PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

Wednesday, September 30 | 1:00–5:00 PM

These optional, half-day sessions are designed to provide practical tools, fresh perspectives, and peer-to-peer learning you can immediately apply in your role. Wednesday’s Marketing Workshop and Business Development Workshop are available through separate event registration and are ideal for professionals looking to deepen their expertise and maximize the value of the Heartland Regional Conference.

Marketing Workshop: Pixels, Prompts, and Possibilities - AI, CRM, and Design in AEC

Presented by Courtney Kearney, CPSM & Julie Shaffer, FSMPS, CPSM

AI is no longer on the horizon for the AEC industry. It is already changing how firms communicate, work together, and create. This four-hour workshop connects two key areas of this change: the human side of client relationship management (CRM) and the practical challenges faced by design professionals who shape the industry's visual identity. In these sessions, you will explore what it means to lead, work, and grow in a field where artificial intelligence is part of daily life, but where human creativity, judgment, and relationships still matter most.

This workshop offers practical advice you can use as soon as you get back to work. In the CRM session, you will find specific ways AI can make your work more efficient and effective, while also seeing where building real relationships is something only people can do. In the design session, you will address the real challenges InDesign users face today, such as inconsistent content, managing different output types, constant revisions, and the need to do more with fewer resources. You will learn how InDesign’s advanced features, like styles, variables, and automation, can help solve these problems, and where AI tools can speed up production while keeping your brand’s voice and consistency strong for your clients. In both sessions, the focus stays on the human side of the work. InDesign is here to stay, but it is changing. AI is pushing professionals to work in new and smarter ways. No matter your career stage, you will leave with a better idea of where to focus your efforts, how to help your team adapt, and how to keep your firm’s work unique and human in a world with AI.

This workshop is useful for people at any career stage and in any role, including business development, marketing, design, and leadership. Whether you are a marketing coordinator, a team trainer, or a leader learning about AI, you will find insights in both sessions that help you work more effectively and lead with confidence.

Business Development Workshop: Strengthen Your Firm’s Business Development: How Marketing & BD Work Together

Presented by Barbara Stiles, FSMPS, CPSM

Business development in the AEC industry is evolving rapidly, yet many firms still struggle to equip technical professionals with the skills, tools, and confidence needed to support growth. This interactive workshop is designed for marketers, business developers, and firm leaders who want to strengthen business development capabilities across their organizations and among seller-doers.

 Participants will explore how successful AEC firms approach business development, the differences between marketing and BD, the tools and processes that support effective client development, and the essential skills needed to build strong relationships and win work. The session will also examine emerging trends impacting AEC marketing and business development and provide practical strategies for implementing effective seller-doer training programs within firms.

 Attendees will leave with actionable ideas, tools, and training approaches they can immediately apply to strengthen business development performance and create a stronger culture of growth.

• How AEC Firms Approach Business Development
• The Tools of Business Development
• Required Skills for Successful Business Development
• Trends in Business Development & Marketing

*Cancellation Policy: Registrants may cancel their registration for a full refund through August 31. Cancellations received between September 1 and September 15  will be eligible for a 50% refund. After September 15, registrations may still be canceled, however no refunds will be issued.