June Luncheon: Meet the Press

All will be revealed by a panel of local and industry media professionals at our June luncheon. Decision makers from various media outlets will share tips for promoting your story ideas, deadlines, working with PR agencies, and other secrets of the news media. 

In addition to marketing professionals, firm leaders should attend to hear from those who determine, predict and even influence what is newsworthy in our industry. The panelists will also share the trends and issues they consider to be “hot topics” for the A/E/C industry, the stories they are most likely to cover, and how the economy and social media are affecting their reporting. Presenters include: 

• Stacy Armijo, Pierpont Communications (Moderator)
• Jan Buchholz, Austin Business Journal
• Catherine Gavin, Texas Architect Magazine 
• 4th Panelist: TBD

WHEN
Tuesday, June 10
11:30 am - 1:00 pm

WHERE
University of Texas Club - President's Room
2108 Robert E. Dedman Drive

FEE
Member $35.00 (for a limited time)
Non-Member $55.00 (for a limited time)

REGISTRATION
REGISTER HERE

Punch Up Your Played–Out PowerPoints written by Marisa Jarmon, American Constructors

I may not be a PowerPoint wiz, but I’ve come a long way. The first time I used PowerPoint was in college for a presentation detailing the evolution of hairstyles through the 1900s. I remember how much fun it was finding photos of afros, bouffants, and mullets, then spending hours selecting the "perfect" colors and typography to go with each slide. In the end, I was very proud of what I had created, got an "A" on the project, and considered myself a PowerPoint master. In reality, I had committed nearly every cringe-worthy design mistake that any actual PowerPoint pro would warn you against.

As marketing professionals, many of us have been tasked with creating a PowerPoint presentation, whether for a project interview, a meeting or conference, or a special event. If you don't consider yourself a designer, the idea of creating a PowerPoint program can be intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. The most important points to remember: Keep it simple and keep it visual.

Trash the Templates

Using one of PowerPoint’s templates should only be done in desperation. Not only are the majority of them visually boring, but your audience has probably seen them a dozen times. Viewers will immediately recognize you didn’t put any work into the aesthetics and subconsciously make judgments about you based on your presentation’s visual appeal. Make a stronger statement by taking the time to create your own slides.

Hold the content of your presentation together by using a consistent layout, type style, and color scheme. Every slide does not have to look exactly the same, but you don’t want each slide to look like it came from a different presentation.

Sell Your Ideas Visually

Slides should be used to make a visual statement that words alone can't. Photography is one of the single best ways to make your presentation stand out and engage the audience. Nix the unnecessary text and graphs and use more photos. Photos wordlessly draw your audience in, give them an emotional connection, and prepare them for what you have to say. Then you can fill in the details verbally during your presentation.

When it comes to choosing images, you have a few options – take or create them yourself, hire a professional, buy them from a stock photo site, or find them for free online. For free stock photos, check out Stock.Xchng or use CC Search to find photos on various sites under a Creative Commons license (meaning they can be used free of charge by the public). If you have a budget to purchase photos, iStock Photo is an affordable, high quality option with numerous search tools.

Keep it Concise

Your slides should not regurgitate everything you’re already saying. If your audience is reading what’s on your slides, what’s the point of you being there? You are the show, and your slides are there to help guide your speaking and support your main points. Think billboards. Make one point per slide. This helps with your timing and keeps your audience from reading ahead while giving them the chance to focus on and digest what you’re saying.

Many people use bullets in an attempt to condense their information but, in reality, if you use too much bulleting, your key messages get lost. If you must use multiple bullets under a common heading, keep your audience engaged by bringing bullets in one at a time.

Let’s Talk Typography

Choosing your PowerPoint typeface can be one of the most challenging elements. Don't just scroll through your font list looking for something you think looks “cool.” Think about the message you're trying to convey and select something that helps you deliver that message. Browse through sites like Font Squirrel and Dafont to find a variety of free options. Most important is to always choose typefaces that are clean and simple enough to be read easily from across the room. If you're unsure, stick to the standard-looking fonts, which will help ensure that your design remains clean and professional.

Don’t be afraid to use several typefaces to create some variety, but keep it to just three different typefaces throughout your slideshow. Also, don't switch up your fonts just because you think it looks good. Do so for emphasis or to group words together. When it comes to size, keep the type 24 points or larger. Any smaller and people in the back won’t be able to read it. Don’t underline words or people may think they are links and DON’T USE ALL CAPS for emphasis. You don’t want your audience to think you’re shouting at them.

The Power of Color

Color can be your most powerful design element if you learn to use it effectively. Selecting the right colors can set the mood, create emotion, attract attention, and make a statement. Taking some time to learn about color theory can take you a long way. (Check out Color Matters or Tiger Color for a crash course). You can also browse thousands of color palettes on websites like Adobe Kuler and Design Seeds. Another handy site is Piknik Color Picker. Decide on a color palette and keep it consistent. This will unify your presentation.

Remember, people only recall 10% of what they hear, but retain 65% of what they hear and see. Make what they see count. 

