Marketing Sustainability - How Green is Green Enough?

For more pictures go to our web album.

SMPS Special Event - Building Bridges: Men, Women & Networking

Join SMPS in our “happy hour style classroom” and learn the networking and communication differences between men and women. Marny Lifshen, author, speaker and marketing communications/PR consultant, will give an interactive and entertaining presentation on the different ways men and women build professional relationships, and how we use networking as a strategy in our careers. Most of us recognize that men and women have different communication styles, and that we manage relationships differently, but few of us think about how these differences impact the effectiveness of our networking. Marny will explain how to recognize and accept our different networking styles, and what men and women can learn from one another.

Drinks and light appetizers will be provided for this happy hour learning session.

Marny will be bringing copies of her book, "Some Assembly Required: A Networking Guide for Women" for sale & signing, as well as copies of her co-author's book, "Some Assembly Required: How to Make, Grow and Keep Business Relationships" ($20 each, cash or check only).

When: Thursday, November 11, 2010 4:45 PM -7:00 PM
Where: DPR Construction, Inc.
9606 North Mopac, Suite 300, Austin, TX 78759

Event Registration Fee
Member:         $5.00
Non-Member: $20.00

Click here to register online.

November Luncheon - Follow the Money: A Texas Budget Primer and Outlook

Texas is headed into a new legislative session for the next biennium. As the effects of the recession linger, large deficits loom at all levels of government. What will that mean for the A/E/C industry? How do state agencies expect to be impacted? What funding options are available to keep capital improvement projects on track?

Join us as our panel representing the Legislative Budget Board, the Texas Facilities Commission, and Texas Higher Education and discuss the state budget process, how these agencies developed their budgets, and their funding expectations and goals.

Speakers:
John O’Brien
Director, Legislative Budget Board

Terry Keel
Executive Director, Texas Facilities Commission

Brian McCall
Chancellor, Texas State University System

Moderator:
Wayne O'Neill
CEO, Wayne O'Neill & Associates

THE DISCOUNTED PRICE ENDS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4th!

When: Tuesday, November 09, 2010 11:30 AM -1:00 PM

Where: University of Texas Club - President's Room
2108 E. Robert Dedman Drive, Austin, TX 78712

Event Registration Fee:
Member $35.00 for a limited time
($45.00 original price)

Non-Member $45.00 for a limited time
($55.00 original price)

Click here to register.

SMPS Call for Mentors and Protégés

The SMPS Austin Chapter is initiating a new Mentoring Program. This is a Members Only opportunity. Junior members (protégés) will be paired with experienced A/E/C marketers (mentors) from non-competing firms to learn more about marketing and business development. Once matched, mentors and protégés will meet once a month to cover a series of topics individually determined by the pair. Topics could include leadership skills, networking, professional effectiveness, career development, etc.

In general, mentors will have more than 10 years experience in the A/E/C industry while protégés will be asked to have a minimum of 2 years experience (to reduce participation from those temporarily working in the industry).

Tentative Program Schedule

• November 1, 2010 - Interested respondents will be sent a survey.
• Mid November - After survey responses are received, an application and outline of meeting topics will be sent out.
• Mid December - All participants are invited to a “Speed Matching” event in which each protégé will have 5 minutes to talk with each mentor. Results from this event and the initial surveys will be evaluated following the event to help determine matches.
• Mid January - All participants are invited to a “Meet Your Match” group event to announce the mentor/protégé partners.

From that point forward protégés and mentors will meet on their own monthly. Midway through the program the entire group will meet to share insights. The program will wrap up with a “Graduation” ceremony in October 2011.

Cost to become a protégé is $100. There is no cost to become a mentor.

This is an exciting opportunity for our more junior members to develop their skills through the insights and knowledge of our more experienced members.

If you are interested in participating in the mentoring program as either a mentor or a protégé, or if you have any questions about the program, please email Karen Ward at klward@terracon.com by October 29th.

SMPS Announces Two New Sponsorship Levels!

SMPS Austin is excited to announce two new sponsorship levels! We now have Platinum and Education Sponsorships available. These sponsorships were offered to our current Annual Sponsors first, and we now only have 1 Platinum Sponsorship and 1 Education Sponsorship remaining. 

If you are interested in one of these sponsorships, e-mail Stefanie Raya at sraya@kleinfelder.com, by October 25th. If more than one firm is interested in one of the available sponsorships we will put all interested firms in a drawing to fill the spot.
 
In upcoming years, if Platinum and Education Sponsorship spots become available, they will continue to be offered to Annual Sponsors first. We recommend that firms interested in becoming a Platinum or Education Sponsor in the future become an Annual Sponsor now.

For a pdf of all available levels of sponsorship and specific sponsorship benefit information download the brochure.

SMPS Webinar: Five Marketing Tools that Make Life Easy

Overwhelmed with proposal, project, and client data? Having trouble tracking all the balls in the air? Join us for this 90-minute, interactive Webinar to find solutions to these problems.

All too often in the pursuit cycle of new work, a great deal of time and dollars is wasted. This waste is seen as being small; however, over time this incremental waste can lead to marketing staff burnout and add up to significant dollars that take away from a firm’s bottom line.

Savvy marketers have learned that there are several tools that can make life easier and help better manage firm resources. Calling upon his years of experience as a professional services marketer, presenter Laurin McCracken will offer five marketing tools for your “professional services toolbox” to help you stop wasting valuable resources—time, effort, and money—on inefficient, redundant tasks:

*Go/No-Go Forms
*Corporate Identity Guidelines
*Project Data Forms
*Client Debriefing Forms
*Staff Resumes

You will learn the benefits of creating and using standardized documents and forms for your firm, as well as how to implement the forms. Laurin will describe why each tool is important and explore the tool’s benefits—as well as common problems that can arise if the tool is not used. He will share tips and tricks that will help make life easier and show how to make best use of the tools to make a positive impact on your firm’s bottom line.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Understand how inefficient time spent on redundant tasks can lead to marketing staff burnout and wasted resources.

2. Discover five useful tools in the “professional services marketer’s toolbox” to stop wasting time and resources and start increasing staff effectiveness and efficiency.

3. Develop a plan for implementing and maintaining the tools.

CEU Credits
SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 hours of Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) CEUs and AIA LU Hours. Recordings of SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 hours of CPSM hours only.

When: Thursday, October 28, 2010 11:30 AM -1:30 PM

Where: DPR Construction, Inc.
9606 North Mopac, Suite 300, Austin, TX 78759

Event Registration Fee
Member:          Complimentary
Non-Member:  $35.00

Click here to RSVP by Monday, October 25, 2010