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Practice content at AIA26

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If you are coming to the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design (AIA26) this year (June 10-13 in San Diego), there is an official PMKC event plus many more great sessions to consider! This guide provides you with an inside look at some of the sessions and events that PMKC members might be most interested in. If you work in a small firm, you might also be interested in the Small Firm Exchange's guide to Conference. Also make sure you visit the Prosper Zone on the Expo Floor for a curated cluster of related exhibitors, covering topics such as firm management, finance, careers, business development, interest rates, inflation, and succession planning

PMKC events

Friday: PM Lunch

EV321 | 12-1:30pm | $110

Today's practice leaders face new challenges and opportunities—the Practice Management Luncheon invites speakers to share their personal and professional experiences while providing attendees a chance to network with others over a shared meal. This year’s speaker is Jeffrey E. Huber, FAIA, a partner at Brooks Scarpa Huber, where he leads the firm’s South Florida office. He specializes in public realm projects that seamlessly integrate ecological, landscape, urban, and architectural design. Huber’s presentation will examine how Brooks Scarpa Huber aligns design ambition with disciplined business practices, sharing the internal systems, decision-making frameworks, and operational strategies that support resilient, high-impact work across diverse project types.

Other sessions of interest

Note: For more options, you can use the filter on the AIA26 Schedule page to filter by Tracks: Business & firm success or by Tracks: Leadership & growth.

Wednesday

AI Symposium: Practical AI for Every Architect
SYM100 | 9am-5pm | 6.25 LU | $179 as add-on / $299 symposium-only registration

Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept—it's becoming part of everyday architectural practice. The AI Symposium, co-hosted by the Technology in Architectural Practice (aia.org/tap) knowledge community and the AIA AI Taskforce explores what it means to be an AI-enabled architect, focusing on accessible, off-the-shelf tools reshaping daily workflows. From Autodesk Assistant to Copilot, widely available platforms are supporting task management, documentation, coordination, visualization, and decision-making for firms of all sizes. Framed across the full arc of project delivery and practice operations, sessions will examine both analytical and creative applications of AI, highlighting practical ways architects can integrate these tools into core “parts of the day.”

Unlocking Personal Success Through Culture Mapping
WK101 | 9am-12pm | 3 LU

Firm culture is one of the most powerful, yet least visible, forces shaping our profession. A misalignment between individual values and firm norms can lead to disengagement, stalled career growth, and/or weakened collaboration. This interactive workshop will introduce culture mapping, a framework that helps architects visualize alignment across 12 dimensions of firm culture, identify critical gaps, and practice reframing strategies to address them. Through hands-on exercises and peer dialogue, you'll build leadership skills, strengthen resilience, and leave with actionable tools to improve equity, engagement, and firm performance while advancing your career trajectory.

Balancing Business, Risk & Resilience in Running Your Own Firm
WK107 | 10:00-11:30am | 1.5 LU

Building on the popular AIA25 sessions Start Your Own Firm and Internal Leadership Transitions, this session will dive deeper into the business side of practice. Join us to explore topics such as developing a sound business plan, managing liability exposure, and planning for leadership succession. You'll gain practical insights into creating firms that are financially sustainable, legally protected, and resilient to economic shifts.

Talking Risk & Resilience With Clients: From Concept to Commitment
WK415 | 9:00-11:30am | 1.5 HSW LU

How can you navigate delicate but essential conversations with clients about resilience, natural hazards, and climate change? Find out in this interactive session. Using AIA resources and real-world scenarios, you'll learn how to introduce hazard risk into early design discussions, frame resilience as a value proposition, and manage client resistance. Through role-play and small-group exercises, you'll also practice strategies for discussing resilience in residential and commercial contexts, including the use of hazard acknowledgement forms. By blending practical guidance with peer learning, this session will help you strengthen your professional standard of care while advancing safer, more durable, and climate-ready projects.

Financial Strategies for Fostering Your Firm's Success
SE113 | 11:30am-12:30pm | 1 LU

Successful firms back design excellence with a smart business strategy. Join us for this session to see how creative vision paired with a focus on profitability can boost the bottom line. You'll come to see finances as a core practice skill and acquire a clear, practical framework to control costs, improve margins, and build long-term resilience. Plus, learn how to align business strategy with design excellence, apply financial insights to everyday decisions, and position your practice for sustainable growth. Whether you're leading a firm or charting out your career, you'll leave with tools to generate profits and sustain a financially strong, resilient practice.

