As we begin the new decade, uncertainty looms large. Strategies trimmed to a pre-recession market don’t fit the current outlook. But which of many possible futures should a firm’s senior leaders now plan for? How can they leverage today’s uncertainties to create winning actions? By moving beyond strategic planning to advanced methods better suited to the complexities of today’s conditions.

This workshop will present methods for using scenarios and scenario planning to direct and create your firm’s preferred future. The four future scenarios presented in the workshop were created specifically for senior leaders in the A/E/C industry by AMI and parent company FMI Corporation, working in conjunction with a team of 50 industry leaders. Steve Isaacs and Sabine Hoover served as directors of the core research team. For almost a year, the AMI/FMI Researchers worked under the leadership of a Steering Committee of 15 design firm and academic leaders. This group was supplemented by an Advisory Committee of 36 industry leaders from architecture, engineering, construction and owner organizations in the public and private sectors, to analyze future trends and create the four scenarios.

The scenarios and their implications were extrapolated from dynamics already at play in the world today, and are framed to present consulting design firm leaders with opportunities to ask tough questions about their firm’s future, and prepare to move beyond the recession with dynamic, proactive and collaborative responses.

Learning Objectives

1. Discover four future scenarios that can assist firm leaders and senior staff prepare for both the most likely future and less likely, but highly important, contingencies.
2. Learn what key drivers will have the strongest influence on our industry over the next decades.
3. Learn how to use scenario planning to direct your firm’s future strategies.
4. Address ways of taking action to bring about preferred future results, and using change to your firm’s benefit.

Who Should Attend?

• CMOs
• Principals and owners
• Firm leaders responsible for marketing or business development

Steve Isaacs has thirty years of experience leading design and construction firms and major engineering, architecture and planning projects throughout the United States and overseas. He assists firms in improving their practice in the areas of overall organization and management, strategic long term planning, financial controls, project performance and profitability, negotiation, mergers and acquisition, staff mentoring and development, ownership transition, joint ventures and partnering. He designed and teaches courses in project management and the leadership of architectural, engineering and planning firms and in effective negotiation.

As the former President and CEO of Gensler Architecture Design and Planning Worldwide and a board member of various firms and organizations, Ed brings unique, industry insights on building your network via relationships, the importance of transparency, the value of employees, and corporate culture as an asset. A California native, Ed completed his undergraduate degree in pre-architecture at Stanford University in 1965 and received his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968. He joined Gensler in San Francisco in 1969 and went on to open the firm’s Los Angeles office in 1976. During his tenure at Gensler he established the firm’s successful practice areas in entertainment, transportation, urban and master planning and strategic facility consulting. In 1995 he was appointed President and, in 2000, Chief Executive Officer of the firm, leading its development as one of the most successful and influential design firms in the U.S. Ed had responsibility for the firm’s strategic development efforts as well as business operations in 24 Gensler offices around the world.

Frank Lippert is the water business unit marketing manager for David Evans and Associates, Inc. (DEA). Frank has been with DEA for more than nine years, specializing in water resources marketing and business development. He brings 18 years of proposal development experience coupled with more than ten years of client relationship management to his team. Frank has presented on marketing topics such as Marketing 101 and Interview Prep 101 at SMPS Regional Conferences across the country. He has facilitated panel discussions on leading edge, water-related, marketing topics like LEED-certified and “green” development as well as storm water regulation changes in the Northwest marketplace. Frank has served as the SMPS Oregon chapter president. He has served SMPS nationally as an SMPS Foundation trustee and president and Chapter Delegate on the SMPS National Board of Directors. He recently earned his SMPS Fellows designation in July 2009.

Stephanie Craft is a founding partner of MARKETLINK, a marketing consulting firm specializing in the architecture, engineering and construction industry. Stephanie has been fortunate to speak at various SMPS chapters and regional conferences across the country, as well as other industry associations. She is also involved actively in SMPS on local and regional levels. With offices in California, Utah, Florida, Idaho and North Carolina, MARKETLINK works with clients in a variety of marketing capacities including: branding, business development, candidate searches, client relations, graphic design, marketing collateral development, marketing department organization and management, market research, proposals and presentations, public relations, strategic planning, training and website development.

