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CEO Summit 2026

CEO Summit for the AEC industry

Three days with the industry's principals. Attendance is limited to CEOs and Presidents. No business development, no vendors, no delegates.

Request invitation See the agenda
Edition
8th annual
Dates
October 28 to 30, 2026
Location
Scottsdale, Arizona
Venue
Four Seasons at Troon North

At the 2025 summit, our largest to date

245
Attending CEOs and Presidents
220
AEC firms represented
90%
Of industry revenue represented
$180B+
Combined annual revenues

Who attends

Peer to peer, and nothing else.

Attendance is limited to Chairs, CEOs, and Presidents. No one in the room is selling to you. No private equity investors. No sponsor booths.

Download the 2025 attendee list

Firm size

2025 attending firms, by annual gross revenue

Firm size. 100 firms in total.
Band Share
Under $50M 25%
$50M to $250M 40%
Above $250M 35%

Ownership structure

2025 attending firms, by ownership

Ownership structure. 100 firms in total.
Band Share
Employee-owned 60%
Private equity owned 31%
Publicly traded 6%
Other 3%

Shares are of the 220 firms represented at the 2025 CEO Summit. The size bands are the same ones used to set registration fees, so a reader can see how many firms their own size were in the room.

Agenda

Three days built for conversation.

  1. 4:30 PM

    Women in the AEC Industry cocktail reception

    Troon Lawn

  2. 5:30 PM

    Opening reception, cocktails and dinner

    Through 9:00 PM

    Fountain Terrace

Sessions and times are subject to change.

  1. 6:30 AM

    Breakfast

    Fountain Terrace

  2. 8:00 AM

    AEC industry performance and megatrends

    Benchmarking data from more than 350 AEC firms that completed our 2026 KPI survey. The session covers market demand and growth across transportation, water, power, environmental, buildings, and other infrastructure. It also covers profit margin performance, and the ownership and capital structures now reshaping the sector.

    Pinnacle Ballroom

    Speaker

    • Andrej Avelini Managing Partner, AEC Advisors
  3. 8:45 AM

    CEO roundtable discussion

    A panel on the performance and market trends facing the industry, and on the opportunities and risks the panelists see across their own organizations.

    Pinnacle Ballroom

    Speakers

    • Speaker to be announced
    • Speaker to be announced
    • Speaker to be announced
    • Speaker to be announced
  4. 9:45 AM

    Networking break

    Foyer

  5. 10:15 AM

    Keynote: Rory Sutherland

    Alchemy: Why the Illogical Wins in an Age of Logic

    Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy and bestselling author of Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense, challenges our reliance on a world built on logic, physics, and economics, disciplines AEC firms have mastered. His central argument is that logic alone has never been what drives human behavior. Emotion and psychology determine who people trust, what they buy, and how they act. As AI takes over the logic, it will be trust and emotion that decide which firms win.

    Pinnacle Ballroom

    Speaker

    • Rory Sutherland Rory Sutherland Vice Chairman, Ogilvy
  6. 11:15 AM

    Networking break

  7. 11:30 AM

    Concurrent sessions

    Lightning meetings

    Pre-matched, ten-minute conversations, CEO to CEO.

    Ironwood Ballroom Requires pre-sign up

    Open Q and A with the AEC Advisors team

    An open session for questions on the panels, the data, transactions, and industry trends.

    Pinnacle Ballroom

    A look inside lightning meetings
    Attendees talking in pairs across round tables during lightning meetings Two attendees in conversation at a lightning meeting table
  8. 12:30 PM

    Lunch

    Fountain Terrace

  9. 1:30 PM

    Mergers and acquisitions trends, valuations, and activity

    A panel on: Buyer activity and valuation multiples across the AEC industry Private equity sponsors investing in new platforms Consolidation by strategic buyers, including public, employee-owned, and PE-backed platforms End market attractiveness and risk, from a buyer appetite and pricing perspective How economic conditions and public market valuations affect deal structures and timing The role of AI adoption, proprietary data, and workflow ownership in valuations

    Pinnacle Ballroom

    Speakers

    • Speaker to be announced
    • Speaker to be announced
    • Speaker to be announced
    • Speaker to be announced
  10. 3:00 PM

    Espresso barista bar networking break

  11. 3:30 PM

    Artificial intelligence in the AEC industry

    Bridging the AI Delta: A CEO's Guide to Margin, Risk, and Reality in 2026

    In an industry already facing thin margins, rising project complexity, and a 2026 labor gap, AI has moved from future trend to competitive baseline. For AEC firm CEOs the question is no longer whether AI matters, but where it changes the economics of the business, from bid accuracy and design productivity to project risk, rework, claims, safety, and talent leverage. This session covers the AI Delta, the widening gap between firms that use AI to create measurable advantage and firms that absorb the cost and margin pressure of falling behind.

