Build Business Conference 2006

I had the good fortune of presenting at the Build Business Conference in Hollywood.  The conference is a joint undertaking of Society for Marketing Professional Services, the premier A/E/C marketing and business development organization, and the Professional Services Management Association, committed to excellence in design firm management.  

The conference took place at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel, which is adjacent to the Kodak Theatre, home of the Academy Awards and of course, the American Idol finals.  The venue was terrific and I was surprised to find that there were over 1,000 attendees.  The conference was essentially a 2-day event with optional pre and post- conference activities.

The two days were filled with 28 well-organized and fast moving breakout sessions with snappy titles like "Maverick Marketing", "Where's my Birthday Card" and "Cracking the Sales Code".  "Incentive Compensation" - The Key to Increased Revenue and Profit" was presented yours truly, (next year I hope to come up with a better title).  The Keynote addresses were also entertaining and on target.

However, the most interesting event was the black-tie awards gala.  Most awards galas are a combination of mediocre food, strained table conversation and long winded monotone speeches that only their mothers would love.  Well, let me just say that I was pleasantly surprised.  The food was great, the conversation was terrific and the speeches were short and interesting.

The event was hosted by a Jay Leno impersonator that kept the event light-hearted with some funny jokes and ad-libs.  The awards presentations struck a great balance of being respectful to the award winners and not being bogged down with rambling speeches.  Anyone interested on how to run an awards presentation and make the attendees look forward to next one, should attend next years event in Washington DC and find out how to do it right.