These turbulent times demand strong and powerful interview skills to differentiate yourself and your firm. The competition is fiercer than ever. This highly interactive session teaches attendees how to approach presentations and interviews with targeted and specific skills that allow them to showcase the talent, personality and experience of the individual presenter or team with strength, clarity and grace. The session focuses on how to stand out from the competition by addressing the exact interests of the client or audience. The program also teaches the participants how to use their bodies and minds to show - rather than tell - audiences and clients who they are and why they are suited for a particular contract or job.

Susan Murphy, a frequent speaker at AIA and SMPS conferences, specializes in helping AEC firms hone their communication skills. She has the reputation of being a tough coach who uses her high energy and humor to keep her participants engaged and happy while they sweat and struggle to try new skills and practice changed behavior. Asked why she specializes in AEC, Murphy answers, “They are the only people who still understand cause and effect.” Susan divides her time between Edgewater, New Jersey, Union Dale, Pennsylvania, and Bozouls, France. She has been featured in various books about successful women in business, and was a speaker at More magazine’s Reinvention Convention. Susan’s first book will be released in late winter. People are still arguing about the title. It is a do-it-yourself guide for presentation skills training and coaching.

Following the theme of the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” television series, this session will highlight three “families” (A/E companies) and their quest to makeover their existing corporate websites through a complete overhaul. Using a case study approach, the moderator will interview each of the panelists with a series of questions that focus on topics including objectives, process, technologies, social media, measurement tools, results, and lessons learned. At the end of each case study, the audience will shout, “Move that Mouse!” at which time the overhauled website will be unveiled. Adequate time for Q&A will be provided after each unveiling. The session will be moderated by Caitlin Jewell from Silverscape (www.silverscape.com), with the panel consisting of Howard Wolff, FSMPS from WATG (www.watg.com), Bill Reader from NTH Consultants (www.nthconsultants.com), and Alethea O'Dell from Degenkolb Engineers (www.degenkolb.com).

As Principal and Creative Director at Silverscape, Caitlin works with organizations as a catalyst for change, champion of design and technology and partner in synthesizing complex paths to transition. She’s done work for Disney, Boston Beer Company, RIM, Genzyme, DRIFIRE, Lernout & Hauspie, and a long list of national architecture, engineering, construction, high tech, consumer, and financial firms. She holds memberships in the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS). Caitlin is an active presenter at in leading industry events and conferences. She received her BFA from Massachusetts College of Art & Design.

Howard J. Wolff is senior vice president and worldwide director of marketing for WATG, the world's number one destination design firm. A recipient of the prestigious Marketing Achievement Award from SMPS -- honoring excellence in leadership, communication, education and innovation -- Howard also has received over two dozen national and international marketing communication awards, including several for WATG's website. Based in Honolulu for the past 21 years, Howard oversees the company's global strategic planning, marketing and communication initiatives.

Bill Reader is corporate marketing director for NTH Consultants, Ltd., a 250-person geotechnical, environmental, and facilities engineering firm. Bill's rebranding efforts over the past five years have led him through several enterprise-wide initiatives, including the rebuilding of a new company website (which received a 3rd Place Marketing Communications Award for Best Website at the 2009 SMPS National Conference). He credits the success of NTH's website to a few strategic planning steps that provided the creative direction for incorporating YouTube-style videos, company-branded giveaways, and corporate collateral materials on the site.

Alethea O'Dell has more than 15 years' experience in marketing, branding, and communications. In her seven years at Degenkolb Engineers, the firm has won more than 25 local and national communications awards. She is a passionate advocate for brevity and will leave it at that.

In this new economy, as available work fluctuates and competition rises, successful firms are finding new ways to capitalize on their talent, connect with their prospects, and satisfy their clients. To optimize these areas you and your team should be applying Whole Brain Thinking to your marketing efforts. In this fun, interactive workshop, participants will discover how they—and others—prefer to process information. They’ll see the benefits of thinking in their own style, start to recognize and appreciate the cognitive diversity in their firm, and learn how to craft a marketing message that speaks directly to their targeted audience’s thinking preferences.

