Search visibility isn’t a Google‑only game anymore—it’s a Search‑Everything landscape spanning Gen‑AI answer boxes, voice assistants, social feeds, and hyper‑local results. In this data‑rich session, a seasoned construction‑marketing executive reveals exclusive insights from auditing every ENR Top 400 Contractor and ENR Top 500 Design Firm website. The study pinpoints where these industry leaders shine, where they inadvertently lose traffic, and how resource-constrained marketing teams can outmaneuver these giants.
We’ll translate industry jargon: Domain Authority, Core Web Vitals, backlink equity, pagespeed, and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) into plain‑English. See how AI is already choosing winners and losers, including how to teach the LLMs models about your company’s offerings and differentiation. Leave specific moves, free tools, and levers you can pull tomorrow, whether you’re a one‑person marketing dept or have a large growth marketing team. Plus, we’ll discuss how to secure executive buy-in. We’ve engineered this discussion to give time‑strapped AEC marketers the clarity and confidence to excel in the new era of Search‑Everything.

Key Takeaways

AI has changed how we do marketing. It can create highly personalized and conversational experiences, understand buyer intent and preferences, and automate processes. What it cannot offer is empathy and authenticity – the fundamentally human qualities essential for building brand trust and preference for your firm. As the lines between “human” and “artificial,” “real” and “fake” are getting blurry, trust has become the most valuable business currency. Even digital natives like Gen Z are looking for more human-like interactions and experiences. So how do you balance the need for AI’s speed, power and automation to meet today’s business customers’ expectations of immediate, always-on digital experience and the value of “human touch”? The next phase in marketing and BD is about balancing high tech and high touch to get more personal with your audiences by strategically and effectively using tools we’ve never had available to us before. The program will provide practical, actionable insights you can begin implementing immediately. This content is relevant to all business growth functions – marketing, BD, SMEs, seller-doers, leadership.

Key Takeaways

In the AEC industry, change is reshaping how we work, connect, and compete—and marketers are at the forefront of telling that evolving story. But humans aren’t wired to embrace change easily. Whether you're guiding internal culture shifts or helping your firm adapt to digital disruption, understanding the neuroscience of change is key to leading with clarity and confidence.
In this session, we’ll explore why change feels so disruptive and how marketers can use insights from neuroscience to reframe resistance, improve messaging, and inspire action—internally and externally. You'll gain a deeper understanding of how people process change and how to use that knowledge to build trust, resilience, and alignment across teams.
We’ll also explore how AI is transforming the marketing landscape in AEC—helping us work smarter, anticipate trends, and deepen emotional intelligence. You'll leave this session with actionable strategies to elevate your influence and lead your firm more effectively through change—from the inside out.

Key Takeaways

When CareerBuilder and Monster filed for Chapter 11, it signaled the death of the “post‑and‑pray” era. Top candidates now discover employers the same way clients discover projects, through AI‑curated results, peer content, & authentic brand storytelling. In this session, our seasoned construction talent strategist unpacks what that shift means for A/E/C firms: Findability first. Learn how large‑language models index your culture page long before recruiters call, and why “silly TikTok dances” don’t work. ROI reality check. Compare a single $12K recruiter fee to a compounding, evergreen digital funnel that returns candidates quarter after quarter. Authenticity over algorithms. See examples from our talent‑marketing playbook, using StoryBrand messaging, employee spotlights, and project narratives to attract “right‑fit” applicants. AI‑ready content. Discover tactics for feeding GPT‑style engines the language that highlights your differentiation, DE&I commitments, and career paths. Whether you’re replacing retiring superintendents or wooing cloud‑savvy BIM specialists, you’ll leave with a modern framework to out‑recruit competitors through digital marketing.

Key Takeaways

Is disorganized data or clunky processes slowing down your pursuit efforts? It’s time to bring clarity, structure, and unity to your workflow. In this hands-on session, Courtney Kearney will guide you through building systems that not only support better data—but help your entire team work better together. You’ll learn how to create a process map that brings structure to your business development and marketing workflow, with built-in checkpoints to protect data quality. Then, explore how automation can reduce repetitive tasks and free up your team for more strategic work. You'll also develop a system to organize CRM data so it’s reliable, findable, and actionable—and gain tips for keeping your process sustainable through accountability. Whether your firm is growing fast or just trying to stay aligned, you’ll leave with practical tools to unify people, process, and platforms.

Key Takeaways

About Allie

Allie Horne, CPSM, is a Partner at Meeks Marketing, Inc. and has 17 years of experience writing both firm-published and third-party published articles and marketing pieces. Prior to joining Meeks Marketing, Allie was the Communications Manager at Kirksey Architecture where she developed both electronic and print media and more than tripled the firm’s press mentions during her tenure. Additionally, Allie has written over 75 published articles for Bisnow Commercial Real Estate News in markets nationally, been published in The Marketer magazine, and served as the technical editor for a Fortune 300 company. A proud University of Texas graduate, Allie resides in Austin and can often be found hiking, playing tennis, and convincing her children she has superpowers.

Can podcasting become a tool for internal connectivity and external value? Yes, and yes! 
Connection begins with conversation. When built with intention, a podcast can bring people closer across offices, disciplines, and leadership levels. By curating relevant topics and thoughtful guests, firms can use podcasting to unify teams, preserve institutional knowledge, and build portfolio fluency. 
But the value doesn't stop inside the firm. The same conversations, when shared externally, can offer clients deeper insights, showcase firm thinking, and support business development efforts. 
Drawing from her experience launching a podcast during the merger of two large-scale firms, Tully Mahoney will share lessons learned, creative episode formats, and simple tech setups. You'll walk away with a roadmap for using podcasting to build a stronger internal culture and deliver meaningful external impact, regardless of your budget. 

Key Takeaways