams can work together to maximize visibility, strengthen market perception, and turn a single project win into sustained brand momentum.
Learner Outcomes
Fireside Chat: The Questions You Wish You Could Ask AEC Leaders
Have you ever left a leadership meeting thinking, I wish I understood how that decision was really made?
This interactive fireside chat invites you to ask senior AEC leaders the questions that do not always feel easy to raise inside their own firms. Through candid, audience-driven conversation, executives will share how they evaluate performance, influence, risk, growth, and readiness for advancement.
Panelists will speak openly about pivotal decisions, missteps, internal pressures, and the realities of balancing growth, culture, and accountability. The goal is not polished talking points. It is clarity into how leaders think and how decisions are made.
If you want a clearer view of executive decision-making and practical insight into navigating it more strategically, this is the conversation you will not want to miss.
Learning Objectives
After attending this session, participants will be able to:
Have you ever left a leadership meeting thinking, I wish I understood how that decision was really made?
This interactive fireside chat invites you to ask senior AEC leaders the questions that do not always feel easy to raise inside their own firms. Through candid, audience-driven conversation, executives will share how they evaluate performance, influence, risk, growth, and readiness for advancement.
Panelists will speak openly about pivotal decisions, missteps, internal pressures, and the realities of balancing growth, culture, and accountability. The goal is not polished talking points. It is clarity into how leaders think and how decisions are made.
If you want a clearer view of executive decision-making and practical insight into navigating it more strategically, this is the conversation you will not want to miss.
Learning Objectives
After attending this session, participants will be able to:
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