The Nuts & Bolts of Succession Planning
SE231 | 2-3pm | 1 LU

Would you like to explore the pathways to ownership transition—e.g., internal transitions, ESOPs, M&A, and private equity—along with the latest industry trends influencing each of these options? This session will address common challenges in the transition process and provide guidance on selecting the right approach with confidence. Join us to learn how to systematically prepare for succession at any career stage and gain candid insights into the emotional complexities that firm owners face during transition. Whether you're considering succession now or planning for the future, you'll gain knowledge and tools to navigate ownership transition effectively.

Organizing for Impact: Embedding Sustainability in Structure, Culture & Careers
SE124 | 2-3pm | 1 HSW LU

Sustainability has moved from the margins to the mainstream of architectural practice. Yet our organizational structures, career pathways, and accountability metrics have not kept pace. This session will draw on a year-long collaboration among several firms with established sustainability leadership who compared best practices, organizational typologies, governance structures, and career development models to advance sustainable design culture. Join us to review case studies from leading firms, explore proven frameworks for building effective sustainability teams, and participate in facilitated breakout discussions. Together, we'll discuss common barriers and develop actionable ideas to strengthen sustainability leadership within firms of all sizes.

Architecture at a Crossroads: Redefining Business, Culture & Value
WK140 | 3:30-5:00pm | 1.5 LU

This session will highlight how architecture firms of varying sizes and structures have responded to business challenges over the past five years. Join us to explore tailored strategies for resilience, communication, and future planning. You'll leave with practical, real-world insights into navigating economic shifts, evolving client demands, and staffing pressures.

Mind the Gap: Strategies to Develop Competencies in Emerging Professionals
WK135 | 3:30-5:00pm | 1.5 LU

In this session, professional education leaders from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and AIA California will present strategies for optimizing the professional development of recent graduates of architecture and community college programs. Join us for an interactive workshop in which you and other participants will examine research on skills gaps in architecture, learn foundational principles of adult and workplace learning, and collaborate to develop a learning strategy focused on teamwork. The session will also feature examples of successful learning cultures in firms and AIA chapters. You'll leave empowered to better support an intentional learning culture in your firm.

Preparing Your Firm for the Next Generation of Leadership
WK220 | 3:30-5:00pm | 1.5 LU

Leadership transition is inevitable, but firm disruption doesn’t have to be. Many architecture practices delay succession planning until change becomes unavoidable, creating uncertainty for staff, clients, and future leaders. This panel explores proactive, people-centered approaches to succession as a key element of firm stewardship and risk management. Experienced firm leaders and advisors will share what prompted their transition planning, how intentional early action supported by mentorship and leadership development reduces risk, and how firms can build trust and clarity across generations. Participants will gain practical insights grounded in peer experience to help protect their businesses while sustaining a strong culture.

Thursday

The Why & How of Architectural Firm Ownership
SE321 | 7:30-8:30am | 1 LU

Maintaining a healthy mix of large, midsized, and small firms in architecture is critical to the industry's future health. Yet the path to securing this balance involves unprecedented challenges. Demographic shifts, evolving generational priorities, and ambiguous definitions of ownership have resulted in fewer people wanting the title of owner. In this session, ownership experts Kate Allen and Brad Wilson will explore a pivotal question: "Why would I want to become an owner of an architecture firm?" Join us to examine the strategic advantages of diverse ownership models, critical considerations for buying into a firm, and key characteristics of future owners.

Big Firm/Little Firm: Designing Your Tech Stack
SE204 | 7:30am-8:30am | 1 LU

This session will review the tech stacks used by firms of various sizes and explore the pros and cons of key software, tools, and workflows used. Join us for an analysis of emerging trends in technology and their impact on AEC design and delivery. Plus, learn how to design a tech stack that works for your firm based on its size, project types, design approach, and modes of working and collaborating. You'll also discover how to effectively identify and implement new software and tools into your firm's existing tech stack.

Negotiate With Confidence to Build a Career That Works for You
SE205 | 7:30am-8:30am | 1 LU

What's the key to unlocking your potential in the AEC industry? Mastering the art of negotiation. Join us for this session to learn how to advocate for what you need, whether that's flexible work hours, parental leave, professional development opportunities, or compensation that reflects your true value. Through practical insights and proven strategies, you'll discover how to approach challenging conversations with professionalism and confidence. Perfect for emerging professionals and seasoned architects alike, this session will provide actionable tools to help you shape a career that adapts to your needs, honors your contributions, and supports your current chapter of life.