The Public Private Partnership Model written by Bryan Lofton & Katie Maynard Koran, DPR Construction

In ancient times, construction projects were carried out by a master builder, a single entity or individual that embodied all knowledge and skill in design, engineering, and construction. Since that time society has isolated these responsibilities and doing so lost efficiencies often creating adversarial relationships between these roles on projects. Recently, we have begun to see these roles converge once again in an increasingly popular project delivery method. 

What is a P3? When Is It Used?

A Public Private Partnership, or P3, is formed when a public entity, such as a school or transportation department, enters into an agreement with a private entity, such as a developer, to share skills, assets, risks, and rewards in the delivery of a facility. A P3 arises when a public entity wants private funding to build and maintain some building or infrastructure feature. On the development or private equity side, future revenue streams in the form of tolls or rent motivate pursuit of P3 opportunities. For many years, the P3 concept has been common to transportation infrastructure projects but recently its popularity has grown among social infrastructure projects as well, including student housing projects, hotels, and even museums. In fact, the American Institute of Architects is currently introducing P3 legislation for state consideration that focuses specifically on social infrastructure projects.

How Does It Work?

From a contractual standpoint, consider the Public Private Partnership like a design/build agreement on steroids. Unlike the Construction Manager at Risk and Design/Build, a developer or sponsor will carry a single agreement with the public entity then directly hire the A/E firm and builder. To further mitigate the construction risk, many P3 agreements allow for some major trade contractors to be equal partners with the construction manager and design firms. With so many new vested parties in the endeavor, it is common for the project to form an executive steering committee made up of all stake holders to discuss issues and make decisions for the project. 

Advantages

• A group of equal stake holders, each offering unique expertise and ability to affect the project, can make better, faster decisions. 
• This high level of collaboration shortens project schedules and reduces capital costs. 
• Facility operation costs are usually included as part of the P3 agreement which means public entities can better control the risks of future operation. 

Challenges

• Having multiple partners on a project that share risk / reward requires careful attention when preparing P3 agreement - legal expertise from a firm that specializes in such agreements is crucial. 
• The public entity may find itself paired with a new private partner if the original partner sells their end of the agreement which can lead to conflict in how the new partner operates the facility or provides services. 
• A public entity can become stuck with an underperforming asset if their private partner becomes insolvent. It is important to remember that a P3 agreement transfers risk but it won’t eliminate it. 
• An additional layer of ownership is introduced with the addition of a development partner. To lessen this issue, contractors are more frequently becoming equity partners in the arrangement along with the construction work. As the market evolves, smaller construction companies, who are unable to bring money to the table, may become marginalized. 

Why Have We Seen an Increase in P3 Models?

P3 arrangements are growing in popularity, especially for building projects, for to two primary reasons: 
1. Expanding demand
2. Limited availability of resources
There is a growing need to build more public infrastructure projects. Federal, state, county, municipal, and higher education institutions continue to expand public services; this requires additional facilities to accommodate the growing population. The resources available to fund the installation and operation of these facilities are often lacking or could be put to better use funding other projects and services. For example, a college may choose to build a new academic building using their own funds and use a P3 arrangement to fund student housing projects which are more predictable and appealing to private investors.

While the P3 delivery model resolves some issues inherent to conventional project delivery modes, it also creates a number of new challenges. Certainly the P3 scenario is not the remedy for all public projects. Yet, the key drivers of this delivery model, limited public funding and growing public need, are unlikely to change in the future so we are sure to see more P3 opportunities. 

New Member Spotlight: Kristine Bryant

I am the Marketing Manager for Encotech Engineering Consultants. We are a full-service engineering firm that was founded in 1990 in Austin. Our primary focus is providing exceptional MEP and Structural Engineering services to our clients.

I was born in Austin, Texas – a local! I went to Southwestern University for undergrad and got my MBA at The University of Texas at Austin.

What prompted you to join SMPS Austin?

I am excited about the opportunity for personal and professional development with people in my industry.

New Member Spotlight: Kelly Hogan

Kelly Hogan works at Journeyman Construction where she primarily manage and prepare proposals on the Development side of the company. She is also working on evolving their brand.

Kelly was born in California, lived in Mexico while in high school, returned to California for a couple of years, then moved to Washington state. She returned to school in her forties and got a degree in graphic design. Right out of school, she landed at Callison, a large international architecture firm. For the first half of her eleven year career at Callison, she did proposals and presentations and other marketing activities. During the second half of her Callison time, she was graphic and brand standards manager where she created a series of tools for the proposal team and managed many graphics projects including website content, email campaigns and firm events and managing the brand (aka brand police). She quit her perfectly good job, sold her house and moved to Austin 1 ½ years ago because she wanted warmer weather, a better cost of living, and generally a big change. She had been to Austin several years ago for AIGA Design Ranch and fell in love with the area.

When Kelly moved to Austin, she purchased a foreclosure house that needed some work. She spent her first nine months here just working on the house, removing popcorn ceiling, painting just about every surface and installing wood floors. The main reason Kelly bought this particular house was because it has a fabulous room upstairs that she has made into her dream creative space. Kelly makes quilts, beaded jewelry and many other hand-crafted items. Next up is to start learning about gardening in Austin.

Kelly was familiar with SMPS from her time in Seattle. She has worked for professional services firms for over 20 years.