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THE PINNACLE EXPERIENCE

November 7-9, 2023 Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis, MN

The Pinnacle Experience is for professionals with significant experience (10-15+ years), who serve as the “first chair” for leading their firm’s marketing and business development strategies. This may include CEOs, CMOs, directors, principals, and vice presidents.

Attendance is limited to approximately 100 qualified professionals to guarantee an impactful learning and networking experience.

The Pinnacle Experience Education Program

CMO to CEO Panel

The Pinnacle Experience will begin with an engaging conversation with our CMO to CEO panel. We’ll hear from current CEOs who were in marketing leadership positions, their journey, lessons learned, and advice for how to handle, manage, and prepare for the shift. Below are the speakers for this panel:

Exclusive Speaker Lineup

During The Pinnacle Experience, you’ll hear from thought leaders sharing their perspectives on how brilliant ideas have become the new currency and emphasizing the importance of creative problem-solving. Full session descriptions are listed in the schedule below.

  • Claudia Azula: Ideas are the Currency of the 21st Century
  • Matthew Manos: Creative Problem Solving
  • Adam Markel: Build Resilient Leaders & Change Proof Work Cultures

The Pinnacle Project

This year, we’re committed to harnessing the collective wisdom of all participants to address A/E/C industry challenges. Attendees will be placed in diverse groups to devise innovative solutions that tackle critical industry needs. We’ll address issues like: succession planning, talent management, DEI, and more. Participants will choose topics, collaborate, and create compelling four-minute pitches for the final day. This immersive experience will elevate expertise and drive industry change.

2023 Schedule & Sessions

Time (CDT)Session
Tuesday, November 7
3:00 – 6:00 PMRegistration Open to Attendees
5:30 PM – 6:30 PMOpening Program: CMO to CEO Panel
6:30 PM – 7:30 PMWelcome Event: The Pinnacle Purple Party
Wednesday, November 8
7:30 AM – 8:30 AMBreakfast & Networking
8:30 AM – 12:00 PMIdeas are the Currency of the 21st Century | Claudia Azula
12:00 PM – 1:00 PMLunch & Networking
1:00 PM – 4:00 PMCreative Problem Solving | Matthew Manos
4:00 PM – 4:30 PMDiscussion & Wrap Up
4:30 PM – 5:30 PMThe Pinnacle Power Down (Happy Hour)
Thursday, November 9
7:30 AM – 8:30 AMBreakfast & Networking
8:30 AM – 9:30 AMDay-One Recap / Day Two Kick-Start
9:30 AM – 12:30 PMBuild Resilient Leaders & Change Proof Work Cultures | Adam Markel
12:30 PM – 1:45 PMLunch / Closing Keynote
1:45 PM – 2:00 PMFinal Remarks: Wrap-Up & Dismissal

Attending The Pinnacle Experience

Hear from The Pinnacle Experience facilitator, Stacy Stout, FSMPS, CPSM, on the impact this event holds.

Download Now

Take a look at the sessions and recap from last year’s Pinnacle Experience in Las Vegas, NV.

2022 Event Brief

The Pinnacle Experience will be hosted at the Four Seasons Hotel in Minneapolis, MN. Grab your group rate of $275/night.

Secure our group rate

Registration

Registration rates:

Members: $1149
Nonmembers: $1249
Fellows and Minority Owned Businesses: $1049

Safety & Well-being

We are committed to ensuring that all individuals feel safe and valued when participating in our programs. Discrimination, harassment, or any form of disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated. By participating in this program, you are acknowledging your commitment to adhere to our code of conduct policy.

For your well-being, and the community’s safety, if you’re experiencing illness or flu-like symptoms, we kindly request that you refrain from attending the event. We support your choice to wear a mask at any of our events and ask everyone to respect each other’s decisions for a safe and inclusive environment. 

Please complete the statement of interest form below to receive access to registration and discounted hotel reservation link. 

Statement of Interest Form

Name(Required)

Register now

The Pinnacle Experience Advisory Committee

Facilitator:

Stacy Stout, FSMPS, CPSM

Advisors:

Craig Galati, FAIA, FSMPS
Kayla McCause, CPSM
Damion Morris, CPSM
Cricket Robertson, FSMPS, CPSM
Jennifer Van Vleet, CPSM

Attendee Experiences

“The Pinnacle Experience challenged me to stretch my mind in new ways.”

-David Werking, FSMPS, CPSM
Business Development Manager, ERMCO, Inc.


 

“The Pinnacle Experience gave me the tools and data to expand my thinking with tangible takeaways.”

-Sarah Hoff
Owner / Principal Consultant, Hoffhaus Creative


 
Cancellation Policy: Cancellations must be submitted in writing and sent to SMPS, The Pinnacle Experience Attn: Antonio Payne, 625 North Washington Street, Suite 302, Alexandria, VA 22314, or antonio@smps.org. The registration fee will be fully refunded if the written cancellation is received two weeks prior to the event. No refunds will be refunded with less than two weeks’ notice. A substitute may attend for no extra charge provided SMPS is notified of the substitution or transfer prior to the start of the event. Please see our complete registration and cancellation policy.

SMPS Thanks our 2023 Pinnacle Experience Sponsors

PREMIERE SPONSOR

TECHNOLOGY SPONSOR

2023 Conference Sponsors

Welcome Reception Sponsor

FLIP THE SCRIPT, JOIN SMPS TODAY.

