Going for Gold in the Emerald City: A Recap of SMPS PRC 2026

Three days. 500+ A/E/C marketers. One very caffeinated city. Here's what went down at the 2026 SMPS Pacific Regional Conference in Seattle.

The 2026 SMPS Pacific Regional Conference brought its "Going for Gold" theme to the Hyatt Regency Seattle from March 18 through 20, and the energy matched the Emerald City's iconic skyline. Whether you were a first-timer navigating the Welcome Reception or a chapter veteran trading pins in the hallway, this conference delivered something for everyone. Here's the recap.

Day 1: Workshops, a Powerful Keynote, and Pins Everywhere

Wednesday kicked off with three pre-conference workshops open to all, not just full conference registrants: "Aw, Snap! In-House Headshots for the Win," "Demystifying Business Development in an Ever-Evolving Climate," and "InDesign Insights: Power Features for AEC." Each one offered targeted, tactical skill-building that attendees could put to work the moment they got back to the office.

University of Oregon Women's Soccer Head Coach Tracy Joyner then took the stage for the opening keynote, "Lace 'em Up: Compete, Connect, Create." Her message on building a high-trust, high-performing culture through consistency and daily habits landed hard for an audience that spends its days rallying teams around tight deadlines and high-stakes pursuits.

The Welcome Reception opened the networking floodgates, but the real star of the evening was the Pin Exchange. Inspired by the Olympic tradition of trading pins across delegations, attendees brought custom pins representing their firms, chapters, and personalities and swapped them all week. Enamel pins, metal buttons, pins shaped like coffee cups and hard hats: they were clipped to lanyards, bags, and badge ribbons everywhere you looked. What started as an icebreaker became one of the most effective networking activators of the entire event.

Day 2: Full Programming and Seattle-Style Fun

The Tracks
The heart of the conference lived in 18 breakout sessions organized across three tracks:
Track 1: Leadership and Management explored the challenges facing firm owners and highlighted how marketing professionals can add strategic value at the leadership table
Track 2: Marketing and Communications shared essential tools and strategies for modern marketing teams, from research and proposals to interviews and integrated campaigns.
Track 3: Business Development helped BD professionals sharpen their approach to relationship-building and to grow their firms' work.

Across all three tracks, one theme kept surfacing: excellence is operational, not accidental.

Keynotes and Social Events

Amber Wendover's Thursday keynote, "It Starts with You: A 75-Minute Leadership Reset," challenged the room to examine how their own habits shape the culture around them. And after a full day of sessions, attendees traded business cards for paddles at the Thursday Night Social's ping pong party, exactly the kind of relaxed, competitive energy that makes PRC's evening events legendary.
Early risers also got their money's worth with the Rise and Shine Yoga session at 6:00 AM, a low-key way to start the day centered before diving back into programming.

Day 3: Closing Strong and Exploring Seattle

Danielle Gray closed the conference with "Peace Is a Strategy: The Competitive Advantage of Calm Leadership," a timely reminder that in a deadline-driven industry, composure is not passive. It's strategic.

After the final sessions, attendees could extend the experience with exclusive walking tours led by the Seattle Architecture Foundation. Two options explored the city through a design-focused lens: "Diamonds and Gold: The Art Deco Skyscraper, Northwest Style" traced downtown Seattle's early skyscrapers, while "The City and the Sound" followed the waterfront's transformation through infrastructure, ecology, and public space. For an A/E/C audience, it was the perfect way to connect conference themes to the built environment just outside the hotel doors.

What to Bring Back to the Office

A few themes that echoed across sessions and hallway conversations all week:

Process drives client experience. Internal friction shows up in your deliverables, your timelines, and your client relationships.

Calm leadership is a competitive advantage. The professionals who lead with composure create better outcomes for their teams and their clients.

Connection fuels everything. The moments that mattered most happened when people stepped outside their usual circles, whether through a pin exchange, a yoga session, or a walking tour.

Want to Attend PRC 2027? Here’s How to Make It Happen

If reading this recap has you wishing you’d been there (or eager to go again), start planning now. Two resources can help you get to Orange County in March.

Apply for the Katie Spurlock Scholarship

The Katie Spurlock Scholarship is awarded each year to help SMPS members attend the Pacific Regional Conference. The scholarship covers one conference registration plus up to $1,000 toward hotel and travel, and is open to members across all 12 Pacific Region chapters. It’s specifically designed for professionals who might not otherwise have the budget or firm support to attend, so if cost is a barrier, this is your path forward. The application for the 2027 scholarship will be released this fall, so if PRC is on your radar, now is the time to start preparing. Keep an eye on chapter communications and the SMPS PRC website for application details and deadlines. Past recipients have gone on to become active conference volunteers, chapter leaders, and PRC advocates within their firms.

Make the Case to Your Supervisor

Getting approval to attend a conference is often less about the price tag and more about the value proposition. When you approach your supervisor, frame PRC as a professional development investment with direct returns to the firm. CPSMs earn more than 10 Continuing Education Credits just by attending. The 18 breakout sessions cover practical topics such as proposal strategy, client experience, business development techniques, and leadership skills that directly translate into winning and retaining work. The networking alone connects your firm to 500+ marketing and BD professionals from across the Pacific Region, opening doors to teaming partnerships, client intelligence, and industry best practices. SMPS PRC also offers a downloadable Justification Letter Template on the conference website that you can customize with your firm’s specific goals and bring to the conversation with your leadership. The strongest pitch ties the conference programming directly to the challenges your firm is facing right now, whether that’s improving win rates, strengthening client relationships, or developing the next generation of BD leaders.

Save the Date: PRC 2027

Mark your calendars for March 15 through 17, 2027, when PRC heads to Orange County, California. If Seattle set the gold standard, Orange County is gearing up to raise the bar.

For upcoming SMPS Oregon events, visit smpsoregon.org.

See you in Orange County. Let's keep going for gold!

Images courtesy of Zera Photo