    Pinnacle Ballroom

    Speaker

    • Darren Perry Darren Perry Managing Director, L.E.K. Consulting
  12. 4:00 PM

    Networking break

  13. 4:15 PM

    Artificial intelligence in practice

    AEC firm CEOs who have moved past experimentation into real deployment over the last six to twelve months. They cover what they implemented, where it produced measurable results, and where it fell short of expectations.

    Pinnacle Ballroom

    Speakers

    • Speaker to be announced
    • Speaker to be announced
    • Speaker to be announced
    • Speaker to be announced
  14. 5:30 PM

    Cocktails and dinner

    Ironwood Terrace

  1. 7:00 AM

    Breakfast and networking

    Fountain Terrace

  2. Times vary

    Networking activities

    Each activity is booked separately when you register. Golf and the ATV tour carry a fee.
    • A golf green at Troon North with desert and mountains behind it

      Golf RSVP and fee

      Start
      8:30 AM shotgun
      Duration
      About 4 hours
      Fee
      $350, plus $100 for rentals
      Where
      Troon North Golf Course

      Eighteen holes, followed by a food and drink reception.

    • An off-road vehicle on a desert trail in the Sonoran Desert

      ATV adventure RSVP and fee

      Start
      8:15 AM departure
      Duration
      4 to 5 hours
      Fee
      $450
      Where
      Sonoran Desert

      A four-hour guided off-road excursion, back at the Four Seasons around 1:00 PM. Long pants and closed-toe shoes are required. Sunscreen and sunglasses are recommended. Protective gear is provided.

    • A desert hiking trail climbing towards Pinnacle Peak

      Hike RSVP

      Start
      9:00 AM, departing the hotel
      Duration
      About 2 hours
      Fee
      None
      Where
      Pinnacle Peak

      A moderate 3.9 mile out and back with 1,007 feet of elevation gain. Turn around whenever you need to. Snacks provided.

From the 2025 summit

The room

What three days actually looks like.

The Four Seasons Resort at Troon North at dusk, seen from the air, with the boulder outcrop rising behind it
Filmed at the 2025 summit

Venue and lodging

Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale, at Troon North.

Discounted room blocks are open at the Four Seasons and at the nearby Marriott at McDowell Mountains. Rates are held under "AEC CEO Summit 2026". Lodging is booked separately from registration.
Other nearby hotels 5 more within 30 minutes, no room block

There is no room block at any of these. Rates and availability are at the public rate.

  1. 01 Boulders Resort and Spa 18 min
  2. 02 The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess 21 min
  3. 03 JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort 21 min
  4. 04 The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa 26 min
  5. 05 Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort 27 min

In attendees' words

What peers say.

  • I come to the AEC event every year because the leaders of all the firms are here.
    Gord Johnston CEO, Stantec
  • It's an incredible opportunity to network and share ideas with industry peers from all over the world.
    Derek Hutchison CEO, Cumming Group
  • The insights into the industry, and the connections to other industry peers, that you just don't get anywhere else.
    Susan Osterberg CEO and President, Smith Seckman Reid

Watch the 2025 video

Registration fees

Fees are set by firm revenue.

The fee covers all three days of sessions, meals, receptions, and the shuttle between the Marriott and the Four Seasons. Lodging is booked separately and some activities carry an extra charge. No payment is taken when you register.

FAQs

Before you register.

Why is attendance by invitation only?
We hold the room to CEOs and Presidents so that every conversation is genuinely peer to peer rather than a mix of levels. There are plenty of events for broader networking and education across an organization. This one is focused at the top.
May I send a colleague in my place?
No. Attendance is limited to CEOs and Presidents, and the requirement applies to substitutions as well as to registrations.
I represent a private equity firm. May I attend?
No. The CEO Summit is limited to CEOs and Presidents of AEC firms. Our PE Summit, held in January or February each year, is the one built for private equity sponsors and AEC firm CEOs.
What is included in the fee?
All three days of sessions, meals, receptions, and shuttle service between the Marriott and the Four Seasons. Lodging is booked separately, and golf and the ATV tour carry their own fee.
What is the dress code?
Business casual throughout, including the evening receptions.
When am I charged?
Not at registration. We review each request against the attendance requirement and the capacity cap, then send a payment link by email once your place is confirmed.
What if I need to cancel?
Full refund through September 28, 2026. Write to Matt Robinson if you need to cancel.

Request invitation

Request your place.

Attendance is limited to CEOs and Presidents and the room has a hard capacity cap, so we review every request before confirming. Submitting this form is a request, not a confirmation of attendance.

01 Your firm's revenue band
02 About you

CEOs and Presidents only.

Copied on the confirmation and the payment link.