Get ready for SMPS Boston’s annual marketing bootcamp, presented by the Professional Development Committee! This year’s presenters draw from local AEC experts (and SMPS members), providing you with skills and information relevant to our industry and geographic region. This all-day event includes lunch and networking opportunities at the end of the day.

Schedule:

9:00 - 10:00 | Keynote: Career Trajectory Panel

Presenters: Host - Ben Sawa, CPSM (GEI), Panelists - Doug Larence (Sasaki), Sarah McGillicuddy (BR+A), Andrew Beaton (CDM Smith)

Where do you see yourself in five, ten, or even 20 years? This is a common question asked in interviews and performance reviews, but it can be challenging to determine your options for career and professional growth when you're in the daily grind of proposals. Ben Sawa, the Vice President of Corporate Development at GEI, has brought together a panel of local AEC marketing and business development leaders to discuss the rapidly changing industry and its impact on career opportunities for marketers like we have never seen before. Listen directly from the panelists as they discuss the various career paths available and how to achieve them. The panelists include Doug Larence, Principal and Chief Marketing Officer at Sasaki, Sarah McGillicuddy, Director of Business Development and Associate Principal at BR+A, and Andrew Beaton, Associate in Marketing and Communications at CDM Smith.

10:15 - 11:15 | AEC Marketing 101: Design, Engineer, and Construct Your Career - YOUR WAY!

Presenter: Suzanne King, CPSM (Acentech)

OK, so let’s get real –what will have the greatest impact as you explore the AEC industry, your role, and your career path? In this session, we throw away the bland timeworn script and engage in authentic conversation and analysis of the REAL essentials to help re-imagine and build a rewarding career as an AEC marketer.

Design, Engineer, Construct, and SUSTAIN!  The takeaways:

• An understanding of the ground level - AEC basics (what is it with all these acronyms)!
• Where to find the tools, tips, tricks, and secrets (they are right at your fingertips).
• How to leverage the expertise around you and capture that knowledge.
• Finding your voice (yeah, we said it).
• Insights into developing your network and personal brand.
• Creating actionable, realistic career goals that feed your passion and result in sustainable growth, and lifelong relationships…if it isn’t enjoyable or gratifying, make a change!

Who knows, you might be the next marketer teaching this session!

11:30 – 12:30 | Networking 101: Planning for Success

Presenter: Anne Kroger, FSMPS, MBA (Kroger Grant Consultants)

Antoine de Saint-Exupery famously said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” As with most things in life, this holds true for networking. Networking is an essential skill for building relationships, both professional and personal. This interactive workshop will cover the basics of networking, including how to plan for and execute that plan for success. Topics will include:

• What is Networking and why does it matter?
• How to develop a networking plan for a successful event
• Professional organizations for you and your firm
• Tips for entering and exiting conversations
• Making it fun

12:30 - 1:30 | LUNCH

1:45 - 2:45 | IFBP OMG: The ABCs of Client Connection

Presenter: Kristen Peters (Arrowstreet)

In a sea of qualified firms, how do you make a client feel like your team understands them the best? How do you create a connection in just five minutes of review time? What if there was a process that could strengthen your messaging and design, and make writing easier at the same time? Kristen Peters, Marketing Manager at Arrowstreet, outlines a simple workflow to help your content stand out from the crowd. Using behavioral psychology and User Experience (UX) Design principles, attendees will learn a 3-step workflow:

1. Analyze: Become familiar with the client’s voice, brand, and values to create a “thesaurus” to highlight shared ground
2. Build: Learn the pillars of persuasive writing: Issues, Features, Benefits and Proof (IFBP) to identify client-centered benefits that your firm brings
3. Communicate: Explore the graphic design principles behind “designing for the scanning reader” to entice the reviewer to read more deeply

Through learned techniques in client analysis, messaging strategy and visual reinforcement, attendees will practice the presented skills in a series of fun, collaborative exercises for a mock RFP response. Who will win the factory renovation RFP for an eccentric food & beverage producer? Join us at Bootcamp to find out!

3:00 - 4:00 | The Power of Images in Marketing

Presenter: John Benford (John Benford Photography)

As an AEC marketer, high-quality professional images are critical to your success. At some point, you will need to hire professional photographers. This session will teach you when and how to hire professional photographers, including getting the most out of your budget, understanding copyright, image licensing and photography contracts, preparing for successful photography projects for architecture, headshots, and more, and what to expect on the day of the photography.

4:00 - 5:00 | Networking

Speaker Bios:

Keynote Panelists

Ben Sawa, CPSM: Vice President of Corporate Development (GEI)

Ben Sawa is the Vice President for Corporate Development at GEI. In this role he is responsible for driving organic and acquisitive growth strategies across the organization. Prior to this assignment, he has held progressive roles in engineering, geology, finance, operations, and marketing. Ben also currently serves on the Board of Directors for SMPS National.

