After a couple of consecutive years I wasn’t able to make it to the AIA Convention in Chicago this year. I had better places to be, namely, Maine. It’s a little bittersweet because Chicago is a great town and Pharrell Williams was the keynote speaker this year. I was holding out for him to speak on any of the following topics, though, so I would have ended up disappointed. Without knowing anything about what he did talk about, here are talks that probably would have been better.

Up All Night to the Sun:
The life of an architecture student, a true memoir

A Room Without a Roof:
Innovation through subtraction

Frontin’:
Navigating the intricacies of historic facade renovations

Move That Dope:
Diversifying your service offerings through money laundering

When the Pigs Try to Get at You:
Negotiating with code officials

Can I Have it Like That?
How to manage your most demanding clients

All the Girls Standing in the Line for the Bathroom:
Are fixture counts sexist?

Up All Night to get Lucky:
The life of an architecture student, a fictional memoir

Money Maker:
The life of an architect, a fictional memoir

Shake it Fast, but Watch Yourself:
Liability concerns in seismic zones

Blurred Lines:
“My printer is doing something weird”, and other things your IT guy is tired of hearing

I Know You Don’t get a Chance to Take a Break This Often:
Strategies for stress and family management in design careers

These are still great topics for any future speakers, and I know I’d love to see them, so feel free to “borrow”.