SMPS SERC - Pre-Conference Sessions

MONDAY, MARCH 22 \| 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Making Waves in Your Proposal Workflow Julie Shaffer, FSMPS, CPSM \| Shaffer Creative Every proposal pulls content from a dozen different places: project descriptions in Word, resumes saved as PDFs, SF 330 forms, and boilerplate in whatever format someone happened to use last. Somehow, all of it has to land in one document, look like it came from the same firm, follow the template, and meet every RFQ requirement. Getting there usually means someone retyping, cleaning up, and reformatting content paragraph by paragraph, while the deadline keeps marching forward. This hands-on workshop teaches a repeatable workflow built around custom AI skills. These skills give an AI tool clear, tailored instructions for handling a specific task, such as converting content from PDFs, Word documents, SF 330 forms, and other sources into one consistent, InDesign-ready format. Attendees will work through the full process live: bringing in sample A/E/C content from multiple file types, using a custom AI skill to generate properly structured and styled files, and placing that content into a real InDesign document to watch the formatting apply automatically. No coding background is required. This session is not about writing code. It is about learning how to give AI tools clear, specific instructions so they produce consistent, usable results instead of a fresh surprise every time. By the end of the session, attendees will have a working process and a reusable AI skill they can adapt to their firm’s templates, content sources, and proposal requirements, cutting hours of repetitive formatting from future pursuits. Additional registration required.
Build It. Test It. Put It to Work: Rethinking AEC Business Development with AI Kayla McCause, FSMPS, CPSM \| Dragonfly AEC Consulting Understanding prospective clients, identifying opportunities, developing relationships, and making strategic pursuit decisions are among the most valuable and time-intensive responsibilities of AEC business development professionals. While much of the conversation around AI has focused on proposal writing and content generation, its potential to strengthen research, strategic thinking, and relationship development is equally compelling. This interactive, three-hour workshop challenges participants to rethink how AI can support the strategic, relationship-driven work of business development. Working through a common AEC scenario, participants will use AI to research prospective clients, uncover strategic insights, evaluate competitive positioning, challenge go/no-go decisions, and prepare for meaningful client conversations. Along the way, we'll explore why AI's greatest value isn't necessarily in its first response, but in how we challenge assumptions, apply our own expertise, and refine the results. Through guided exercises, collaborative discussions, and hands-on experimentation, participants will build, test, and improve their approaches to familiar business development challenges. They'll also explore how to turn successful AI interactions into repeatable workflows, including building and testing a custom AI assistant for a recurring business development activity. Rather than offering a collection of prompts or disconnected demonstrations, this workshop introduces practical ways to think differently, make more informed decisions, and approach business development with greater intention. Participants will leave with tangible work products, a reusable AI assistant prototype, and techniques they can immediately put to work to strengthen client relationships, inform strategy, and create new opportunities for growth. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: - Use AI to research prospective clients, identify opportunities, evaluate competitive positioning, and inform strategic business development and go/no-go decisions. - Leverage AI to prepare for and simulate client interactions, challenge assumptions, and refine relationship-building strategies. - Build, test, and refine a custom AI assistant to support a recurring business development activity and create more consistent, repeatable workflows. Additional registration required.
The Proposal Review: From Compliant to Compelling Kelly Jo Jefferis, CPSM, LEED Green Associate \| Threaded Marketing Group Most AEC proposals are compliant, but few are compelling. In this interactive proposal review workshop, attendees will learn how to evaluate submittals through the lens of strategy, clarity, client focus, and selection committee impact. Using real-world proposal examples, Kelly Jo Jefferis will walk through common proposal gaps, including generic messaging, weak executive summaries, unclear differentiators, dense resumes, missed proof points, and visuals that do not support the story. Attendees will learn what to fix first, how to strengthen content quickly, and how to move a proposal from “meets the requirements” to “makes the case.” This session is designed for AEC marketers, proposal managers, business developers, and seller-doers who want practical, immediately usable tools to improve proposal quality, reduce rework, and create submittals that are easier to evaluate and harder to forget. Additional registration required.

