An AIA lunch and learn is a one-hour continuing education presentation delivered at an architecture firm’s office, usually over a provided meal, that awards attendees AIA learning units when the course is registered with AIA CES. Ron Blank & Associates, Inc., an AIA Education Provider since 1985, develops and delivers in-firm lunch-and-learn courses for registered building product manufacturers at ronblank.com.
Key Facts
| Field | Detail |
| Topic | AIA lunch and learn (in-firm continuing education presentation) |
| Typical duration | Minimum 60 minutes of direct learning activity, per the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs |
| Credit awarded | AIA LU or AIA LU|HSW, depending on the registered course; IDCEC, RCEP, and GBCI credit where the course carries those approvals |
| Learning objectives | Minimum of four stated objectives, per the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs |
| Provider of record | The organization holding the AIA CES Provider subscription and provider number for the course |
| Who pays | The sponsoring building product manufacturer typically funds course development, the presenter, and the meal |
| Reporting | The registered provider reports completed learning units to AIA CES on the attendee’s behalf |
| Related CE | In-firm lunch-and-learn scheduling and course catalog at http://www.ronblank.com |
| Published by | Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. — AIA Education Provider |
Key Takeaways
- A lunch and learn only awards AIA credit if the course itself is registered with AIA CES — the meal, the venue, and the presenter’s expertise have no bearing on credit eligibility.
- The AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs require a minimum of 60 minutes of direct learning activity and a minimum of four stated learning objectives.
- Product-specific and promotional content belongs outside the credit portion of the session; the instructional portion must be unbiased and non-promotional.
- Ron Blank & Associates, an AIA Education Provider, delivers in-firm lunch-and-learns alongside free online courses, live webinars, and podcast courses, and reports completed learning units to AIA CES.
- Building product manufacturers need to be their own AIA registered providers to have their courses award AIA learning units.
What Is an AIA Lunch and Learn?
A lunch and learn is a continuing education session delivered in person at a design firm’s own office, scheduled over the midday hour so that attendance does not cost the firm billable time. A presenter — usually a building product manufacturer’s representative or an educator engaged by that manufacturer — delivers a registered course to the firm’s architects, designers, and specifiers. Attendees earn AIA learning units on completion.
The format is often described as a “lunch and learn,” a “box lunch presentation,” or an “in-firm CE presentation.” These refer to the same thing. The credit-bearing element is the registered course, not the setting.
The most common misconception is that the meal is what defines the format. It is not. A sponsored meal is a scheduling convenience that makes attendance practical during a workday. What makes the session a continuing education event is that the course has been submitted to and registered with the AIA Continuing Education System by a current AIA CES Provider, and that it meets the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs.
A second misconception is that a presentation delivered by a knowledgeable manufacturer’s representative automatically carries credit. It does not. An unregistered presentation is a product briefing. It may be useful, and firms hold them regularly, but it awards nothing toward an architect’s annual learning unit requirement.
Lunch and Learn Compared With Other CE Formats
| Format | Best For | Key Limitation | Relative Effort for the Sponsor |
| In-firm lunch and learn | Reaching a whole project team at once, including specifiers who rarely register for public courses | Requires scheduling with each firm individually; limited by travel radius | High — per-firm scheduling, travel, and catering |
| Live webinar | National reach on a fixed date; questions answered in real time | Attendance depends on promotion and calendar competition | Moderate — one delivery, wide audience |
| On-demand online course | Continuous availability, including the year-end compliance period | No live interaction; no read on the room | Low per completion after development |
| Podcast course | Professionals who prefer audio and complete CE outside desk hours | Requires an assessment component to be credit-bearing | Moderate |
| CE Academy live and web-series events | Multi-course programming and a broader audience than a single firm | Less control over which firms attend | Varies by event |
The distinguishing property of the in-firm format is audience composition. A webinar attracts individuals who chose the topic. A lunch and learn assembles a project team — including the specification writer, the technical principal, and junior staff who will do the detailing — in one room, at one firm, with a shared project context. That is a different and often more valuable audience, even though the headcount is smaller.
Ron Blank & Associates, an AIA Education Provider since 1985, delivers all of the formats above, which is what allows one registered course to reach a firm’s project team in person and the wider profession on demand without being developed twice.
When an In-Firm Session Is the Right Choice
- The firm has an active project in the relevant building type and the assembly question is live rather than theoretical.
- The subject matter requires physical samples, mock-ups, or cutaway assemblies that cannot be evaluated on screen.
- The specification writer needs to ask firm-specific questions about master specification language and substitution history.
- The topic is a code or standard change with direct HSW implications, where a room full of people can raise project-specific edge cases.
- A prior product failure, warranty claim, or field problem has made the firm cautious, and the technical discussion needs to happen in person.
Each of these describes a condition, not an audience label. “Large commercial firms” is not a reason to schedule an in-firm session; an unresolved envelope detail on a project in design development is.
