
FORUM 2024: NOLA
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January 4-7, 2024
New Orleans Marriott
New Orleans, LA
The AIAS’ biggest conference is back, and headed to the Big Easy!
For the first time since late December 2019, FORUM is back in person! In case you’re unfamiliar with it, FORUM is the AIAS’ annual conference, and we invite all of our members from around the world to gather in a new city under a new theme, and spend a few days together. FORUM is often capitalized even though it’s not technically an acronym – so when people ask us what it stands for, we like to say that it’s a conference that represents everything we stand for: we empower voices, ideas, and actions for the future. And we especially love to do it together!
Through innovative speakers, seminars, activities, and tours, we will: learn about design, service, and leadership advancements in the field; meet, collaborate, and communicate with our fellow members from diverse schools and share perspectives face-to-face; get to know a cool city for its architecture, firm culture, and history; feature the work of our fellow students; and represent our chapters by electing the 2024-2025 Board of Directors.
FORUM will feature general sessions with keynote speakers all four days; a full day of career development, including a Career and College Expo, a Portfolio Review, and other relevant sessions; a Beaux Arts Ball; workshops; tours; and so much more. You won’t want to miss a thing!
Registration
SPECIAL ADVANCE RATE (through September 30)
Member (Individual): $295
Non-Member (Individual): $350
EARLY BIRD RATE (through November 30)
Early Bird Member (Individual): $325
Early Bird Non-Member (Individual): $380
REGULAR RATE (through December 5)
Regular Member (Individual): $375
Regular Non-Member (Individual): $430
GROUP RATE (for 6 or more individuals)
Early Bird Member (through November 30): $295 each
Early Bird Nonmember (through November 30): $345 each
Regular Member (through December 5): $345 each
Regular Nonmember (through December 5): $395 each
*Contact mailbox@aias.org to register via Group Rates.
ALUMNI/LEGACY MEMBER RATE (through December 5)
$75 each
HIGH SCHOOL MEMBER RATE (through December 5)
$25 each
AIAS CHAPTER FACULTY ADVISOR RATE (through December 5)
$50 each
REGISTER FOR FORUM TODAY!Hotel
The New Orleans Marriott is the official FORUM hotel. Other than tours, all sessions and events will be held at the Marriott, which is just a few blocks away from the historic French Quarter!
AIAS has negotiated a special FORUM rate of $189/night. Each room features two beds, so each room can accommodate 4 people. To take advantage of this special rate, register here. A limited number of rooms are available, so make your reservations early; at the latest, by Wednesday, December 13, 2023!!
New Orleans Marriott
555 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130-2349
Schedule
Check back for updates and more details!!
Time | Programming | Location |
---|---|---|
7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | FORUM Registration Open | Hotel |
11:00-11:30 a.m. | Council of Presidents (CoP) Orientation | Hotel |
11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. | Council of Presidents (CoP) Opening Meeting | Hotel |
12:00-3:00 p.m. | Tours | TBA |
12:00-11:59 p.m. | Student Lounge Open | Hotel |
2:00-3:00 p.m. | Sessions | Hotel |
4:00-7:30 p.m. | Welcome/Opening Keynote Session | Hotel |
8:30-10:30 p.m. | Meet & Greet Reception with 2024-2025 Board Candidates | Hotel |
Time | Programming | Location |
---|---|---|
8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | FORUM Registration Open | Hotel |
9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. | Sessions | Hotel |
12:00-4:00 p.m. | Storum Open | Hotel |
12:00-4:00 p.m. | Career & College Expo with Lunch | Hotel |
2:00-4:00 p.m. | Portfolio Review | Hotel |
4:30-7:30 p.m. | Keynote Session | Hotel |
8:00 p.m. | Free Evening to Enjoy New Orleans! | Hotel |
24 hours | Student Lounge Open | Hotel |
Time | Programming | Location |
---|---|---|
8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | FORUM Registration Open | Hotel |
9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Sessions | Hotel |
9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | Tours | TBA |
2:00-4:00 p.m. | Quad and Region Breakouts | Hotel |
3:45-4:30 p.m. | Storum Open | Hotel |
4:30-7:30 p.m. | Keynote Session | Hotel |
8:30 p.m.-12:00 a.m. | Beaux Arts Ball | Hotel |
24 hours | Student Lounge Open | Hotel |
Time | Programming | Location |
---|---|---|
9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | Storum Open | Hotel |
10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | Council of Presidents (CoP) Closing Meeting | Hotel |
1:30-4:30 p.m. | Keynote Session/Announcement of 2024-2025 Board | Hotel |
5:00-10:00 p.m. | Social Event | Hotel |
24 hours | Student Lounge Open | Hotel |
Sessions
Interview Tips and Tricks hosted by Gensler
You really want this job. You’ve made it this far, but how can you put your best foot forward and
ensure you’re the one they want? This workshop will not only help prepare you to nail your
interview, but it will also provide some questions you might want to ask as well.
Architecting the Perfect Resume hosted by Beth Lundell Garver
Sure, you have the skills and the experience, but how do you get your foot in the door and make
the firms or companies take notice? Learn how to create the most effective resume to reflect
your talent and make a valuable first impression.
Building Your Professional Network hosted by Korey D. White and Anne Smith
They say that networking is one of the most valuable tools you need when you start searching
for a job or internship. But how do you build a network, and how do you leverage it? Benefit from
the advice of some experienced professionals.
The Hand that Feeds (And All the Other People Too): Community Engagement in Design hosted by Natalie Goodin
In design, particularly in public-interest design, there are a lot of people with a lot of different
thoughts and opinions, which leaves designers caught in the middle, left to make sense of it all.
