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Making the most of the summer slowdown

When the studio slows down – whether over summer, during staff leave, or at unpredictable points in the year – offers a valuable opportunity for reflection, growth and development in your practice. Watch this recording for a session that explores how to use downtime to tighten your systems, build a stronger culture, plan smarter resourcing, and create meaningful client connections. Originally held 3 December 2025.

PURCHASE ON DEMAND

Merilyn Speiser from Catalina Consultants, Rebecca Caldwell from Maytree Studios and Brad Wetherall from Good Office join the ACA’s Emma Brain (also at the Fulcrum Agency) to discuss how practice owners, directors and managers can use quieter periods strategically, refining systems, strengthening culture, planning resourcing and engaging clients in meaningful, low-pressure ways. Drawing on expertise in HR, finance, culture and operations, this session provides practical tools and real examples for turning downtime into high-value preparation for the year ahead. (Unfortunately due to sudden illness Brad was unable to join us on the day of the recording but provides detailed notes covering his content.)

What’s covered:

  • HR policy review, leave planning and culture-building initiatives
  • Financial processes, forecasting and resourcing systems
  • Alternative approaches to client engagement during quiet periods
  • Annual planning and strategic review practices
  • Setting up your “Ideal Monday Morning Meeting” to connect daily operations with quarterly and annual business goals

COST & BOOKING

Members $30 incl GST
Non-members $60 incl GST
*One ticket per person. *All ticket holders will receive links to the webinar recording, CPD questions, Brad’s speaker notes and additional reference resources.

Select your tickets below, or head straight to the booking site.

For any questions, please contact Katherine Ygosse webinars@aca.org.au.

MEET THE PANELLISTS

Rebecca Caldwell is a Director of Brisbane-based Maytree Studios, an employee-owned studio that combines ethics and social responsibility with the forward-thinking sensibilities of contemporary architecture. The driving idea behind the practice is that good architecture should be grounded in kindness. Rebecca is passionate to show that profitable business, good design and staff wellbeing are all achievable in small practice. As well as employee ownership, Maytree has a nine-day fortnight, policies on parental leave and overtime, and has engaged with the ACA’s EAP.

Merilyn Speiser is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Catalina Consultants and has more than 20 years’ experience in the development of business strategies, leadership development, people and performance management and succession planning. In addition to running her business, Merilyn also develops and delivers leadership programs both in Australia and internationally, and she is a sought-after presenter, writer, mentor and coach.

Brad Wetherall runs Good Office, working with directors of small and medium architecture practices on the business side of practice – fees, positioning, operations, culture, and the everyday systems that make a studio healthier and easier to run. Alongside that, Brad is practice manager at Whispering Smith, keeping projects organised, clients steady, and the studio functioning smoothly day to day. He writes monthly articles on Substack, most of them drawn directly from his work. Across all of it, Brad’s focus is simple: helping architects build practices that support better projects, better teams, and better lives.

CPD

1 hour – 1 formal CPD point

Learning outcomes – Completion of the webinar will help attendees to identify productive tasks appropriate to their practices to complete during quiet periods to strengthen HR, finance, culture, operation and business development, to help contribute to establishing a clear set of systems and strategies to support sustainable practice growth over time.

AACA NSCA – Practice Management and Professional Conduct – PC 2, PC 4, PC 7.

CPD questions will be provided with a link to upload your answers and for issue of a CPD certificate of completion. Please keep your receipt, completed questions and certificate for your CPD records.