Carol Doscher has been stretching people’s thinking for over 20 years. As a Herrmann International certified trainer in Whole Brain Thinking, she has a passion for using thinking preferences to help individuals and teams communicate better. After a decade of singing and performing on- and off-Broadway, Carol turned to marketing design and construction services before founding Graceworks in 1995. Since then, she has trained thousands of professionals from all over the world to make the “human connection.” She’s been featured in The New York Times and on Bloomberg television; and has published numerous articles on presentation and communication skills.

Whether you are a CEO or an entry level member of the professional services community, your most valuable asset should be your Network. Is it so for you? Understanding how to develop and leverage your network is one of the most important tools you can learn to master. In this session, you will get practical and immediately useful tips on just how to develop and utilize your network to its full potential. You will also learn how to transform any causal networking introduction into a colleague relationship that can easily lead to new business and other valuable results. In today’s economic climate, you need to work your ASSet off to ensure that you thrive into the coming years. You will walk away from this session eager to immediately expand and put your network into action.

Allison Tabor is the CEO of TEAC Structural Engineering, managing all “non-technical” aspects of the business, while her partner manages all the “technical” aspects. In addition to her role at TEAC, Allison is actively involved in the homebuilding industry. She is the immediate Past President of the CBIA Women’s Council and a CBIA Member Services Board Member, Past President and current advisor of the local HBANC Women’s Council, Past board Member of the National NAHB Women’s Council and has served on the Board of Directors for Home Aid, a charitable organization providing transitional housing to the temporarily homeless.

Do you want to become a leader?—The business of the A/E/C world—getting client attention and winning projects, coordinating with complex teams, maintaining schedule and budget—is enacted with different experts and personality types, in complex and varying team environments, and requires a vast array of skills and experience. Leadership—the ability to move diverse individuals to a specific end—is a powerful tool to address these challenges, increase your impact, and achieve professional satisfaction and recognition. This class is about how to become a leader both within and beyond your firm. The content demystifies leadership and helps you learn how to become a catalyst for growth and an integral part of the fundamental operations and strategy within your company.

Ted Sive helps companies and leaders determine their unique voices and skills, and translate that into successful marketing strategies and compelling communications. His clients are architects, engineers, and builders. Ted’s skills include a command of written and spoken communication, including professional training and experience as a writer and writing coach; facilitating, coaching, and encouraging groups and individuals to decisive strategy; and delivering efficient marketing and public relations systems. Before becoming a consultant, Ted was a Partner and Director of Marketing for Lease Crutcher Lewis, a leading Pacific Northwest general contractor, and prior to that Director of Marketing and Associate at Meng Associates, an architectural and value analysis firm.

Bill Strong has 35 years experience in marketing and business development for architectural firms. He is a Principal and the Director of Marketing at Mahlum Architects, a Pacific Northwest leader in the architectural design of educational, healthcare, and institutional projects. Bill is a member of the firm’s management team that incorporates two offices in Seattle and Portland. As marketing director of the firm, Bill oversees the strategic planning and development of marketing and public relations for the corporation and its offices. In addition to strategic planning, his role includes market research, indirect market programs, promotion and communication, and direct business development.

No matter what your title, you are a marketing leader in your firm. This session will focus on how marketers can serve as leaders to both technical and other marketing staff to sustain a year-long marketing effort with the collaboration and support of ALL staff. This will be the ultimate “train the trainer” as MARKETLINK shares some of what they’ve done and seen successful firms do to create winning marketing and technical staff relationships. Presented will be the summary form of 12 one-hour sessions marketers can use each month of the year to train, educate, and mentor both technical and marketing staff to help them further the company’s marketing and business development programs. Training sessions will cover topics in the areas of public speaking and presentation techniques, conducting successful business development calls, maintaining client relationships, proposal collaboration, and much more. No longer will marketers need to think about what they can say to technical staff to motivate them in their marketing efforts. This session will give them the training tools to implement for the whole year.

