Event Overview

In professional services, change is often incremental. But when it comes to Client Experience (CX), that assumption is being challenged—fast.

This fireside chat begins with a concise overview of the SMPS Foundation’s Emerging Trends in A/E/C Marketing and Business Development, grounding the conversation in the broader forces reshaping how clients buy, engage, and stay loyal. One trend rises quickly to the surface: Client Experience is no longer a “nice to have”—it’s a strategic differentiator with measurable business impact. 

To help frame that shift, Ryan Suydam, Client Savvy Founder and CX Architect at ClearlyRated, will provide context on what the data is revealing across the industry and why firms that operationalize CX are outperforming their peers.

From there, the conversation moves from insight to action.

Three AEC firms—Parkhill, Hensel Phelps, and Marksmen General Contractors—will share how they launched formal CX programs starting with voice-of-client initiatives and, within months, turned feedback into tangible results. These leaders didn’t wait for perfect conditions or multi-year timelines. They built momentum quickly, translated client insight into operational change, converted skeptics into internal champions, and demonstrated early ROI that reshaped how leadership views CX.

This is not a theoretical discussion about customer centricity. It’s a candid, behind-the-scenes conversation about:

• What prompted these firms to act now
• How they structured and socialized CX internally
• What surprised them once client feedback was on the table
• Where they saw immediate wins—and real challenges
• How CX is influencing leadership conversations, priorities, and decision-making

Designed as an intimate, practical fireside chat, this session is ideal for marketing, business development, and firm leaders who are asking:

• Where do we start with CX?
• How do we prove value quickly?
• What does “good” actually look like in A/E/C—not retail or tech?

Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how CX connects directly to trust, retention, differentiation, and growth—and why firms that move now are gaining an edge that’s hard to replicate later.

This is CX, grounded in reality—and happening faster than you might think.

Event agenda:
8:00 - 8:30 AM - Networking & Refreshment
8:30 - 9:30 AM - Fireside Chat Discussion
9:30 - 10:00 AM - Post-event networking, close-out

Event Sponsorships Available!

$500 sponsorship includes: