SCHEDULE

TBD

Registration Open

1:00 – 4:00pm

BD Workshop (Additional registration required.)

Business Development Symposium Powered by Elevate

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – NAVIGATING MARKET SHIFTS WITH A STRATEGIC BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT APPROACH

Without a destination, how do you pick a direction, and without direction, how do you choose a road, or plot a course to get there? Even more important, when challenges are put in our path, how will you quickly figure out the detour or detours you must take that will still allow you to reach your destination? The roadmap is the most critical part of growth. It enables the team to understand the destination and follow the same path to get there. This session guides participants through the development and implementation of your strategic business development roadmap driven by a priority-based client management system that enables you to convert more leads into wins with or without the detours.

2:00 pm – 2:10 pm – Break

2:10 pm – 3:00 pm CLIENT CAPTURE PLANNING WORKSHOP

Give your firm the competitive advantage to win more work by taking a strategic, focused approach to pre-positioning with your top priority clients and prospects. This interactive session walks participants through the capture planning process and incorporates examples of proven strategies to establish long-term client relationships.

3:00 pm – 3:10 pm – Break

3:10 pm – 4:00 pm BREAKING DOWN CLIENT BARRIERS THROUGH ELEVATED BRAINSTORMING

Brainstorming provides an open environment that encourages everyone to participate where all ideas are welcomed and built upon, and all participants are encouraged to contribute fully, helping them develop a rich array of creative solutions. It can also help you gain alignment from team members for the solution chosen – after all, they’re likely to be more committed to an approach if they were involved in developing it. What’s more, because brainstorming is fun, it helps team members bond, as they solve problems in a positive, rewarding environment. Using several types of brainstorming techniques, attendees will brainstorm ideas to build and enhance client relationships based on specific client types.

1:00 – 4:00pm

Marketing Coordinator Workshop (Additional registration required.)

AEC MARKETING 101
Everything* you ever wanted to know about marketing but were afraid to ask! 

Join past National SMPS President, Melissa Lutz, FSMPS, CPSM, and Weld Coxe Marketing Achievement Award recipient, Carla Thompson, FSMPS, CPSM for an immersive and interactive exploration of marketing professional services in the AEC industry. This dynamic program will help you to sharpen your skills and broaden your understanding of how you can help your firm build brand awareness and win more work. This is a must-attend seminar for anyone who wants to go from 0 to 60 mph in their marketing career because it will make you immediately more valuable to your firm and your team. Melissa and Carla will guide you through the program in an entertaining, energizing, and engaging format. This is your chance to learn best practices from two of SMPS’ best-known marketing veterans.

*with only three hours, they may not get to everything but Melissa and Carla promise to answer your most pressing questions

Learning Objectives:

• Building visibility for your firm, your people, and yourself
• Putting the flow into a proposal process flowchart
• When to say NO! during the Go/No Go
• Developing persuasive proposals
• Shortlist interviews that win
• Debriefing a client, win or lose
• How to get a seat at the table

5:00 – 6:30pm

Welcome Reception

In front of the Grand Ballroom

6:30 – 9:00pm

Restaurant Round-up

TBD

Registration Open

7:30 – 8:30am

Breakfast

8:00 – 8:15am

SMPS President Comments

8:15 – 8:30am

Welcome

8:30 – 9:45am

Opening Keynote:
Thoughtfully Fit: Take Charge of What Comes Next

9:45 – 10:00am

Break

10:00 – 11:15am

Break-Out 1: Level Up Your Digital Analytics and Connect the ROI Dots with Data Storytelling

In this session, we’ll take a closer look at the relationship between digital data and the stories that are found behind the numbers. We’ll explore how marketers can more effectively sift through analytics to uncover powerful stories that provide change-driving insights and validate the digital activities of the marketing team.

10:00 – 11:15am

Break-Out 2: Supercharged Networking Build Relationships First, So Business Will Follow In All Networking Environments

Attendees will learn how to supercharge their in-person and virtual networking efforts to get unbelievable results. Lorry will share what a networking persona is and why you need one, what your networking follow-up should look like, and how to establish metrics for success. He will also share how to support your in-person networking with a social media plan.

10:00 – 11:15am

Break-Out 3: Live Coaching and Q&A with Darcy Luoma

Curious what life coaching is all about? This is your opportunity to be coached or gain new awareness as an observer. Master Certified Coach Darcy Luoma will coach audience members on ways to take charge of what comes next in order to achieve life and business success. Come with your questions, and be ready for Darcy’s questions, in order to get Thoughtfully Fit!

11:15 – 11:30am

Break

11:30am – 12:45pm

Networking Lunch & Keynote:
The Inclusive Mindset: What it is and Why it Matters

1:00 – 2:15pm

Break-Out 1: 3 Steps to Make Diversity a Differentiator in Meetings

This workshop will build upon concepts shared during lunch and dive deeper to provide actionable steps to apply inclusive leadership skills in meetings to improve decision-making and build a culture of inclusion.