Stephanie Craft and Keri Hammond are founding partners of MARKETLINK, a marketing consulting firm specializing in the architecture, engineering and construction industry. Stephanie and Keri have been fortunate to speak at various SMPS chapters and regional conferences across the country, as well as other industry associations. They are also both involved actively in SMPS on local and regional levels. With Bachelors’ Degrees in Marketing and 20+ years experience working in the A/E/C Industry, they are uniquely qualified to speak on the needs and challenges of marketing our industry. With offices in California, Utah, Florida, Idaho and North Carolina, MARKETLINK works with clients in a variety of marketing capacities including: branding, business development, candidate searches, client relations, graphic design, marketing collateral development, marketing department organization and management, market research, proposals and presentations, public relations, strategic planning, training and website development.

Everything about our lives is wrapped around our memory. Dates, facts, figures, appointments and experiences all play a part in our daily routine. Every day we are inundated with an increasing amount of information that impacts our lives. Unfortunately, most of us haven’t developed the memory skills to retain and internalize it. Consequently, we are overwhelmed and only retain a small amount of the information transmitted. By making the conscious decision to enhance our memory skills we take action on improving the quality our lives. What is your memory worth to you? Priceless! Maximizing Your Memory is a highly interactive workshop where participants get to test their memory, learn new techniques, and have fun. Through the process of learning new techniques and practice, the participants actually experience significant improvement in the classroom and are able to easily implement the new skills in their daily lives.

Michael Green is the president and founder of Memory Spring, a company dedicated to being the leader in enhancing people’s memories. Michael is also the co-founder of Delta-4, a leadership, teambuilding, and sales training company. Over the last 14 years Michael has worked with a number of companies including Caltrans, Chevron, Frontier Communications, Gannet, Nextel, Sacramento Kings, SureWest, URS Corporation, UC Davis and others. In addition to memory enhancement, Michael has worked with thousands of people on improving Leadership, Teamwork, Sales, Communication and other skills. Michael has also served as an area governor and club president for Toastmasters International.

Explore what it takes to manage and/or supervise the activities of anyone who does marketing/business development, provide the know-how to success, and effectively coach and encourage individual members to become a cohesive marketing/BD team. This session directly addresses two of the concepts in Domain Six of the Domains of Practice: 1) Management and Motivational Techniques and 2) Training, Leadership, and Staff Dynamics.

Katherine Robinette has more than 14 years of experience marketing for non-profits and professional A/E/C services. For the last eight years, she has worked for engineering firms, translating best practices into clear action steps. She is the recipient of the 2008 SMPS Oregon Marketer of the Year award – a distinction that recognizes her contributions to her firm, her colleagues, and the marketing profession. She is the Senior Marketer for Water and Environmental Services at David Evans and Associates, Inc. in Portland. Katherine is also the Director of Resources for SMPS Oregon, where she manages the member library and speakers bureau.

When the stimulus money is spent and the revenue base stabilizes, will it be business as usual or has the recession had a profound and permanent impact on public agencies’ priorities and procedures? Are the stimulus package reporting requirements permanent, what impact has the social networking environment had on agency communications with consultants? These and other issues will be topics of discussion for our panel of Federal, State and local public officials.

Mike Ryan is the CEO of IMS. The company researches and publishes information from agencies in fifteen states. He has served on the MB Planning commission and the Mayor’s Task Force for Multifamily Housing Design Guidelines. Mike is past National President of PEMA, has served on the boards of the Phoenix Chapter of SMPS and the Business Development Association of OC (BDAOC). Mike has been a featured speaker at various SMPS chapters and conventions, the S D Water Authority, The Society for Design Administrators, and BDAOC. He has been a guest lecturer at Ball State University’s School of Entrepreneurial Studies.

We all knew it had to slow down sooner or later, but no one predicted the suddenness of the economic drop, and thoroughness with which it would slow construction in virtually all markets and geographic areas. The architectural billing index has dropped to historic levels. Even the best financial minds don’t agree on how long it will last. In these uncertain times, what should the leaders and agents-for-change in design and construction firms be doing? Where should we turn for guidance? How can we provide the effective communication and courageous action that will shape the survival of our firms? More compellingly, are there opportunities to grow and thrive in these turbulent times? Regardless of what your crystal ball tells you about the depth and duration of the financial crisis, action is required today. Lee Slade, a 33-year industry veteran, will share lessons from earlier economical downturns - especially the rock bottom years in the mid 1980’s oil bust in the southern U.S. states. He will candidly discuss the steps that his firm is taking to survive and thrive. He will suggest Five Needed Actions to Survive 2010. Join Mr. Slade for an uplifting look at the future, and leave the session better equipped to be a voice for reasoned action in your firm.

