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AEC THRIVE is back for 2025!

Join your architecture and engineering firm peers in Chicago for three powerful days of networking, strategy, and fresh approaches to improving business performance.

Welcome to the architecture, engineering, and construction industry’s leading growth and profitability conference. AEC THRIVE brings together key decisionmakers at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown for connection and collaboration on the business and management strategies that drive lasting success.

This is your unique opportunity to learn what other firms are doing right now to vault to the next level of profit and performance as the business climate continues to evolve. Join us for:

  • NEW ideas for grabbing more market share as the economy shifts from explosive to sustained demand
  • NEW strategies for managing people and projects more profitably
  • NEW tech strategies for staying ahead of the technology development and adoption wave
  • NEW opportunities to network with peer AEC executives in a relaxing and recharging location
  • NEW ways to CRUSH your firm's revenue and growth goals using fresh data, benchmarks, techniques and tactics.
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Recent AEC THRIVE speakers who shared expert insights and opportunities for growing your architecture or engineering business!

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Robert Kaplan, Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs and former President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Professor of Management Practice and a Senior Associate Dean at Harvard Business School, shared his business climate outlook for the AEC industry and the critical questions to ask yourself on your path to becoming a more effective leader.

Ron Insana, CNBC Senior Analyst and Commentator, shared his economic forecast and insider's perspective on the impact of US and global political developments on AEC markets.

Heather Polinsky, Global President of Resilience at Arcadis, gave us a peek into an ecosystem of 10,000+ North American AEC professionals to see how they are adapting and  evolving, and her outlook on long-term strategic shifts to build a more agile and high performance firm. Your colleagues enjoyed specific actions and business growth accelerators that apply to AEC firms of all sizes.

While even the most forward-thinking AEC firm leaders can easily become overwhelmed with the practical implications of disruptive changes in the design process, this is an amazing time to be in the business. Dan Noble, CEO and President of HKS, explained how AI, machine learning, and other major changes are going to drive growth or extinction for AEC firms...and how they may already be doing so.

3 Reasons AEC THRIVE is MUST-ATTEND

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Fresh case studies, eye-opening 2025 business data, and breakthrough ideas to help you RETHINK and RE-ENERGIZE your AEC firm's growth strategy...
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Unique networking opportunities connect you with peer AEC firm leaders in a stimulating environment to swap bold new techniques...
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Sessions on AEC financial management, business development, project execution, A.I., and talent engagement to fuel explosive firmwide performance gains!

Get even more value out of your AEC THRIVE experience when you add
our optional pre-conference session on Wednesday, October 1
AEC Executive Forum:
The CEO’s Guide to Finding and Cultivating Superstar Next Gen Leaders

One of the most significant questions looming over AEC firm leaders is “Who will run our firm tomorrow?"

Unfortunately, for too many firms, there is no clear answer as executives focus on urgent day-to-day client and project matters. Best-in-class leadership development programs focus on the right topics at the right time with the right people. Sound easy? It isn’t “hard”, but it is complex.

In this one-day deep-dive forum, we bring together a powerful collection of PSMJ’s leadership development experts, firm leaders who have solved some of the most challenging leadership development issues, and other experts to cover virtually every facet of finding and cultivating your next business unit leaders, firm owners, and C-suite executives.

You learn:

  • What you might be saying, doing, and even thinking that is pouring ice water on your rising stars' passion for increased responsibility.
  • How to structure a formal leadership development program that is scalable, effective, and affordable.
  • Tools, resources, and tactics that take the guesswork out of identifying future leaders.
  • How to get the correlation between ownership and leadership right so you never struggle to find future owners.
  • And much more!

Unless you are completely convinced that your leadership development program is delivering the best possible results, don’t miss this one-time 2025 program!

Registration options

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AEC THRIVE plus AEC Executive Forum

 

  • AEC Executive Forum: Wednesday, October 1, 2025

  • AEC THRIVE: Thursday - Friday, October 2-3, 2025

Register
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AEC THRIVE Conference Only

AEC THRIVE brings together key decisionmakers for connection and collaboration on the business and management strategies that drive lasting success.

  •  Thursday - Friday
    October 2-3, 2025
Register
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AEC Executive Forum Only

AEC Executive Forum: The CEO’s Guide to Finding and Cultivating Superstar Next Gen Leaders delivers a wealth of action-oriented ideas to rethink and energize your leadership training and succession strategy.

  • Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Register
Renaissance Chicago

Conference Venue

AEC THRIVE is coming to the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel, offering luxury comfort, exciting evening opportunities, and sophisticated amenities. 

REGISTER NOW