By Chad Clinehens, President & CEO, Zweig Group
From The Zweig Letter
These events offer firm leaders an opportunity to connect, learn, and celebrate – this year with a focus on ROI.
For the past decade, we have seen the AEC industry soar past previous financial metrics and benchmarks, and, keeping to this trend, the industry is performing at historic levels in 2024. While the AEC industry as a whole is experiencing this upward trend, it’s important to note this success doesn’t necessarily translate to every firm, and there are still many challenges for leaders of AEC firms to overcome. However, despite the challenges that we still have to overcome, the success that we have the potential to achieve as an industry has never been greater. This is unique in my experience, and it demonstrates that we are truly experiencing an elevated industry.
Both the 2024 ElevateAEC Conference & Awards Gala and M&A Next Symposium in Tampa, Florida, will be an environment where leaders can connect, learn, and celebrate this great industry we’ve dedicated our careers to. This year, our experience will be centered around a powerful theme: return on investment. The concept of ROI is both simple and complex. Most think in terms of dollars, which is understandable. However, in my experience, time is an equally important facet of ROI, particularly when it comes to the AEC industry.
At these two events in September, we will push the limits of business perspectives, probing what we at Zweig Group see as fundamental shifts in ROI that are creating the greatest changes to the AEC industry seen in a long time. Several dynamic elements of industry and economics are set to force profound changes in how consulting firms operate, which has the potential to create a very different future for AEC firms.
Two events that will help you envision the future:
M&A Next Symposium – September 17, 2024. This event is a one-day, pre-conference symposium that focuses on firm transitions and acquisitions. Where other events are focused on creating a forum for buyers and sellers to engage, M&A Next is focused on higher level business strategies and approaches – shaped by unique sessions for buyers and sellers. With a focus on ROI, the event will be an experience that helps attendees design their future as a buyer or seller. We will kick this event off on the evening of Monday, September 16 with the most experienced legal team in the AEC industry – George Christaduolo and Peter Grupp. The pair will take us through a legacy that celebrates the AEC industry’s past while the group enjoys cocktails and looks forward to the future. The schedule for the full-day M&A Next event the following day is filled to the brim with insightful keynotes, engaging panels, and focused breakouts – providing high ROI for a one-day event. The M&A Next Symposium is sponsored by Ames & Gough and Unanet.
ElevateAEC Conference & Awards Gala – September 18-19, 2024. The ElevateAEC Conference follows immediately on September 18 and 19 with two days of activities shaped to drive connection and learning while celebrating our industry. We have an incredible line-up of speakers across both events including Linda Darr, CEO of ACEC, the premier national organization empowering engineers and architects; Joe Furey, CEO of world renowned Michael Graves Architecture; Kit Miyamoto, CEO of Miyamoto International and winner of the 2024 ENR Award of Excellence; and more than 20 industry experts who will provide insights into driving performance and returns in AEC today and in the future.
After a few years of experimenting with schedule alterations, we are excited to try a new concept with a start on Wednesday and ending on Thursday evening. This will give attendees a full day on Friday to travel home or enjoy the Tampa-Clearwater area beaches. With the theme being ROI, we want to give those traveling for the event enough time to make it home to watch their kids’ games or do whatever they need to get their weekend started. Another notable schedule change is the awards gala taking place on Thursday evening. This will be the last activity for the evening and conference, meaning we all get to celebrate in a manner that befits the year our industry has had – without having to worry about conference activities the next day.
From start to finish, we have kept a dedicated eye on our theme of “return on investment.” This theme will certainly shape the conversations that take place during the event, but it is our goal to walk-the-walk as much as we talk-the-talk. Your time is an incredibly valuable resource, and we have used your feedback over the years to maximize the use of your time with us. Join us in September for an inspired and highly curated event aimed at elevating yourself, your firm, and the industry. We are confident the return on your investment will be an inspired future!
Chad Clinehens, P.E. is Zweig Group’s president and CEO. Contact him at [email protected].
About Zweig Group
Zweig Group, three times on the Inc. 500/5000 list, is the industry leader and premiere authority in AEC firm management and marketing, the go-to source for data and research, and the leading provider of customized learning and training. Zweig Group exists to help AEC firms succeed in a complicated and challenging marketplace through services that include: Mergers & Acquisitions, Strategic Planning, Valuation, Executive Search, Board of Director Services, Ownership Transition, Marketing & Branding, and Business Development Training. The firm has offices in Dallas and Fayetteville, Arkansas.