Doug Larence: Principal, Chief Marketing Officer (Sasaki)

Doug is a principal and Sasaki’s Chief Marketing Officer. Doug has more than twenty years of professional services marketing experience, primarily focused on planning and design. He plays a key role working inclusively as part of firm leadership to develop and implement global, multi-disciplinary marketing, business development, and communications strategies across a variety of markets, services, and geographies. Doug’s work at Sasaki includes the articulation and direction of strategic marketing plans across all facets of the firm’s practice; oversight of all aspects of the firm’s marketing and business development activities; strategic and hands-on involvement in project pursuits; development of annual budgets and day-to-day decision making relative to resource allocation; monitoring, reporting, and interpretation of marketing performance metrics to drive continuous improvement; and supporting the professional development and retention of a 15-person marketing team.

Sarah McGillicuddy: Associate Principal, Director of Business Development (BR+A Consulting Engineers)

Marketing and Business Development professional with 20 years of professional experience dedicated within the design, construction, and real estate industry. Sarah leads with a passion for people, making connections, and pushing the envelope when it comes to building business creatively. Currently, Sarah’s role entails leading business development for BR+A, a national consulting engineering practice with 11 offices nationwide. Sarah enjoys developing and employing strategies, tools, and tactics to expand BR+A’s business to their key markets. She focuses on collaborating with strategic partners, which has helped to expand and nurture BR+A’s business contacts while fostering valuable client relationships. Sarah is an industry leader having served as a past President of SMPS Boston, a founding member of Professional Women in Construction’s (PWC) Boston Chapter as well as Past President, and most recently was appointed to the Board of CREW Boston. She is also an active member of several committees for CoreNet and CREW. When not at work Sarah enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her husband, two children, and a giant breed dog, a Leonberger named Bear! Sarah volunteers at her local Pantry Shelf every week and serves on the Food Pantry’s Board of Directors.

Andrew Beaton: Associate, Marketing and Communications (CDM Smith)

Andrew Beaton is a manager of marketing & communications with CDM Smith's MarComm group. His team creates articles, videos, live events, and social content to introduce the world to the people, projects, and innovations of CDM Smith. He can often be found moderating panels, hosting broadcasts, and conducting interviews with industry experts and company leaders. Andrew is an avid evangelist for SMPS as a springboard for an exceptional marketing and communications career and currently serves on SMPS’ Board of Directors as the Immediate Past President.

Seminar Presenters

Suzanne King, CPSM: Senior Marketing Manager (Acentech)

Suzanne King, CPSM, is a past president of the SMPS Boston Chapter, a 2023/2024 SMPS Northeast Regional Conference (NERC) co-chair, and senior marketing manager for Acentech, a world-class architectural acoustics, noise & vibration, and technology services systems consulting company. With over two decades in AEC marketing, she is an expert in marketing strategy, business acquisition, messaging, and events. Suzanne credits much of her professional success to knowledge-sharing with her fellow SMPS members.

 Anne Kroger, FMSPS, MBA: President (Kroger Grant Consultants)

Anne is the consummate relationship builder. If she doesn’t know you yet, she will! She is a Fellow of SMPS and a two-time past president of SMPS Northern New England (when it was called SMPS Maine). She is also the recipient of the national SMPS leadership award, SMPS President of the Year. After a 30-year in-house BD career for A/E/C firms, she started Kroger Grant Consultants. Kroger Grant provides business development, public speaking, and strategic planning coaching and training services to A/E/C firms.

Kristen Peters: Marketing Manager (Arrowstreet)

Kristen Peters, Marketing Manager at Arrowstreet, constantly seeks new ways to visually communicate complex issues in a simple, elegant way. She focuses on communication strategy, graphic design, and digital media, and has worked extensively on strategic client pursuits for the past decade. A theatrical director by training, Kristen has long been active in Portland, ME-area theaters where her non-profit work has helped increase audiences through social media, website, and print marketing strategies. When not at the office, you can usually find her researching and creating historic costumes, directing shows, fixing up old sewing machines, or attempting to keep up with her effervescent first grader.

John Benford (John Benford Photography)

John Benford is a commercial photographer based in Portsmouth, NH. He creates honest, authentic portrait and lifestyle images and powerful architectural images for commercial and editorial clients of all sizes, including AEC firms like Arup, Cianbro, SMRT & Lavallee Brensinger Architects. He is currently President of ASMP New England, the leading trade association for commercial and editorial photographers. See more of his work at johnbenford.com or on Instagram @jbenfordphoto

Event Organizers:

Kristie Norris, Director of Professional Development – Marketing Department Head, GPI

Amanda Jacques, Professional Development Committee Member  - Marketing Specialist, Wright-Pierce

 Ellen Thompson, Professional Development Committee Member – Director of Marketing, isgenuity

View registered attendees here

Cancellation Policy: If you can no longer attend an event, we encourage you to find a substitution; substitutions are welcome at any time. Full refunds will be granted if cancellation is made 72 hours before the event’s start time. No refunds will be made for no-shows. Email [email protected] for substitution or refund requests.