1:00 – 2:15pm

Break-Out 2: Fractions of an Inch Matter: Positioning to Capture Subjective Bid Points

This session explores the psycho-social aspects of the bid submission and evaluation process. Participants will be introduced to research processes and methodologies that can help them understand how they are subjectively evaluated alongside competitors, and how to create slivers of advantage that, when added up, change the score.

1:00 – 2:15pm

Break-Out 3: Turning Your Website From Brochure to Lead Generator

From ranking in searches of active buyers, to developing gated content to feed the top of your marketing funnel, this program will discuss what steps you should be taking to move your website from pretty brochure to a dynamic sales tool that brings in active leads.

2:15 – 2:30pm

Break

2:30 – 3:45pm

Break-Out 1: Marketing – Beyond Proposals. Turn Overhead into Revenue

We’ll explore several paths for you to drive revenue from the marketing chair at your firm, expand your digital marketing knowledge and incorporate consumer marketing strategies. We’ll discuss how you can become involved with strategic planning and take your seat at the leadership table because you are the eyes and ears of trends in this industry.

2:30 – 3:45pm

Break-Out 2: Fine Tune Your Career Path

We will investigate how Awareness, Acceptance and Action impact career development and each module will have an exercise for personal reflection and growth. Through insightful stories, compelling examples, and engaging group discussions, attendees will gain a better understanding of how these three A’s affect their career route and contribute to firm success.

2:30 – 3:45pm

Break-Out 3: Dialing Up a Doer-Seller Culture that Sets Your Firm Apart

Participants will learn together through peer discussions, case studies, and presentations featuring best practices providing a foundation to dial-up a successful seller-doer culture that fosters strategy, teamwork, accountability, and recognition to drive success and increase revenues.

3:45 – 4:00pm

Break

4:00 – 5:15pm

Break-Out 1: Creating Cultural Buy-In

Your company’s culture is that special part of your brand that lives outside of logos, marketing materials, and other tangible cues. It is hard to see and yet it is constantly on display. It’s challenging to get everyone inside and outside of the firm to buy into your company culture, yet marketers are challenged by it every day in our industry. Join us as we discuss what culture means for employee engagement, how to create that buy-in, and the benefits a strong culture can have for your firm. Learn how you as a marketing professional can team with others in your firm to create cultural buy-in and positively impact the employee experience.

4:00 – 5:15pm

Break-Out 2: Take Control of Your Next Website Redesign

This session will demystify one of the most involved and expensive marketing endeavors a professional services firm can undertake (and the one that could create the most significant positive impact on your firm’s overall marketing effort) – a website redesign.

4:00 – 5:15pm

Break-Out 3: There’s Power in Unity: CX meets CRM

Amanda Roehl and Courtney Kearney want to change that perception and facilitate the joining of CX and CRM. These two seasoned speakers will highlight how these two powerful and important programs complement one another. They will cover practices and processes to establish at your firm to take it to the next level.

6:30 – 8:30pm

Reception & Pinnacle Awards Dinner

8:30pm

After Party at the Milwaukee Ale House

SMPS President Comments

8:00 – 9:00am

Breakfast

9:00 – 10:15am

Break-Out 1: Telling the Story of Skylines

Over the course of this session, Michael and Dave will break storytelling down in a way that leaves business owners and marketers better equipped for changes in the industry, strategic planning, and client/employee relations.

9:00 – 10:15am

Break-Out 2: Path to Principal: How We Became Owners as Non-Technical Professionals in the A/E/C Industry

These owners will share insights, challenges, and the rewards of ownership. We’ll hear about the path they took to get there and lessons learned that they can share with you. Lessons learned will also include stories from other non-technical principals in the AEC industry. Leah & Adam will also share a self-assessment tool you can use to help determine your readiness.

9:00 – 10:15am

Break-Out 3: A Culture Confident in Presence: Your Role in Elevating the Team

Each one of us has the power to help people around us believe in themselves more, reach in and find more confidence, communicate with more conviction, and bring more gravity to daily interactions, presentations, and meetings. Dean will take you through the seven principles to elevating people around you—what you can do to level the bar on team presence and foster courage and confidence. Empower yourself in the process of helping others, by modeling the qualities you’re fighting for in the team. Then, package the principles into a systematic approach to building brand-consistent “Presence Champions” within the firm, who embed confidence in your firm’s culture.

10:15 – 10:30am

Break

10:30 – 10:45am

SMPS President Comments

10:45am – 12:15pm

Closing Keynote/Farewell:
Anticipate Tomorrow: What’s Next for the AEC Industries?