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SMPS

Email

info@smps.org

Phone

703.549.6117

SMPS Headquarters

625 North Washington Street
Suite 302
Alexandria, VA 22314-1936

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November 7 | 5:30pm | CMO TO CEO PANEL DISCUSSION

Amy Jones is President/CEO of O’Connell Robertson, a mission-driven architecture/engineering/interior design firm based in Austin and providing design solutions that positively impact communities throughout Texas. Amy became the Firm’s fourth president, and the first woman to serve in that role in the Firm’s 70+ year history, in 2016. She has been with O’Connell Robertson for 25 years and has been a Principal and Shareholder since 2004.

As President, Amy leads corporate strategy & vision, guides talent and people issues, and manages finance and operational activities with the Firm’s Senior Leadership Team. Throughout her career at O’Connell Robertson, she has been involved in and led the Firm’s marketing and business development team and served in a project executive role. Amy’s focus on client relations, business development and community engagement has provided a strong foundation for the Firm’s growth over the last decade.

Throughout her career, Amy has been engaged in regional organizations and issues supporting youth and education, providing leadership to several local boards. She is currently a member of the Austin Chamber’s Education and Talent Council; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas Advisory Council (also past Board Chair); and a member and past Education Chair of the Austin Area Research Organization (AARO). In 2022 she co-chaired the PAC fundraising committee for the successful $2 billion Austin ISD bond election.

Amy is a past board member for the Association for Learning Environments Southern Region and Austin Chapter and has been active in other community and professional organizations, including serving as past President of the Austin Chapter of the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), a Leadership Austin alumni, and former Board Member and Chair for the Austin Ed Fund.

A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, Amy has a Bachelor of Journalism degree and completed the UT Austin Continuing Education Marketing Certificate Program. She and her husband Ken have two successful sons, Matt and Josh, who are each following their passion into their careers as collegiate and high school basketball coaches.

November 7 | 5:30pm | CMO TO CEO PANEL DISCUSSION

Matt Huelskamp, President at Hyder Construction, has been in the construction industry for 19 years and with Hyder for the last 15. He is a two-time University of Denver graduate with an undergraduate degree specializing in Real Estate and Construction Management as well as an Executive MBA. He’s actively involved in several professional organizations within the Denver business community including serving as a board member on the Associated General Contractors of Colorado as well as the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation where he sits on the Board of Governors.

November 7 | 5:30pm | CMO TO CEO PANEL DISCUSSION

Speakers

Grenee Martacho, CPSM, CEO of Concord General Contracting, has made it her mission to shatter the norms in commercial construction while empowering the men and women around her to do the same. In 2020, she successfully led the firm in becoming an Employee-Owned company and grew the firm to a $130 million general contractor, growing her team from 30 people to over 65 employee owners in three years. Under Grenee’s leadership, Concord has been recognized as a “Best of Arizona Business” General Contractor for the past three-years.

November 7 | 6:30pm - 7:30pm | WELCOME EVENT: THE PINNACLE PURPLE PARTY

Let’s kick off our time in Minneapolis, by paying homage to the official color of the Vikings football team and the legendary artist, Prince…PURPLE. Come decked out in your best purple attire, and or accessories. 

November 9 | 9:30am | BUILD RESILIENT LEADERS & CHANGE PROOF WORK CULTURES

Adam Markel‘s thought-provoking and transformational speeches on how to cultivate a Change Proof culture by building resilience inspire business leaders and individuals around the world.

November 8 | 1:00pm | CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

Once called “crazy or genius” by Forbes Magazine, Matthew Manos is the Founder and Managing Director of verynice, a design strategy practice that gives half of its services away for free to non-profit organizations. With a portfolio of work that has reached millions of people across the globe, verynice’s client experience spans 1,000+ brands including the American Heart Association, Apple, the City of Los Angeles, Disney Imagineering, Google, REI, and the United Nations. One of the first examples of social entrepreneurship in the design services industry, verynice launched with a mission to alleviate expenses for nonprofit organizations while increasing access to design for all. Since its founding in 2008, the company has been able to displace nearly $50,000,000 USD in professional services through its groundbreaking pro-bono and open-access initiatives.

November 8 | 9:00am | IDEAS ARE THE CURRENCY OF THE 21st CENTURY

This workshop is completely experiential and will give attendees one actionable and brilliant idea they can take with them. It will also be fun, and it will bring enthusiasm. Claudia Azula believes successful organizations depend on their people’s great ideas and implementation. However, she recognizes that brilliant ideas don’t just appear out of thin air. They need consistent effort, a trustworthy system, and, most importantly, dedicated periods of time that promote a relaxed and playful environment. Companies like Google use playfulness to build trust, encourage gentle physical activity, and foster open brainstorming. Generating great ideas requires both left-brain logic and right-brain creativity. Our culture tends to overemphasize analytical thinking, leading to mental fatigue while ignoring imagination and creativity, both of which are responsible for encircling the work of a healthy and profitable company.

November 7 | 5:30pm | CMO TO CEO PANEL DISCUSSION

Join us as we open The Pinnacle Experience programming with an engaging conversation with current CEOs who were in Marketing leadership positions (CMOs etc.) their journey, lessons learned and advice for how to handle and manage the shift.