Free Firm Performance Audit (also on Friday - EV337b)
EV337a | 10am-1pm

How is your architecture firm performing? This one-on-one audit with a professional architecture business consultant will help you evaluate your firm's performance in the areas of finance, leadership, management, operations, sustainability, business development, marketing, and firm culture. You'll leave with actionable tips for how to improve your business practices—as well as customized insight into ways to leverage your firm's particular strengths.

Navigating Today's Uncertain Economy
NN250 | 11:30am-12pm | 0.5 LU

Navigating the uncertainties in the economy can be a challenge as policy shifts and geopolitical conflicts disrupt regular economic cycles. Join AIA’s Chief Economist for an outlook of today’s conditions, how they affect architects, and what to look out for as you plan for the future.

Agents for the Rest of Us: The AI Revolution Nobody Told You About
CE121 | 11:30am-12pm | 0.5 LU

For three years, we've heard that AI will transform everything. But for most small and mid-sized A&E firms, the reality has been underwhelming - helpful chatbots, decent document summaries, and a nagging sense that the real AI revolution is happening somewhere else. Here's what nobody told you: while the enterprise vendors were building expensive solutions, a quiet revolution made the same capabilities available for $50-200 a month. Tools that live inside your business systems (reading, writing, and acting) without constant prompting. This session cuts through the hype to show what's actually possible today for firms without enterprise budgets or IT departments. Through rapid-fire demonstrations comparing "the old way" versus "the new way," attendees will see the stark difference between AI as a helpful assistant in 2023 and AI as a working employee in 2026.

Win More Work Through Storytelling
WK412 | 2:30-4:00pm | 1.5 LU

While firms in the built environment profoundly shape our culture and spaces, their value is often misunderstood. In today's competitive landscape, word of mouth simply isn't enough. Join us for this session to hear from two expert storytellers who will help you break away from the sea of sameness and make your firm truly memorable. You'll discover how to showcase your projects as powerful tools for winning new work and apply storytelling principles to foster deeper connections with clients. Plus, learn how to operationalize storytelling, building processes to craft and deliver compelling, authentic stories that drive business growth.

Gamifying Project Goal Setting: It's All in the Cards
WK413 | 2:30-4pm | 1.5 HSW LU

This interactive workshop will introduce a research-based, open-source card deck that gamifies project goal setting. Join us to discover how project teams can cut through complexity and align around shared goals. Grounded in goal-setting theory and the AIA Framework for Design Excellence, the cards create a common language among clients, designers, and stakeholders, helping teams prioritize issues that impact equity, resilience, health, and carbon outcomes. You'll have the opportunity to practice using the tool in small groups with example projects, gaining both facilitation skills and free access to the deck for immediate use in your own work.

Building for Tomorrow: Trends in U.S. Construction
CE135 | 3:30-4:00pm | 0.5 LU

Over the last few years, shocks to international supply chains along with challenges in the labor supply and financing have complicated the construction market. As this session will show, these changes are significant but not insurmountable for shrewd construction leaders. Through data-driven insights, Michael Guckes, chief economist at ConstructConnect, will demonstrate how you can successfully navigate the ever-changing construction sector.

From Better to Best: How Midsized Firms Grow
SE408 | 4-5pm | 1 LU

The journey to becoming a midsized firm often leads to new questions. With over 40 employees, how can a firm best organize itself for continued growth? And how can the firm grow while upholding design excellence and cultural alignment? This interactive session will examine case studies of midsized firms that have successfully structured themselves to embrace future leadership and new opportunities. Insights from these case studies will inform discussions on business models that support sustainable and affirmative growth. You'll also have ample opportunities to share knowledge and experiences with colleagues from around the nation.

Collaboration & Leadership: Leveraging Progressive Design-Build for Firm Success
SE222 | 4-5pm | 1 LU

As projects become more complex and involve more stakeholders and experts, clients are increasingly interested in collaborative delivery methods like progressive design-build. How can teams use progressive design-build to successfully pursue and execute these projects while optimizing results? At this session, an award-winning design-build duo and members of the Design-Build Institute of America's Progressive Design-Build Committee will review what makes the best of these projects sing. Join us to explore best practices, from an effective validation period to a project-first mentality, using case-study examples. Plus, gain practical insights into leveraging this rapidly expanding delivery method to boost your firm's competitiveness.