And that can be intense. In this session, we’ll look at community-focused projects and explore
community engagement not only as a tool but as a fundamental component of the design
process. We’ll talk about how we can best get to understanding the core values of stakeholders
and how to elevate community voices when things get loudest.
Project Management with SDA hosted by Stephanie Kirschner
For over 60 years, the Society for Design Administration (SDA) has promoted education and best
practices in management and professional standards of design firm administrative personnel. This
session will help you get a better understanding of some core project management concepts:
proposals, contracts, and project initiation, as well as construction administration.
Designing for a Future Scenario hosted by Laura Ward and Jeanne Homer, AIA
This session will walk you through a future scenario consisting of the challenges that
cities and architects will face as climate change affects the way we live in the future.
Using techniques developed by futurist and game designer Jane McGonigal, you will be
placed on the front lines to make decisions that affect future citizens in how we will adapt
to our rapidly changing environment. Come and experience a glimpse into the future!
From Hire to Inspire: Culture’s Role in Recruitment, Retention, and Recognition hosted by David Shove-Brown
In the age of authenticity and connection, the core of every organization relies on a strong
foundation of company culture to maintain brand strength while encouraging growth in
competitive markets. Building brand identity and maintaining it is equally as tough as it is
important. In this engaging session, David Shove-Brown marries his vibrant personality with
his plentiful leadership experience to give a run-down of the journey from establishing a
genuine company culture. From there, he guides participants through tools to leverage
culture to stay competitive, from internal interests of employee recruitment and retention to
external publicity and marketing. David believes that strong, sustainable company culture is
built not from the top down, but from engaging each team member in the process ––
allowing them to express what they look for in an organization and providing opportunities to
have a say in building a workplace that represents who they are.
What do you get for your FORUM registration?
- Connect with architecture and design students and alumni from all over the world
- Hear from 4-5 keynote speakers on different aspects of leadership, design, and service
- One full day dedicated to career development, with relevant sessions, a Portfolio Review, and a Career & College Expo, where you can learn about potential internship or job opportunities, and meet with representatives from architecture firms, companies, associations, and university programs
- Tours, so you can explore the unique architecture, landmarks, and culture of New Orleans, our host city
- Three more days of educational sessions on various topics of interest to architecture and design students, including some student-led sessions
- Meet all of the candidates running for the 2024-2025 AIAS Board of Directors, and if you are a chapter president, vote for the Association’s future leaders
- Display your work or research during FORUM, and/or view other students’ work and research
- Enjoy the Beaux Arts Ball on Saturday, January 6, and other evening social events throughout FORUM
- Meet the presidents or other Board leaders representing the six association members of the Architectural Alliance (ACSA, AIA, AIAS, NAAB, NCARB, and NOMA)
- Buy AIAS merchandise, sell your chapter’s merchandise and purchase merchandise from other chapters at the “Storum”
- Spend casual time connecting with your fellow AIAS members at the Student Lounge throughout the conference
- And much, much more!!
Meet the Keynote Speakers
Danielle Del Sol is the executive director of the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans, which has as its mission to preserve New Orleans’ historic architecture, neighborhoods, and cultural identity through collaboration, empowerment, and service to its community. She was named executive director in 2018, and is only the fourth director in the organization’s 49-year history. She served for seven years before that as editor of Preservation in Print, the monthly magazine of the PRC, and as the PRC’s communications director. She is an adjunct lecturer in the Master of Preservation Studies program at Tulane University, of which she is also an alumna. She lives in Uptown New Orleans with her husband, three children, and a bunch of animals in a c. 1905 camelback shotgun that the couple restored in 2015.
Tifferney M. White is the CEO of the Louisiana Children’s Museum in New Orleans, a position she has held since March 2023. Prior to that, Tifferney served for 5-1/2 years as chief learning officer of Discovery Place, which includes four hands-on museums with locations in and around Charlotte, NC. As President and CEO of Discovery Children’s Museum in Las Vegas, NV, from 2015-2017, she transformed the museum with a focus on collaboration with community organizations, the business community, and key stakeholders.Tifferney earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC. She also holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She currently serves as vice president – governance for the Association of Children’s Museums.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Louisiana Children’s Museum (LCM) re-envisioned its mission to holistically address the health and development of children in a state that often ranks low in educational outcomes. The health and well-being benefits of intentionally connecting children with nature led the museum to relocate from an indoor-focused experience in New Orleans’ Warehouse District to a new campus encircling a lagoon in the 1,300-acre City Park. The new campus presents a transformative model for children’s museums, one that weaves together indoor and outdoor learning opportunities along with literacy, parenting, early childhood research and environmental education activities to create a holistic and supportive environment for children and their families. Mithun was awarded a 2022 AIA COTE Top Ten Plus Design for the design of the Museum.
Richard Franko is a dynamic leader and partner at Mithun with deep sustainable expertise and a passion for finding unique design solutions merging mission, place and people. His skill in designing places of immersive and experiential learning is elegantly expressed in his concepts for museum and educational facilities. His design leadership for these projects and workplace environments all integrate site and building systems to achieve greater levels of performance. His projects have received awards for both design and environmental excellence, a testament to his integrated approach to achieving client goals.
As the Global Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Jason Pugh promotes Gensler’s commitment to its Strategies to Fight Racism while furthering the firm’s efforts to address unique challenges within each region and community through a global perspective. A Principal based in Gensler’s Chicago office, Jason manages projects that engage the community at-large, leading them from schematic community-based master plans through full construction. His portfolio includes master planning programs centered on cultural connectivity, public transit, and mixed-use development along with architectural projects spanning hospitality, commercial office and retail, residential, science research labs, and large university campus medical facilities across the country.
More keynote speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
FORUM Sponsorship Opportunities
Interested in FORUM sponsorship opportunities? Click here or read below!