Breakout Sessions

Learning Objectives

• Gain a comprehenisive understanding of the best practices to improve virtual communication
• Learn tips to change your work space to make it perform better for you ergonomically
• Learn how a holistic approach can positively influence employee engagement, satisfaction, and overall productivity within the remote environment

Description
This presentation will explore the symbiotic relationship between employee well-being and organizational success. We will uncover how fostering health and wellness doesn’t just benefit the body but also enhances mental resilience, fueling higher productivity and engagement. We will also dive into the critical role of workplace ergonomics, especially in the context of remote work, and its impact on employee satisfaction and performance. In a world where remote work is prevalent, staying active becomes paramount in prioritizing our holistic well-being. Join us in unlocking the keys to a thriving workplace that champions both physical and mental vitality for sustained prosperity.

Learning Objectives

• How experience determines client reimbursement
• What is Federal Acquisition Regulation audited Overhead Rate?
• Identify what a consulting firm has control of and what is determined by the client in a contract/task negotiation

Description
This presentation will provide insight and dispel misunderstandings about how Transportation CEI work from a business perspective. Intended primarily for individuals embedded with the client, we will cover how clients set rates using experience, what is a Federal Acquisition Regulation audited overhead rate, and how is it used. Also will provide how trucks are reimbursed and what is allowed to be negotiated with a client. By the end of this session, those that work for CEI clients will have a working knowledge of how an organization is paid for services provided and why.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the general purpose and process of commissioning
• Identify the key protective functions of the building enclosure
• Identify common findings in design review and common installation errors

Description
Come gain a better understanding of the general commissioning process. Then, we’ll move through building enclosure commissioning which can help avoid many of the design and construction errors resulting in owner dissatisfaction, discomfort, and lawsuits. Water issues are one of the most frequently cited owner complaints in new construction and rehabilitation. Building enclosure commissioning can help prevent many of these issues in design review, review of construction mock-ups, and enclosure system and component installation. Common air leaks happen at poorly designed or constructed transitions between building enclosure systems. An airtight building must consider all six sides and all penetrations, openings, and changes in direction.

Learning Objectives

• Be able to define what a constructibility review is and how they help our projects
• Learn best practices for performing constructibility reviews for our clients
• Understand the value approaching project management with a continuous constructibility review mindset

Description
Constructibility reviews are one of the best ways our clients realize real, quantifiable ROI from our services. This session will help define just what a constructibility review is, how we perform them and how they can be used to manage our projects proactively and move beyond the present. Come join us as we share best practices for creating formal constructibility reviews as well as performing continuous constructibility review throughout the project lifecycle.

Learning Objectives

• Definition of leadership and what it means
• Learn traits and skills of successful leadership
• Identify opportunities to be a leader both internally and externally

Description

Evolving to the leadership team of the future involves a proactive approach to identifying leaders and leadership development that includes a broad set of skills and attributes to meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the ever-changing business environment. Learn how AEC consulting firms provide opportunities and support for team members to be leaders internal to their business and in the AEC industry.

Learning Objectives

• Help identify the pros and cons of waiting to perform preventative maintenance within facilities
• What are some of the impacts known and unknown to the buildings, occupants, trades, and overall cost
• Identify ways to help the clients to visualize these impacts and how to avoid the pitfalls and keep them “moving beyond the present”

Description
New or older facilities all have a common adversary, “Preventative Maintenance Programs.” The goal should be to monitor the equipment and to provide the required maintenance as recommended by the manufacture Operations and Maintenance Manuals. Providing the proper preventative maintenance can help with the rising cost of energy (water, gas, electricity). When the equipment is operating at its peak performance the energy usage and wear and tear are at a minimum. How do we advise our clients to “move beyond the present” mindset of I’ll fix it later versus fix it now before we cause further damage and increase our costs. What are some of the pit falls of waiting and how do we move beyond that mentality.

Learning Objectives

• Describe how consulting firms add value
• Explain how to approach projects with various unique stakeholders
• Categorize the complexities of campus construction and apply the lessons learned from MMTF for “moving beyond present”

Description
Multi-Modal Transit Facility: A Transportation Anomaly, will give a general overview of the Multi-Modal Transit Facility including the various stakeholders, project footprint, and complexities associated with each layer of this multifaceted project on the Virginia Tech campus. This includes an emphasis on the project’s uniqueness as a true vertical-horizontal hybrid and the challenges of obtaining stakeholder buy in. Furthermore, this session will showcase how consulting firms can add value as an owner’s representative while simultaneously dealing with conflict at every turn of the project progression and how these lessons can be used for moving beyond the present.

Learning Objectives

• Learn how drones can benefit your clients/programs
• Learn how drones are being utilized in the AEC industry
• Learn how you can incorporate remote capture in your projects

Description
Come see how to utilize remote capture technology today and into the future. Topics covered will include the use of 360-cameras, drones, HoloBuilder, and DroneDeploy. Emphasis on real client problems and provided solutions enabled by this technology. Users of these tools are encouraged to attend to gain new insights and share their ideas. Others are also strongly encouraged to attend and learn how you can leverage these tools to help your clients and project teams achieve their goals.

Learning Objectives

• Learn a more holistic definition of program management
• Understand how program management relates to project management
• Learn about applications of program consulting and the value it brings to clients

Description
Program management is frequently defined as management of a group of projects. But what if we elevate our thinking to understand program management as maximizing the defined benefits of multiple projects? A panel will discuss the management and consulting techniques applied at the program level, and how these relate to decisions made at the project level. Moving Beyond Present, imagine a future where a consulting firm is the industry expert in providing program level consulting across market sectors, helping clients realize organization-wide benefits, and delivering better program outcomes.

Learning Objectives

• Recognizing the importance of relationships in recruiting
• Learn how to ask the right questions when interviewing candidates
• Understanding how to get a canidate from first contact to orientation

Description
This interactive presentation is a guided tour of firsthand experiences, approaches, and lessons learned from recruiting in a tight labor market to find the right Team Members and promote growth at an organization. We will discuss our experiences of where and how to find candidates, how to check if their a great addition to the team, and how to navigate the treacherous waters from first contact to onboarding day. We’ll also compare active versus passive recruiting and when each has been successful.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the various types of fire suppression systems (FSS) in use and the science behind them
• Learn how FSS are designed, constructed, and integrated into other building systems
• Gain insight into what the future hold for fire suppression in the build environment

Description
Clients are expecting consulting firms to provide subject matter expertise in areas of building construction we traditionally have not delivered in the past. One of these areas is in fire and life safety. This session is intended to take a deeper dive into one of content areas covered (during a former Lunch-n-Learn “Intro to Fire and Life Safety”) which is the suppression of fire in structures.

Learning Objectives

• Identify how DOTs manage the Q&A portion of an interview
• Learn how to work in a small group under pressure and with strict time constraints to develop answers to questions
• Learn how to effectively present responses to a panel

Description
The intent of this training session is to have mock VDOT style Q&A sessions where we break the attendees into small groups and give them actual VDOT interview questions allowing them 10 to 15 minutes to formulate responses and then present them back to the panel. There would be a short preparatory presentation at the beginning of the session to describe the process and best practices.