Friday

The Adoption Imperative: Turning Innovation into Impact
SE132 | 7:30am-8:30am | 1 LU

One of the greatest accelerators—and obstacles—to innovation is adoption: How quickly teams embrace new methods, workflows, and technologies. This session will explore key steps for moving ideas from R&D into practice, highlighting strategies that engage internal stakeholders, incorporate continuous feedback, and foster a culture of experimentation. Join us to examine how targeted learning programs, hands-on sessions, and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing can support adoption and long-term success. Through case studies, you'll see how adoption drives impact across both digital and physical technologies—and how organizations can create the conditions for innovation to take root and scale.

Navigating an Uncertain Economy—Insights From AEC Industry Associations
SE223 | 7:30am-8:30am | 1 LU

Over the past five years, the AEC industry has had to grapple with tariffs, immigration reform, and disruptions from climate change, artificial intelligence, and geopolitical conditions. Architects need to understand how to navigate those factors, which overlap with many of those that our engineering and construction counterparts are facing. Join us for this session, which will bring together research leaders at The American Institute of Architects and the American Council of Engineering Companies along with data from the Associated General Contractors of America to give you a comprehensive picture of the industry.

Architect, Also Developer: Achieving Stability, Growth, and Better Project Outcomes
SE303 | 7:30-8:30am | 1 LU

Many architects are pursue meaningful work with optimal outcomes but struggling to turn profits, nurture their practices, cultivate legacies, and build generational wealth. Venturing into real estate development offers firms of all sizes the potential to forge a path to financial sustainability and fortify one's practice. This session will feature Robert Hillier and Joshua Zinder, who together have managed and grown four successful firms, including one of the country’s largest. Drawing on personal experiences, they'll share strategies for increasing revenue by multiples while pursuing favored projects with owner-level control, even for small firms. Join us to learn about potential synergies, forming strategic relationships, identifying investment opportunities and viable development models, and more.

Keynote: Disruptive Transformation: Leveraging AI for Greater Impact and Innovation with Charlene Li
GS200 | 9:00-10:15am | 1 LU

Join New York Times bestselling author and disruptive leadership expert Charlene Li for an inspiring keynote that will transform the way architects and designers think about artificial intelligence. In this session, Charlene will explore how AI can free you to focus on your core creative skills, help you unlearn old habits, and embrace a mindset of curiosity and innovation. Through real-world examples, Charlene will demonstrate how to start with a problem and leverage AI to solve it. Attendees will leave with actionable insights, a renewed sense of optimism, and practical strategies to build AI fluency, foster team collaboration, and thrive in a rapidly evolving industry.

Free Firm Performance Audit (also on Thursday - EV337a)
EV337b | 10am-1pm

How is your architecture firm performing? This one-on-one audit with a professional architecture business consultant will help you evaluate your firm's performance in the areas of finance, leadership, management, operations, sustainability, business development, marketing, and firm culture. You'll leave with actionable tips for how to improve your business practices—as well as customized insight into ways to leverage your firm's particular strengths.

Legacies, Not Projects: The Case for Strategic Foresight
NN215 | 10:30-11:00am | 0.5 HSW LU

Buildings are more than structures—they're systems that shape communities for decades. This session will introduce strategic foresight as a practical tool for AEC professionals to design beyond today's needs and prepare for tomorrow's uncertainties. Join us to learn how to identify signals of change, integrate long-term drivers into projects, and reframe client conversations from "What do you need now?" to "How will this serve generations to come?" You'll walk away with a fresh perspective on building resilient, future-ready legacies.

Open Forums for AIA Knowledge Communities (also on Thursday, and at other times)
12:15pm

Connect with your peers at an AIA knowledge community open forum. Led by members for members, these forums are an opportunity to network, hold discussions, and learn more about how to engage withing the community. For PMKC, we're highlighting that on Friday at 12:15pm is the Construction Contract Administration KC open forum and the Project Delivery KC / Public Architects KC open forum.

To learn more, search the schedule page for "open forum" >

AEC Roles from Entry-Level to Leadership for a Transforming Industry
CE215 | 1:30-2:00pm | 0.5 LU

As the AEC industry shifts from isolated drafting to integrated ecosystems, professional roles must evolve from task-bound experts to strategic orchestrators. This session explores how to turn internal resource limitations into opportunities for growth, moving beyond individual modeling tasks to managing firm-wide capacity and collaborative technology standards. By reframing legacy career paths, firms can better align staff roles with business goals, reduce coordination errors, and maintain agility in a transforming profession. Gain a roadmap to transition from "doing the work" to orchestrating team transformation.

