2026 Amplify Recap

Author: Katy Byers, Oregon Chapter Board President, Middle of Six

After nearly a decade in the A/E/C industry, I attended my very first SMPS Amplify conference. Amplify is SMPS’s national conference, and includes three days full of sessions and connecting with marketing minds from all around North America. This year, the conference was hosted at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, which meant our sessions were complemented by fountains, chandeliers, and a certain level of Las Vegas sensory overload. I went in with curiosity and excitement, and came home with a notebook of ideas and a bunch of new connections. I am eager to give you a recap of my experience, and share feedback from more of the SMPS Oregon attendees. 

The Program

I attended many sessions, but will focus on the two that impacted me the most - Economic Trends Shaping the Industry, and Navigating Change in Shortlist Interviews. I kicked things off on Monday afternoon learning from Macrina Wilkins, AGC of America’s Director of Market Insight. I learned that construction spending, tracked by the US Census Bureau, is one of the clearest signals we have for gauging demand in our industry. The session also pushed attendees to think about how we are factoring in risk to our projects, especially around material costs. The key takeaway was that the sooner projects can lock in purchases, the better positioned they are for successful delivery within budget. 

Navigating Change in Short List Interviews on Tuesday morning might have been my favorite session of the whole conference. Meg Winch, President of Communication Resources, laid out how the interview landscape is shifting. She discussed the "proprietary meetings” and “video infomercials” that clients are increasingly adding to the pursuit process. Something that really stuck with me was the reminder that we can’t just hand our teams an interview script and call it interview prep. The real work is in coaching people to identify problems and develop solutions in front of the clients. I especially love the concept of building out interview prep like a “kit of parts” rather than a performance. 

Developing Community

As my extroverted self expected, the best part of Amplify was the people. Monday night, eleven of us from SMPS Oregon squeezed around a table at the Gordon Ramsey Pub & Grill, and enjoyed conversation about session takeaways, current projects, career moves, and some inside jokes - all over truffle fries, of course. Times like this remind me of why our chapter is so worth showing up for. 

Tuesday night was the “There’s No Place Like SMPS” event. I couldn’t help myself and put together a last-minute Dorothy outfit. There were many of us that had the same idea and I am not holding my breath for the coverage on who wore it best. There is something special about dressing a little silly in a room full of industry peers that breaks down some professional barriers and allows for some authentic connections. I met so many new people that night, and got to spend time with some familiar faces as well. 

What the Oregon Chapter Delegation is Saying

“Amplify was an experience I'll never forget. I met so many industry leaders from across the nation, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to hear their perspectives, share my own insights, and bring those lessons back into my marketing and business development practice.” - Paulyna Santos, Marketing Coordinator, Bassetti Architects

“One of my biggest takeaways from Amplify AEC was how much the expectations of marketers are changing. Firms are asking marketers to operate more strategically—to understand the business, influence decisions, deepen client relationships, make sense of data, and help lead through uncertainty. But stepping into that role requires more than being really good at solving problems. It requires learning to see the whole system, synthesize what we’re hearing, and ask questions that help other people see it, too. That showed up in several sessions I attended, and it showed up in the conversations Briana Carter and I facilitated during our Culture Jackpot roundtable. People want to influence what’s happening inside their firms, but they don’t always know where to start—especially when they don’t have positional authority. My biggest reminder from those conversations: questions are a form of influence. We don’t have to have the answer, the title, or permission to notice something that isn’t working and ask, ‘What might we be missing?’ Sometimes that’s how change starts.” - Katherine A. Robinette, CPSM, Keystone and Raven, LLC

“My first Amplify experience was filled with learning, meaningful conversations, and opportunities to connect with professionals from across the A/E/C industry. Hearing how others are approaching similar opportunities and challenges provided valuable insights that I am excited to carry forward as I grow in my career.” - Amoline Foerstler, Business Development Assistant, Stantec 

“What I love about Amplify is the opportunity to step outside of the day-to-day, learn from people across the AEC industry, and come back with a fresh perspective. I left feeling energized, with new ideas, new connections, and plenty of inspiration to bring back to my team.”  - Ashley Chae, Marketing and Business Development Lead, MacKay

“This was my first time at the Amplify conference and it was truly impressive. I felt like there were so many strong sessions overlapping with one another that it was genuinely difficult to pick which to attend. Vegas left me a bit cold, ironically, but the conference itself was fantastic.” - Patrick Keller, CPSM, Assoc. DBIA, Business Development Manager, DOWL

“I attended all of the Foundation Emerging Trends sessions (both Monday and the roundtable session). This year's report themes are:

    - Stacey Ho, FSMPS, CPSM, Lead Data Operations Manager, Delve Underground

"Vegas at 7 a.m. is the most honest place on earth: the lobby is full of individuals heading to bed, a swimming pool, or the casino floor, while I was heading to a breakout session on client differentiation strategy, but everyone is holding coffee. I was in the last group. Mostly. Great conference — the sessions were outstanding, the people were sharper, and I came home with a notebook full of things I’m actually going to use." - Nicole D. Haman, CPSM, LEED AP, Principal, TRD Enterprises

"One of the biggest takeaways from Amplify was that exceptional client experience is becoming one of the greatest competitive advantages in the AEC industry. Marketing can't own every client touchpoint, but we can influence the entire client lifecycle by advocating for the client, encouraging meaningful feedback, and partnering with project teams to elevate the overall experience. It reinforced that growth isn't just about winning more work, it's about delivering an experience that clients want to come back to.” - Erin Reed, Marketing Director, CM West & Mountain, Consor

Closing Thoughts

I left Vegas with over a dozen pages of notes, a renewed appreciation for the humans that make our industry, and some new friends (of course). If you have been on the fence about attending Amplify, I can recommend that you go, with confidence. The sessions are worth it, but the community is what you will actually remember.

Katy Byers (She/Her)
SMPS Oregon Board President
Senior Marketing Strategist, Middle of Six