MONDAY, MARCH 22 \| 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Making Waves in Your Proposal Workflow Julie Shaffer, FSMPS, CPSM \| Shaffer Creative Every proposal pulls content from a dozen different places: project descriptions in Word, resumes saved as PDFs, SF 330 forms, and boilerplate in whatever format someone happened to use last. Somehow, all of it has to land in one document, look like it came from the same firm, follow the template, and meet every RFQ requirement. Getting there usually means someone retyping, cleaning up, and reformatting content paragraph by paragraph, while the deadline keeps marching forward. This hands-on workshop teaches a repeatable workflow built around custom AI skills. These skills give an AI tool clear, tailored instructions for handling a specific task, such as converting content from PDFs, Word documents, SF 330 forms, and other sources into one consistent, InDesign-ready format. Attendees will work through the full process live: bringing in sample A/E/C content from multiple file types, using a custom AI skill to generate properly structured and styled files, and placing that content into a real InDesign document to watch the formatting apply automatically. No coding background is required. This session is not about writing code. It is about learning how to give AI tools clear, specific instructions so they produce consistent, usable results instead of a fresh surprise every time. By the end of the session, attendees will have a working process and a reusable AI skill they can adapt to their firm’s templates, content sources, and proposal requirements, cutting hours of repetitive formatting from future pursuits. Additional registration required.
Build It. Test It. Put It to Work: Rethinking AEC Business Development with AI Kayla McCause, FSMPS, CPSM \| Dragonfly AEC Consulting Understanding prospective clients, identifying opportunities, developing relationships, and making strategic pursuit decisions are among the most valuable and time-intensive responsibilities of AEC business development professionals. While much of the conversation around AI has focused on proposal writing and content generation, its potential to strengthen research, strategic thinking, and relationship development is equally compelling. This interactive, three-hour workshop challenges participants to rethink how AI can support the strategic, relationship-driven work of business development. Working through a common AEC scenario, participants will use AI to research prospective clients, uncover strategic insights, evaluate competitive positioning, challenge go/no-go decisions, and prepare for meaningful client conversations. Along the way, we'll explore why AI's greatest value isn't necessarily in its first response, but in how we challenge assumptions, apply our own expertise, and refine the results. Through guided exercises, collaborative discussions, and hands-on experimentation, participants will build, test, and improve their approaches to familiar business development challenges. They'll also explore how to turn successful AI interactions into repeatable workflows, including building and testing a custom AI assistant for a recurring business development activity. Rather than offering a collection of prompts or disconnected demonstrations, this workshop introduces practical ways to think differently, make more informed decisions, and approach business development with greater intention. Participants will leave with tangible work products, a reusable AI assistant prototype, and techniques they can immediately put to work to strengthen client relationships, inform strategy, and create new opportunities for growth. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: - Use AI to research prospective clients, identify opportunities, evaluate competitive positioning, and inform strategic business development and go/no-go decisions. - Leverage AI to prepare for and simulate client interactions, challenge assumptions, and refine relationship-building strategies. - Build, test, and refine a custom AI assistant to support a recurring business development activity and create more consistent, repeatable workflows. Additional registration required.
The Proposal Review: From Compliant to Compelling Kelly Jo Jefferis, CPSM, LEED Green Associate \| Threaded Marketing Group Most AEC proposals are compliant, but few are compelling. In this interactive proposal review workshop, attendees will learn how to evaluate submittals through the lens of strategy, clarity, client focus, and selection committee impact. Using real-world proposal examples, Kelly Jo Jefferis will walk through common proposal gaps, including generic messaging, weak executive summaries, unclear differentiators, dense resumes, missed proof points, and visuals that do not support the story. Attendees will learn what to fix first, how to strengthen content quickly, and how to move a proposal from “meets the requirements” to “makes the case.” This session is designed for AEC marketers, proposal managers, business developers, and seller-doers who want practical, immediately usable tools to improve proposal quality, reduce rework, and create submittals that are easier to evaluate and harder to forget. Additional registration required.

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