This summer, I had the opportunity to attend the Amplify A/E/C Conference in Austin, TX. This annual conference is hosted by the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), a national organization made up of marketing and business development professionals focused on propelling the A/E/C industries forward. Conference attendees had access to a wide variety of insightful breakout sessions, speaker panels, and keynote presentations on topics like LinkedIn content strategy, raising firm fees, proposal best practices, AI technologies, and much more. We also had a wonderful time networking, mingling, and dancing as we celebrated the 50th anniversary of SMPS.
As a new proposal manager, I wanted to soak up as many proposal sessions as possible. My favorite breakout session was “The 2-Second Rule: A 3-Step Workflow for Client Connection,” presented by Kristin Peters. This session outlined a simple workflow to help proposals stand out from the crowd using a combination of behavioral psychology and UX design principles. Kristin also included some fun and interactive proposal writing activities with a mock Request for Proposal (RFP) for much needed upgrades at Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.
There were also several excellent keynote speakers at the conference, including Jen Newman, who delivered a compelling presentation on resiliency. Newman shared lessons she learned in resiliency through her experience coping with a cancer diagnosis/treatment, while navigating the challenges of growing a business during the pandemic. Her insights were an excellent reminder of how important it is for firms to build resilience to ensure long-term growth and sustainability during tough times. It made me proud to be a part of a firm who has fostered an adaptable, change-ready culture that perseveres through disruption.
Overall, the Amplify A/E/C conference was a wonderful experience with engaging activities and thought-provoking sessions. I would highly encourage any A/E/C marketing or business development professional to attend future Amplify conferences. This was my first time attending and certainly won’t be my last!
Whitney Harvey
Proposal Manager