Lee Slade has overall responsibility for Walter P. Moore’s national structural engineering operations. A 33-year veteran of the firm, he’s helped Walter P. Moore establish a reputation as a leading structural designer of important buildings, and as Structural Engineer’s Top U.S. Structural Engineer to Work For three years in a row. He learned the business from the production side, advancing from structural design engineer to project manager to team leader. Somewhere along the way he connected the dots between clients and success and dipped his toe into marketing and business development. Eventually he came to lead the company’s overall marketing efforts as Walter P. Moore grew from 100 to 300 and added four offices. During those years he was often introduced by his partners as “the BD guy.” In 2001 he came full circle by returning to operations to lead the structural engineering services group of the now 450-person, 13-office firm, with soup-to-nuts responsibility for all aspects of the $45 million annual structural operations. He is passionate about the linkage between marketing and operations, and recognizes that everything the firm does is marketing, for better or worse.

Business has changed virtually overnight and it will not return to business as usual. The recession of 2008-2009 is not a recession at all, but the end of an age and the movement to a new age. How do individuals and organizations adapt quickly to the realities of a new age? How do they reorganize their businesses to zero in on what really matters most to today’s customers, clients, and prospects? This presentation will explore the movement from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age and highlight new skills and the new mindset needed to thrive in a brave new world.

As a principal in Lucchesi Galati, Craig Galati focuses on forward-thinking strategic solutions. Through his passion for workshop facilitation and public outreach, he has provided invaluable clarity and direction to multiple public and private organizations for decades. He is an accomplished speaker and provides leadership and strategic consulting. In 2005, Craig authored the book “Admit It! 21 Things You Already Know but Apparently Have Forgotten Regarding Client Service.” His second book, “A Man in Transition,” was released in 2008. He is currently a guest writer for In Business Las Vegas, writing “The Heart of Business” blog on the magazine’s website.

One of the prominent business trends in the A/E/C industry is the changing landscape of firms through mergers, acquisitions, or just pure internal restructuring as a result of the economy or market conditions. As firms go through these changes, marketing professionals must be prepared to lead and respond to the changing dynamic. It is a great opportunity for marketers to shine by playing a critical role in leading/implementing these changes because we are the keepers of the firm’s brand. This panel of seasoned marketers will discuss recent experience at their firms including organizational change on the corporate side, practice/service level, and on the geographic level. Through an interactive panel and question/answer session, our audience will hear advice regarding the marketers’ role in helping to garner support and implement innovative ideas at the global, regional, and local levels.

Joy Woo is a Senior Associate and Global Marketing Director for Masterplanning. Joy has 20 years of experience in marketing, strategic planning, and proposal management. She earned an MBA and a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Davis. She is an active SMPS member, now in the San Francisco Chapter. Joy recently completed two terms on the Board of Directors for Stanford Home for Children, a non-profit organization that provides community-based, family-centered services to approximately 300 at-risk children and their families annually.

Marion Thatch has 25 years experience in the A/E/C industry. An active leader in her firm, AMEC Geomatrix, she excels in providing strategic direction, process development and implementation, and business development coaching for technical staff. She was a co-author for the 2009 SMPS Foundation White Paper: Social Networking for Competitive Advantage. In 2008, Marion was named the Sandy d’Elia Marketer of the Year by the San Francisco SMPS Chapter. She has a BA in Business Management from St. Mary’s College (Moraga, CA) and three years of study in Landscape Architecture from California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo, CA).

Julie Shepard has 25 years of marketing experience in the A/E/C industry. She is an Associate and Corporate Director of Marketing at Psomas, an engineering consulting firm with offices throughout the West. In addition, she heads up “Learning” at Psomas, overseeing/assisting with a slate of classes on presentations, proposal writing, client communications and negotiations. She is a past President of the Sacramento Chapter of SMPS, past President of the South Natomas Transportation Management Association, and board member of the Friends of Light Rail and Transit. A Bachelor’s Degree was received from California State University at Sacramento.