Benchmarking for Business Success
SE112 | 2:30-3:30pm | 1 LU

Running a business successfully requires tracking your firm's performance across financial, people, and project goals. While establishing the right benchmarks, mapping against the appropriate comparative data, and integrating with your strategic plan can be difficult, they're all essential. This session will present firm benchmarks and trusted data sources, including AIA tools such as Guides to Equitable Practice, the Firm Survey, the Compensation & Benefits Survey, and the Framework for Design Excellence. The AIA Market & Economics team will be joined by two firm leaders who will share how they integrated benchmarks to advance their businesses.

Redefining Balance: Strategies for Mid-Career Mothers in Architecture
WK316 | 2:30-4:00pm | 1.5 LU

Mid-career mothers in architecture often struggle to balance caregiving with demanding firm cultures, client expectations, and personal aspirations. This interactive workshop will offer strategies to help you reclaim balance and sustain career growth. Among the highlights: a discussion about grounding and intention-setting; candid insights from architect-mothers on stress, burnout, and workplace culture; hands-on exercises focused on time-blocking techniques and boundary-setting strategies; and a reflective circle in which each participant will select one strategy to carry forward. You'll leave with practical tools, a personalized action plan, and a supportive peer network to empower you to thrive as both an architect and a mother.

Open Studio Night
EV500-EV519 | 6:00-8:00pm

Want to get an exclusive inside look at some of the leading architecture and design firms in San Diego? Join us as San Diego's firms open their doors to give exclusive, one-night-only access to staff, space, and projects. You can visit the firms in any order and stay as long as you wish. Registration required

To learn more, change "View All" filter to "Program Type", then select "Open Studios" >

Saturday

Leveraging California Housing Laws to Build Community
SE326 | 7:30-8:30am | 1 HSW LU

How can recently enacted California housing laws be leveraged to create affordable, walkable communities that support equity, sustainability, and smart growth? This session will demystify key legislation (e.g., Senate Bill 9, Senate Bill 684, and accessory dwelling unit policies) and offer practical guidance for navigating approvals, streamlining design, and aligning projects with community goals. Join us to gain actionable strategies for unlocking housing potential in urban and suburban contexts while advancing inclusive, livable neighborhoods.

Stabilize Your Firm With Strategic Business Planning
WK410 | 10:30am-12:00pm | 1.5 LU

Leaders of growing design firms must adapt to challenges like an unpredictable business environment and a quickening pace of change. But how can you proactively prepare for growth in uncertain times? This session will demystify the business planning process through small-group roundtable discussions, hands-on practical exercises, and case studies. All planning and management elements covered will focus on creating actionable steps for enhancing your practice and business understanding. Join us to learn how to develop your own business plan outline. You'll leave with a business planning handout to help keep you inspired, organized, and one step ahead of the competition.

The Next Decade of Data-Driven Design: Reflections & Projections
SE406 | 10:30am-11:30am | 1 LU

The explosion of digital tools and project data is transforming design, and the next decade will belong to those who turn data into design intelligence. Data-driven design is no longer an empty buzzword; it's a methodology that empowers architects to make smarter, faster, more impactful decisions at every scale. In this session, HDR's Matt Goldsberry and Jeremy Graham will discuss their decade-long effort to implement data-driven design across some of the world's most complex projects. Join us for an insider's look at the processes, tools, and cultural shifts that made this journey possible—and the challenges that nearly derailed it.

Los Angeles Housing Accord: Equity, Resilience, & Practice Innovation
SE426 | 12:00-1:00pm | 1 HSW LU

Los Angeles is at the epicenter of the nation's housing and climate crises. The Los Angeles Housing Accord demonstrates how architects can lead at the city scale by developing planning support tools that integrate GIS, spatial analysis, and equity frameworks into decision-making. This session will explore how to translate housing allocation, resilience planning, and community engagement into clear, actionable plans, maps, and policies for governments and institutions. Through case studies—including the Reseda Housing Accord pilot, the citywide Housing Allocation Index, and post-disaster land-use planning in the Palisades—you'll gain practical strategies for embedding equity and resilience into urban governance.

Small Firms & AI: Build Your Low‑Risk AI Starter Kit
EV339 | 1-2pm

How are small firms (defined as under 10 employees) using AI right now—and how can it support a more intentional, sustainable way of practicing? This informal, conversation‑driven session brings together small firm leaders, emerging practitioners, and anyone curious about practical, low‑risk ways to integrate AI into daily workflows. The AIA Small Firm Exchange will provide attendees with the prompts and a low‑risk AI starter kit including: the one rule that makes AI safe, three high‑impact use cases to start with, a simple boundary list for your team, and prompts you can use immediately.

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