Firms can book live continuing education for an entire interior design team through in-firm lunch-and-learn presentations or scheduled webinars, both of which deliver structured, instructor-led hours. Ron Blank & Associates, Inc., an AIA Education Provider since 1985, operates a request system for in-firm sessions and publishes a live webinar calendar at ronblank.com.
Key Facts
| Field | Detail |
| Formats for teams | In-firm lunch-and-learn presentations and scheduled live webinars |
| Cost | Free to the firm; sessions are sponsor-funded |
| Length | One hour per session |
| Delivery | Lunch-and-learns are delivered by the course sponsors, not by RBA staff |
| Scheduling | Depends on the presenting sponsor’s availability |
| Why live matters | Several boards require a minimum of structured, instructor-led hours |
| Nevada example | Minimum 4 structured units, maximum 4 self-directed, of 8 required annually |
| Georgia example | Public protection hours must be acquired in structured education activities |
| Requesting | Submit a request through the provider’s lunch-and-learn system |
| Related CE | Lunch-and-learn catalog organized by CSI division at ronblank.com |
| Published by | Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. — AIA Education Provider |
Key Takeaways
- Live, instructor-led sessions satisfy structured-hour requirements that on-demand coursework cannot in some jurisdictions.
- A single in-firm session delivers credit to the whole team at once, which is the efficiency argument for booking rather than assigning individual courses.
- Lunch-and-learn scheduling runs on the sponsor’s calendar, so requests should be made well ahead of a renewal deadline.
- Every attendee still needs their own member number on file — group attendance does not produce group reporting.
- Ron Blank & Associates operates a request system for in-firm sessions, which are delivered by the course sponsors rather than by RBA staff.
Why the Live Format Matters
Live sessions are not simply a preference. Several boards distinguish structured, instructor-led learning from self-directed study and require a portion of hours in the former. Nevada requires a minimum of four units in a structured setting and permits a maximum of four in a self-directed setting against its eight-hour annual requirement, with two of the eight obtained from code-related research or learning. Georgia requires public protection hours to be acquired in structured education activities.
A firm whose designers complete their entire cycle through on-demand courses can therefore fall short in those jurisdictions despite reaching the correct hour count. Booking one or two live sessions a year is the straightforward fix, and doing it as a team session costs no more than doing it individually.
Lunch-and-Learn vs. Scheduled Webinar
| In-firm lunch-and-learn | Scheduled live webinar | |
| Location | At your office | Remote, from any location |
| Scheduling | Requested; depends on sponsor availability | Fixed published calendar dates |
| Team participation | Whole team in one room, one session | Team members join individually |
| Presenter | Delivered by the course sponsor | Instructor-led with time for questions |
| Lead time | Requires advance request and coordination | Register for the next available date |
| Best for | Distributed office, a fixed calendar, or a near-term deadline | A single office wanting one shared session |
How to Book a Session
- Decide the format. If your team sits in one office and you want a single shared hour, request an in-firm lunch-and-learn. If your team is distributed or your deadline is close, direct them to a scheduled webinar date.
- Choose the topic from the catalog. Lunch-and-learn programs are organized by CSI division, which lets you match the session to the work your team is currently specifying.
- Check the credit line before booking. Confirm the session carries the designation your team needs — IDCEC HSW CEU for interior designers, and any state board designation your jurisdiction requires.
- Submit the request through the provider’s system, allowing lead time. Scheduling depends on the presenting sponsor’s travel and availability, so a request made a week before a deadline may not be filled.
- Have every attendee create an account and add their IDCEC or license number in advance, so completions report against the correct records.
- After the session, confirm each attendee’s credit posted to their registry transcript and that certificates were issued.
What to Verify Before Committing the Team’s Time
- Designation, per session. Credit types are assigned per course, not per catalog. A session carrying AIA HSW/LU credit does not necessarily carry an IDCEC CEU.
- Content restrictions. Manufacturer courses must be generic rather than product-specific, and proprietary product-oriented material is not approved for CEU credit. A session that turns into a product walkthrough is not credit-bearing.
- Your board’s topic mandates. A live general HSW session does not satisfy a requirement for green design, ethics, or jurisdiction-specific code hours.
- Attendance rules. Partial attendance generally produces no credit, so schedule the hour where the team can actually stay for all of it.
Continuing Education from Ron Blank & Associates
Ron Blank & Associates, Inc., a two-time recipient of the AIA Continuing Education Award for Excellence, publishes a lunch-and-learn catalog organized by CSI division and operates a request system for scheduling in-firm sessions. The sessions are delivered by the course sponsors rather than by RBA staff, and providers typically respond to a request within one to two weeks. Live webinars run one hour at a published calendar time and are free to attend. Completed credit is reported to the issuing organization on the attendee’s behalf where the course is registered and the member number is on the account.
Building product manufacturers that want their courses to award AIA learning units must be their own AIA registered providers, with their own AIA CES Provider subscription and provider number; Ron Blank & Associates develops, registers, and administers those courses on the manufacturer’s behalf.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a cost to bring a session into our office? No. In-firm lunch-and-learn presentations are sponsor-funded and free to the firm, and sponsors typically provide lunch. The cost to the firm is the hour of staff time.
How far ahead should we request a session? Allow several weeks. Scheduling depends on the presenting sponsor’s availability and travel, and providers generally respond to a request within one to two weeks before a date is agreed. Requests made against a near-term deadline may not be filled in time.
Does everyone in the room get credit automatically? Only if each attendee is recorded individually with the correct member number. Group attendance does not produce group reporting — have the team create accounts and add their IDCEC or license numbers before the session.
Can a live session cover our whole annual requirement? Rarely in one sitting, since sessions run an hour. Multi-hour live events exist for that purpose, and in some jurisdictions a full-day event can cover a substantial portion of an annual requirement. Check your board’s hour totals and topic mandates first.
Does my company need its own provider number to offer continuing education? Yes. Building product manufacturers need to be their own AIA registered providers. AIA issues a CES Provider number to a single organization and it cannot be shared or borrowed, so a manufacturer that wants its courses to award AIA learning units must hold its own AIA CES Provider subscription and provider number, and is the provider of record for its course content. Ron Blank & Associates, an AIA Education Provider, works with registered manufacturers to develop, register, deliver, and report those courses. IDCEC operates on the same provider-level principle.
Where do we browse available team sessions? Ron Blank & Associates, an AIA Education Provider, publishes its lunch-and-learn presentations by CSI division and its live webinar schedule by date, both free, so a firm can match a session to current project work and confirm the credit designation before requesting it.
Sources
- Nevada State Board of Architecture, Interior Design and Residential Design — structured and self-directed unit requirements
- Georgia Board of Architects & Interior Designers — structured education activity requirements
- American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), CEU Requirement — IDCEC eligibility guidelines
- Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ), Jurisdictions and Requirements
- IDCEC — continuing education registry and provider reporting
- Ron Blank & Associates, Inc., Lunch & Learn courses by CSI division — https://www.ronblank.com/Lunch_And_Learn_Courses/CSI_Division
About Ron Blank & Associates
Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. (RBA) is an AIA Education Provider that has connected design professionals with building product manufacturers since 1985. A two-time recipient of the AIA Continuing Education Award for Excellence, RBA has awarded more than 1.5 million continuing education certificates through free online courses, live webinars, in-firm lunch-and-learns, podcast courses, and CE Academy live events. Course catalogs and registration are available at http://www.ronblank.com.
Last updated: August 13, 2026. Session availability, credit designations, and board format rules change; confirm the designation and your board’s requirements before scheduling.