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Project Managing Residential Lighting: Defining Roles and Boundaries

Delivering lighting successfully requires more than installing fixtures—it demands a clear framework of responsibilities across designers, integrators, electricians, and contractors. This session highlights why role definition is essential to protecting design intent, avoiding miscommunication, and keeping projects on track. Attendees will learn how to use tools such as Lighting Fixture Responsibility Charts to clarify scope and accountability from project kickoff through closeout.
 

By mastering the art of defining and communicating boundaries, project managers can minimize conflicts, reduce rework, and preserve profitability. The session provides practical strategies for setting expectations with other trades and ensuring the integrator’s role is understood, respected, and valued throughout the project lifecycle.

Processes Made Clear: Using the SIPOC Framework and AI to Create Standards That Your Team Can Follow

Most companies know their processes exist… but very few have them clearly defined, documented, and operationalized. That lack of clarity leads to un-billable time, miscommunication, and inconsistent results.

In this session, you’ll learn how to quickly capture and design processes using the SIPOC Framework, a proven Lean Six Sigma tool that breaks any process into 5 key components. Then, we’ll show you how you can use the framework as a prompt to leverage AI to instantly create an actionable SOP or checklist your team can use immediately.

You’ll walk away with a repeatable method to:

  • Clarify how work actually gets done in your company.
  • Break down complex processes into simple, shareable steps.
  • Take what’s in the heads of your employees into SOPs and checklists that drive consistency and accountability.

Whether you’re running lighting projects or managing back-office logistics, this session gives you the framework to move from “tribal knowledge” to scalable, documented processes.

Operations “Break the Bottleneck: Identify and Solve Your #1 Business Constraint”

Every company has a constraint — a single weak link limiting growth. It might be quoting speed, staff capacity, financial clarity, or lead flow. The key is not to solve everything, but to solve the right thing. In this session, you’ll use a proven method to identify your biggest current constraint and walk out with a clear action plan to fix it.

In-Session Work:

  • Use VITAL’s constraint mapping tool to walk through your core business systems.
  • Identify symptoms vs. root cause: is the constraint upstream or downstream?
  • Define success criteria for solving the constraint.
  • Build a 30-day action plan including metrics, owner, and next steps.

Outcome: Walk away with clarity on what’s holding your business back — and a focused, actionable plan to remove the biggest barrier to growth.

Winning in Your Market: 8.5 Steps to Outsmart the Competition in 2026

Your competitors aren’t standing still — and neither should you. Success in 2026 won’t come from doing more of the same, but from smarter strategies that put your business out in front. In this session, you’ll learn a proven framework of 8.5 steps that bring sales, business development, and marketing together to help you boost visibility, strengthen trade and client relationships, and win more of the right projects. Walk away with practical, actionable tactics you can implement immediately to stay one step ahead and position your company to dominate your market this year.

Do More in Less Time: How to Use Custom GPTs to Improve Operational Efficiency

Most integrators are stretched thin, juggling too many tasks with too little time. AI isn’t just hype; it’s a practical tool you can put to work right now. In this hands-on, tactical workshop, you’ll learn how GPT technology works and walk step-by-step through creating a custom GPT designed to save time, improve efficiency, and enhance client experiences. You’ll leave with both the confidence and the practical know-how to explore AI, along with a custom GPT you can implement immediately in your own business. 

*Please note: this is a tactical workshop — participants will need a paid ChatGPT account and some basic familiarity with the platform to fully participate.

Hidden in Plain Sight: How to Unlock a Six-Figure Revenue Stream with Landscape Lighting

Your clients are already buying landscape lighting…the only question is whether they’re buying it from you or your competitor. In this punchy session, Ryan Lee reveals how to turn an overlooked add-on into a six-figure revenue stream. If you work with high-end homeowners, you’re sitting on the biggest profit center hiding in plain sight. Don’t miss it.

This session will show you how to capture what’s already yours… Unlocking a $100K+ revenue stream from a service you’ve skipped. You’ll learn how to weave lighting seamlessly into your current offers, command premium pricing, and deliver the kind of“wow factor” that locks in long-term client loyalty. If you’ve been searching for the next big profit center that doesn’t require reinventing your business, this is it.

Sales “The Proposal Is the Pitch: Designing Proposals That Close”

Your proposal isn’t just a summary — it’s a sales weapon. A clean, intentional, and persuasive proposal builds trust, removes confusion, and makes the buyer say “yes.” Yet too many proposals look like quotes, not buying decisions. In this session, we’ll show you how small changes to layout, language, and logic can dramatically improve your close rates.

In-Session Work:

  • Deconstruct the anatomy of a high-converting proposal: intro, scope, value, price, close.
  • Audit your current proposal design for friction points and weak links.
  • Rewrite one section (e.g., intro or scope summary) for clarity and persuasion.
  • Identify and implement one visual or structural improvement using templates and examples.

Outcome: Leave with a proposal design checklist and a refreshed sample proposal that sells, not just informs — ready to use on your next deal.

Building Stronger Partnerships: How Integrators Can Win With the Design-Build Community

The most successful integration firms don’t rely on word of mouth alone, they create a steady pipeline of opportunities by building trusted partnerships with architects, builders, and designers. Earning that trust doesn’t come from a cold call, it comes from showing up as a reliable collaborator who adds value long before a project begins.

In this roundtable, we’ll discuss practical strategies for connecting with the design-build community through:

  • Hosting targeted events that showcase your expertise.
  • Leveraging education as a value-add for partners.
  • Using marketing to position your firm as the go-to resource.
  • Strategies to get in early on the project and establish your value

This session is designed to be interactive. Attendees will share what has (and hasn’t) worked for them, leaving with a clearer playbook for building stronger, more profitable partnerships.

Leadership “The Most Valuable 30 Minutes: Transforming Your Team Through 1:1s”

Think 1:1s are a time suck? Think again. The most successful business leaders use short, regular 1:1 meetings to drive performance, retention, and culture. When done right, 1:1s are where coaching happens, bottlenecks surface, and team members step up. This session teaches a repeatable framework that makes 1:1s productive, not painful — even for the busiest owner.

In-Session Work:

  • Learn the VITAL 1:1 structure: check-in, friction, goals, coaching.
  • Practice running and receiving a 15-minute 1:1 using real scenarios.
  • Build a weekly 1:1 rhythm that fits your calendar without overwhelming it.
  • Create a simple shared agenda system to keep conversations focused and actionable.

Outcome: Leave with a clear plan and template to start weekly 1:1s that boost alignment, uncover hidden issues, and build trust — in 30 minutes or less.

Cracking the Referral Code: How to Unlock Business From Trade Partners

If you’re struggling to get consistent referrals from architects, builders, and designers, you’re not alone. Many integrators find themselves overlooked — not because they lack expertise, but because they haven’t built the kind of value-driven relationships trade partners rely on. In this session, you’ll learn how to position yourself as the go-to technology resource by providing solutions that make your partners’ jobs easier. We’ll cover strategies like hosting educational events, leveraging thoughtful gifting, and building trust that turns connections into steady project referrals. You’ll leave with actionable ideas to create win-win partnerships and a clear roadmap to unlocking new business opportunities.