Headlight/Diamond Sponsorship includes:

• Three (3) Conference Registrations (valued at approximately $3,375)
• Introduction of Keynote Speaker including 3-minute Firm Introduction
• 20 minute one-on-one with Keynote Speaker - Emilie Aries (optional)
• Room Moderator for Two (2) Breakout Sessions
• Premier Exhibitor Space One Dedicated E-blast Featuring Sponsor to more than 1,000 NERC Contacts
• Promotional Benefits per Chart
• Signature Promotional Item with Logo Placement (to be selected with Planning Committee)
• Pre/Post mailing list

Also Includes:

Signature Event Sponsor - Wednesday or Thursday Evening Event (choose one):

• Signature Cocktail
• Verbal Recognition During Event
• Custom Entrance Signage with Logo

Mount Desert / Sunrise-Sunset Sponsorship includes:

• Hotel Key Card Branding (550 Keys)
• One (1) Conference Registration (valued at approximately $1,125)
• Room Moderator for Two (2) Breakout Sessions
• Premier Exhibitor Space
• One Dedicated E-Blast Featuring Sponsor to more than 1,000 NERC Contacts
• Promotional Benefits per Chart
• Pre/Post Mailing List

Katahdin/Platinum Sponsorship includes:

• Two (2) Conference Registrations (valued at approximately $2,250)
• 90-Second Firm Introduction at Mainstage Session
• 20 minute one-on-one with Keynote Speaker - Emilie Aries (optional)
• Room Moderator for One (1) Breakout Session
• Exhibitor Space
• Featured Spotlight in E-blast to more than 1,000 NERC Contacts
• Promotional Benefits per Chart
• Pre/Post Mailing List

Also Includes:

Promotional Item (choose one, first come first serve):

• Lanyard (Logo Placement)
• Notebook (Logo Placement)

Rocky Coast/Gold Sponsorship includes:

• One (1) Conference Registration (valued at approximately $1,125)
• Exhibitor Space
• Spotlight in E-blast to more than 1,000 NERC Contacts
• Promotional Benefits per Chart
• Pre/Post Mailing List

Also Includes:

Promotional Item or Experience (choose one: first come, first served):

• Activity of Evening Event (Logo Signage)
• Quiet Space (Logo Signage)
• Transportation for Thursday Event (Logo Signage)
• Wi-Fi (Logo Placement)
• Breakfast One Day (Logo Signage)
• Lunch (Logo Signage)
• Snack Both Days (Logo Signage)

Pine Tree/Silver Sponsorship includes:

• One (1) Conference Registration (valued at approximately $1,125)
• Exhibitor Space with high top table (optional)
• Promotional Benefits per Chart

*DOES NOT INCLUDE A CONFERENCE REGISTRATION*

Chickadee/Bronze Sponsorship includes:

• Banner promotion throughout the conference OR morning giveaway items placed on seats prior to event
• Promotional Benefits per Chart

*DOES NOT INCLUDE A CONFERENCE REGISTRATION*

Lobster/Bronze Sponsor:

• Promotional Only - Targeting Local Businesses

*DOES NOT INCLUDE A CONFERENCE REGISTRATION*

Door Prize Donor:

• Provide gift of $150+ value
• Verbal Recognition at Mainstage Sessions (during Door Prize giveaways)
• Logo and Hyperlink on Sponsor Page of the NERC Website

Conference Registration includes all Wednesday and Thursday programming, Wednesday Evening Welcome Reception, Thursday Night After Event, and meals.

Conference Registration includes all Wednesday and Thursday programming, Wednesday Evening Welcome Reception, Thursday Night After Event, and meals.

Conference Registration includes all Wednesday and Thursday programming, Wednesday Evening Welcome Reception, Thursday Night After Event, and meals.

This is ONLY for the Directors: Conference Co-Directors, Finance, and Assistant Finance

Conference Registration includes all Wednesday and Thursday programming, Wednesday Evening Welcome Reception, Thursday Night After Event, and meals.?

This is ONLY for the Planning Committee.

Conference Registration includes all Wednesday and Thursday programming, Wednesday Evening Welcome Reception, Thursday Night After Event, and meals.

This is ONLY for the two NERC scholarship recipients.

Conference Registration includes all Wednesday and Thursday programming, Wednesday Evening Welcome Reception, Thursday Night After Event, and meals.

Lighthouse Tour

Join us for a guided bus tour through Portland, Maine, featuring historic landmarks and scenic sights along the way, before arriving at the iconic Portland Head Light. At the lighthouse, guests will have time to explore the grounds, learn about its history, and, if time permits, visit the gift shop and nearby walking trails. Space is limited to 52 participants, so register today to reserve your spot! The tour will last about 2 hours and will proceed in weather conditions, so please dress accordingly

*Please note: this registration item is non-refundable.*

*Please note: The bus for the Light House Tour leaves promptly from the Hotel at 9:30am. The Light House Tour takes place at the same time as the pre-conference workshops; therefore, attendees may participate in either the Light House Tour or a workshop, but not both.*

Workshop 1: From the Ground Up: Building Real InDesign Fluency

Speaker: Julie Shaffer, FSMPS, CPSM / Owner, Creative Director / Shaffer Creative

Session Description: Many AEC marketers didn't learn InDesign. They inherited it. Someone else's go-by InDesign file, a deadline, and a lot of trial and error taught them to get proposals out the door, but not how to maximize InDesign's amazing built-in capabilities.

