Art of Practice Detailed Agenda Announced

Posted on by Delaney Ogden

PROGRAM SPONSOR: ITEK Construction + Consulting, Inc.

Seasoned and emerging leaders, from practices of all sizes, sole proprietors, allied organizations, educators, etc. from across the Commonwealth will converge on March 14, 2025, at the Tower Club Tysons Corner for the Art of Practice forum. The program is intended to cultivate strong leaders, identify solutions to common business challenges, advance business practices, and fuel collaboration across the profession.

Registration is now open for the day-long event in Northern Virginia. Space is extremely limited, so early registration is strongly encouraged. Tickets are available to members and non-members. Participants can earn 6 learning units.

Art of Practice is currently sponsored by:
ITEK Construction + Consulting, Inc. (PROGRAM SPONSOR)
Moseley Architects (Lunch Sponsor)
O’Hagan Meyer (Lunch Sponsor)
ASSA ABLOY (Reception Sponsor)
Ames & Gough (Coffee Sponsor)
Keith Fabry (Signage Sponsor)

If you would like to sponsor Art of Practice, please contact Jody Cranford

About the Program

10:00 a.m. Winning Work: Storytelling and the Value in Architecture
Effective communication skills are critical to the success of any business leader. Take part in an intensive presentation — developed specifically for architects — to understand how and why people make decisions, how to craft messages that communicate your value, and how to move clients to choose you.
Speaker: Kelly O’Keefe, Founding Partner and CEO, Brand Federation

11:00 a.m. Rethinking the Future of Work: Neurodiversity in Design
Participants will learn how fostering an inclusive environment and accommodating environment for neurodiverse people can enhance holistic design outcomes and boost productivity through practical, actionable strategies.
Speakers: Corrie Cohen, Assoc. AIA, Architectural Designer at WPA and Alison Allred, CID, IIDA, Senior Interior Designer at WPA

12:00 p.m. Lunch sponsored by Moseley Architects and O’Hagan Meyer

1:00 p.m. Broad Perspectives: Macroeconomics
Review Macroeconomics 101, discuss local/national economy’s impact on the profession, how the major sectors of the economy are influenced/affected by interest rates and recognize the economic forces/factors that govern public and private funding sources.
Speakers: Terry Clower, Ph.D., Director, Center for Regional Analysis, Stephen S. Fuller Institute, George Mason University and Keith Waters, Assistant Director, Stephen S. Fuller Institute, George Mason University

2:00 p.m. Peer Panel: Strategic Planning for Strong Firm Culture
Failing to plan is planning to fail. Whether your firm is facing the retirement of a key leader, a merger, or simply considering how to nurture the next generation of principals, leadership transitions can often take years — even with advance planning and management. Hear how your colleagues faced a host of issues and positioned their firms for success in the face of change.
Speakers: Donna Phaneuf, FAIA (VIA design), Andrew McKinley, AIA (VIA design), Susan Pryor, AIA (Quinn Evans), Mel Price, FAIA (Work Program Architects), Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA (The Three Aspens)

3:00 p.m. Break

3:15 p.m. Firm Size Roundtable Discussions
Taking a cue from the most popular part of AIA Virginia’s Firm Size and Non-Traditional Practice Roundtable meetings, we’ve reserved time for peer-to-peer learning. Discuss key themes from the day, discover best practices and share your experiences with colleagues.
Speakers: Maggie Schubert, AIA, (small), Andrew McKinley, AIA, (mid-size), Charles Piper, AIA (large), Bill Conkey, AIA (non-traditional)

4:15 p.m. Roundtable Report-Out
4:45 p.m. Closing Remarks
5:00 p.m. Cocktails and Networking

Register

Tickets
AIA members: $175
Assoc. AIA member: $135
Non-member: $200

REGISTRATION CLOSES ON MARCH 3, 2025 at 8:00 PM – Get your tickets now!

Lodging
Below are two hotels within walking distance of Tower Club:
Tysons Corner Marriott
Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner

About the Art of Practice
The biennial Art of Practice was launched in 2017 with the purpose of providing current and aspiring firm leaders and with timely, relevant, actionable advice on how to grow and sustain their businesses.

Read the key takeaways from the 2017 event and see the photo gallery.

Small Firm Roundtable Meeting

(Small Firm Roundtable for 1 to 9 employees)

The “Meeting of the Roundtables” serves as an educational opportunity to bring AIA members together from firms of various sizes to discuss pertinent practice topics in a structured and facilitated format.

Engage in a dialogue regarding how the AIA can best position you to be successful in creating positive change in the built environment and the profession.

Earn 1.0 AIA LU

Register online.

Learning Objective 1:
Describe risk management techniques and best practices

Learning Objective 2:
Discuss human resource management and understand how to implement best practices

Learning Objective 3:
Discuss best practices for firm transitions and describe how to support emerging leaders

Learning Objective 4:
Share your experiences navigating firm management during an economic downturn. Discuss collaboration, business development, and project management during COVID-19 and hear the experiences of other firm leaders and designers.

Earn 1.0 AIA LU

Register online.

 

Small Firm Round Table at Convention

Posted on by cguske

small firms

 

2015 Theme: CREATIVITY AND LEADERSHIP – Unlocking the Power of Small Firms

The Small Firm Round Table (SFRT) advocates for small firms throughout the country. Building on the success of the Small Firm Track (SFx) at the 2014 Convention, the SFRT has developed educational content, coordinated programs, and created a comprehensive convention experience for small firm practitioners.

View the schedule of sessions and events.

The 2015 theme is “CREATIVITY AND LEADERSHIP – Unlocking the Power of Small Firms”  and is designed to explore the relationship between both creativity and leadership in all parts of firm practice. From developing excellent design and exploratory research to practical business issues and innovative project delivery, small firms do it all. We work on projects with unique needs and we represent a diverse range of firm cultures. But, it’s nice to get some help once in a while. The 2015 SFx combines the following:

  • Half-day Workshops
  • Topical Seminars
  • A Signature Small Firm-oriented Motivational Session
  • Social Receptions and Mixers
  • Expo Floor Programs for Small Firms
  • City Tours highlighting Small Firm produced projects
  • Small Projects Awards Program + Exhibit
  • Small Firm Round Table sponsored Q+A Event

The vast majority of US firms have less than 20 staff, and more than two-thirds have less than 10.  We are all small firms.  We all wear multiple hats.  We tend to have limited access to resources and work with tighter and smaller budgets. We sometimes struggle to keep up with new materials, products, and systems.  But, we get better when we help each other.  Join us at AIATLANTA.