Date:        July 8th, 2022
Location: MLK Library
                  901 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Led by:    Nicholas Knodt, RA & Janki Shah, Assoc. AIA, LEED GA
Session Sponsors:    SYNERGi, Shaw Contract, One Source Associates Inc, Lutron, MGS Global Group
Session Downloads: Session 5 Program

Overview

This session exposed CKLDP Scholars to the world of business development and marketing, sharing strategies and perspectives of individuals within the architecture and allied industry. Starting with a roundtable that demystified business development through the stratified lens of professionals in various stages of their careers, scholars learned about various methods and perspectives for gaining work and building a practice. This session also highlighted the importance of storytelling and how to build personal branding. These are critical components to communicating intent, sharing common values with potential clients and partners as well as refining the tools of communication to share our ‘why’ as architects and designers.

Presentation #1

Business Development Roundtable
Speakers: David Haresign, Pascal Molenat, Sarah Wahlgren Wingo

In the first session of the Business Development and Marketing roundtable, the CKLDP class was able to hear from three different professionals with a wide variety of experiences come together to share their views on how to start a firm and win work, how to network with clients, marketing and building industry relationships. The CKLDP class heard from Sarah Wingo, a young professional in the DC area who has recently started her own firm, on what some of the challenges and opportunities she has faced both building her brand and business here in the District, and lessons learned along her journey. The class also heard from two other panelists at mid and late points in their careers: Pascal Molenat who is currently a chief marketing lead at OTJ, and David Haresign, FAIA a seasoned principal and one of the founders of CKLDP. The three panelists tackled both the hard and soft skillsets associated with the development and answered questions on the topics of ethics, employee satisfaction, and building and marketing a portfolio.

Presentation #2

Branding Workshop
Speakers: Joann Lui

Joann Lui shared her inspiring story and the importance of building and understanding one’s personal narrative in order to define themselves in the profession. Her background in Architecture and passion for marketing yielded an interactive and engaging workshop centered around building a personal brand and how to use this mindset to strengthen relationships in the industry, promote yourself and your work as well as define perception. The class was able to reflect and write their own personal brand statement, as well as reflect on the values that drive them as leaders and designers in the industry.

Presentation #3

Storytelling in the World of Marketing
Speakers: Karen Robichaud

Karen Robichaud is a marketing and graphics professional who gave the scholar’s a deep dive session into the importance of storytelling in our work, both visually and by using narratives. By developing effective strategies that enable us to tell a story, we are able to reach new clients, share our work in exciting and meaningful ways, as well as frame our perspectives in new contexts. Karen shared her journey and personal ex experience building Payette’s website, blog, and ‘voice,’ and also shared various case studies on how to effectively codify experiences in order to document and communicate projects and stories. Finally, the group was able to hear about different strategies for marketing and graphics as well as have an open discussion identifying what areas and topics scholars are currently engaged with that could lead to greater visibility by using these tools.