How the Recession Commoditized the A/E Firm + What To Do About It

During the recession, a large owner of gas stations and convenience stores issued an RFP for assistance renovating a good portion of its locations as part of a major rebrand -- an RFP that normally would have received 15-20 responses yielded over 11k. While economic conditions have improved drastically over the last few years, the signs of commoditization are still all around us. Yet, we're not talking about them. This program will do just that. We will share key indicators that commoditization is still a very real problem for many architecture and engineering firms, perspectives on the topic from marketers around the country, and suggestions for how marketers can help their firms “de-commoditize." (1.25 SMPS CEUs/1.25 AIA LUs)

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the key forces driving the commoditization of the practice to raise awareness of the issue with firm leaders.
• Access real world indicators that commoditization is still a very real problem.
• Identify paths to “de-commoditize" the firm and build a highly differentiated firm.