This two-hour workshop is built for exactly that marketer. Instead of another feature tour, we’ll go beneath the interface to the concepts that make InDesign make sense: how styles are actually built and inherited, best practices for managing parent pages, and how using scripts can speed up production. Attendees will leave with not only a longer list of tricks, but also a working mental model that helps marketers rise past survival-mode production into faster, more confident, and more creative work.

Speaker Bio: Julie Shaffer has spent 25 years in professional services marketing, shaping long, high-stakes pursuits where consistency and clarity can make the difference in winning the work. She's a marketing strategist, trainer, and Adobe Community Expert who works primarily in InDesign, with a soft spot for proposals and a low tolerance for inconsistent formatting. She founded Shaffer Creative in 2012 after 11 years in-house, and now consults, trains, and designs for firms competing for the work that matters most. Julie teaches design principles that hold up across industries and platforms. Her methods come from real client work, the kind that must survive a Tuesday at 4:00 pm when the deadline is 5. They're practical, repeatable, and built for picky collaborators and inherited InDesign files. Her goal is simple: help teams work smarter.

Workshop 2: Clear, Persuasive, Effective: A Repeatable AEC Writing Strategy 

Speaker: Tully Mahoney

Lunch included.

Session Description: Remember staying up until 1:00 am writing that argumentative essay due first thing in the morning, criticizing your life choices and wondering when you'd ever really use this skill in your real life? Well, if you’re an AEC marketer, the answer is almost every day.

Much of what we write is persuasive in nature. Whether we're developing proposals, thought leadership, or award submissions, we're trying to influence how our audience thinks and acts. This session reintroduces the structure many of us first learned in school, with a few important modifications to move past the strict five-paragraph essay, write technical ideas in plain language, and create engaging content that connects with audiences.

In this highly interactive workshop, we'll tackle common writing challenges facing marketers today, from cutting jargon and generic language to understanding when to appeal to logic and when to engage emotions to motivate action. Through real-world examples and hands-on exercises, attendees will practice applying a repeatable process that makes writing easier and more persuasive.

Speaker Bio: With expertise in crafting compelling narratives that engage diverse audiences, Tully Mahoney blends creative thinking with a sharp eye for detail to develop impactful content across platforms. Her work includes award-winning podcast production, content development, and copyediting large-scale documents, all while enhancing brand voices and driving audience engagement.

Includes All of the Following:

• Workshop 1: From the Ground Up: Building Real InDesign Fluency
• Workshop 2: Clear, Persuasive, Effective: A Repeatable AEC Writing Strategy
• Boxed Lunch

Are you new to SMPS NERC? Is it your first time attending?

Join us for an exciting and welcoming First-Timers session at the SMPS NERC Conference! This fun-filled kickoff is designed to help you jump right into the conference experience, with a friendly atmosphere to make new connections with other first-timers. You will get tips on navigating the conference, using the conference app, and making the most of your time here. Don’t miss this opportunity to start your conference on a high note and make the most of SMPS NERC 2027!

Rooted in Achievement, Rising to Fellowship

You’ve earned your CPSM and established strong roots in the AEC industry. Now, you may be ready to rise into the next chapter of your professional journey: SMPS Fellowship.

Join SMPS Fellows from across the Northeast Region for an informal and welcoming introduction to the SMPS Fellows Recognition Program. Fellowship is the Society’s highest level of recognition for individuals who have made exceptional contributions to marketing and business development in the AEC industry, to SMPS, and to the profession.

During this session, you’ll hear directly from current Fellows, learn what the qualifications and application process involve, and begin assessing your own readiness. You’ll also meet Fellows from your region who can answer questions, share their experiences, and potentially mentor you as you prepare for this important professional milestone.

The session is designed especially for current CPSMs who are approaching or have met the eligibility requirements for Fellowship:

• At least 15 years of AEC or marketing/business development experience
• SMPS membership for at least 10 of the previous 15 consecutive years
• A current CPSM designation
• A record of meaningful contributions to SMPS, the profession, and the broader AEC community

Not sure whether you’re ready to apply? You don’t need to be. This is an opportunity to learn, make valuable regional connections, and begin preparing for the future.

Becoming an SMPS Fellow is about more than earning the FSMPS designation. Fellows are called upon to lead, mentor, teach, write, speak, and serve as resources to SMPS and the profession. Come explore how your experience, service, and achievements could become the foundation for your path to Fellowship.

Let’s get Rooted & Rising together.

Wednesday Evening Welcome:

Let’s get the conference started! Join us at the Westin Ballroom for drinks, light bites, and a chance to meet fellow attendees before the conference gets underway. Whether you’re reconnecting with familiar faces or making new connections, come raise a glass, get acquainted, and kick off the week together.

Registration not required for conference attendees. Registration available as a separate purchase for non-conference attendees.

FOR CPSMs ONLY

CPSM Power Hour

Calling all Certified Professional Services Marketers! Join us for an exclusive CPSM-only Power Hour designed to connect credentialed peers from across the region for meaningful conversation, fresh insights, and community building.

Thursday Shipyard Event:

Join SMPS NERC at Shipyard Brewing Company in Downtown Portland for a night of networking, drinks inspired by Maine flavors, and delicious food, with entertainment from Jim Ciampi’s “Keys To The City” dueling pianos show. Connect with fellow conference attendees, enjoy a lively atmosphere, and take in a Portland landmark known for its Maine-made beer and unmistakable local character. It’s the perfect way to keep the conversations going while experiencing a place that’s a true part of the Maine scene.

Registration not required for conference attendees. Registration available as a separate purchase for non-conference attendees.