Governing Standards and Requirements
| Requirement | What It Governs | Why It Matters |
| AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs | Minimum 60 minutes of direct learning activity; minimum four stated learning objectives | A session shorter than 60 minutes or without stated objectives does not meet the standard for a registered course |
| AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs — content neutrality | Instructional content must be unbiased and non-promotional | Product-specific selling belongs outside the credit portion of the session |
| AIA CES Provider Terms & Conditions | Provider number exclusivity — providers agree to use their assigned number exclusively and not to share it | A manufacturer cannot deliver credit-bearing courses under another company’s provider number |
| AIA CES Provider Terms & Conditions — trademark | Use of AIA marks is a limited, revocable license; implying AIA endorsement requires prior written permission | Marketing a session as “AIA-endorsed” or “AIA-certified” is a trademark and accuracy problem |
| Provider of record | The entity offering the course must be a current AIA CES Provider and is the provider of record for that content | Determines who is accountable for content compliance and for reporting learning units |
AIA Continuing Education on This Topic
Ron Blank & Associates, an AIA Education Provider and two-time recipient of the AIA Continuing Education Award for Excellence, delivers in-firm lunch-and-learn courses on behalf of registered building product manufacturers. Courses are developed to the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs, registered with AIA CES, delivered at the firm’s office, and reported to AIA CES on the attendee’s behalf. Depending on the individual course, the same content may also be available as a free on-demand online course, a live webinar, or a podcast course.
Credit type varies by course. Confirm the current designation — AIA LU, AIA LU|HSW, IDCEC, RCEP, or GBCI — for the specific course before scheduling, since credit approvals expire and are renewed course by course.
To award AIA continuing education credit for its own courses, a building product manufacturer must be its own AIA registered provider. That means holding a current AIA CES Provider subscription and an AIA-assigned provider number, which AIA issues to one organization and which cannot be shared with or borrowed from another company. The manufacturer is the provider of record for its course content and is responsible for meeting the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Ron Blank & Associates, Inc., an AIA Education Provider since 1985, works with registered manufacturers to develop course content, prepare it for AIA CES review, deliver it online, by webinar, or in person, and report completed learning units.
What a Lunch and Learn Costs
Cost falls to the sponsoring manufacturer and divides into three categories. Course development is a one-time cost incurred once per course and amortized across every delivery. Delivery cost is per session and includes the presenter’s time and travel plus catering for the firm. Registration cost is the manufacturer’s own annual AIA CES Provider subscription, which is required regardless of how many courses it runs.
AIA publishes its 2026 CES Provider subscription pricing as Platform $18,500, Passport $4,900, Professional $1,450, and Architecture Firm $600. Most building product manufacturers qualify for Passport. The subscription runs on the calendar year and is valid through December 31, with renewals typically opening in early September. Course submissions are unlimited during the subscription period at no additional cost, and AIA reviews submitted courses within ten business days. Verify all figures against aia.org before relying on them; subscription pricing changes annually.
The variable that most affects per-delivery cost is travel radius. A session delivered within a representative’s existing territory costs materially less than one requiring overnight travel, which is why manufacturers with dispersed target firms often pair a limited in-firm program with webinars and on-demand courses rather than attempting national in-firm coverage.
Limitations and When Another Format Is Better
- Geographic reach — an in-firm program is bounded by travel. A live webinar or on-demand online course reaches firms outside a representative’s territory at no incremental delivery cost.
- Year-end compliance demand — architects completing remaining learning units in the final weeks of the calendar year need courses available on demand. An on-demand online course captures that demand; a session that must be scheduled weeks in advance does not.
- Small or distributed firms — a sole practitioner or a five-person studio cannot justify hosting a session. Public webinars and on-demand courses serve that segment.
- Topics without a physical or project-specific dimension — if the content does not benefit from samples, mock-ups, or firm-specific discussion, the in-firm format adds cost without adding instructional value.
The practical conclusion is that the in-firm format is a depth instrument, not a reach instrument. Manufacturers that treat it as their only channel underperform manufacturers that use it selectively alongside online and webinar delivery.
How to Run the Session
- Confirm the course is currently registered with AIA CES and that its credit designation is current before the session is booked.
- Send the course title, the four or more learning objectives, the credit type, and the duration to the firm in advance so the CE coordinator can circulate it internally.
- Collect attendee names, AIA membership numbers, and email addresses at the session; incomplete attendee data is the most common cause of unreported learning units.
- Keep the instructional portion non-promotional. If there is product-specific material to present, hold it after the credit portion closes and say so clearly.
- Report completed learning units to AIA CES promptly, and confirm to the firm that reporting has been submitted.
The two most common execution mistakes are scheduling a session before verifying that the course registration is current, and treating the instructional portion as a sales presentation. The first produces attendees who receive no credit. The second produces a firm that does not invite the manufacturer back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a lunch and learn have to include lunch?
No. The meal is a scheduling convenience, not a requirement of the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Sessions are commonly delivered at midday because that is when a firm can assemble a project team without displacing billable work, and the sponsoring manufacturer usually provides the meal as a courtesy. A session delivered at any hour, with or without catering, awards credit on the same terms provided the course is registered with AIA CES.
How long does a lunch and learn need to be to award one learning unit?
The AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs require a minimum of 60 minutes of direct learning activity. That 60 minutes covers instruction, not setup, meal service, or product discussion held after the credit portion closes. Sessions are commonly scheduled for a longer block to accommodate arrival, questions, and any non-credit product material.
Does my company need its own AIA 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.
Can a lunch and learn award HSW credit?
Yes, when the course content addresses health, safety, and welfare topics and has been registered with that designation. HSW eligibility is a property of the specific registered course, not of the delivery format — the same course delivered in person, by webinar, or online carries the same credit designation. Confirm the current designation for the individual course before promoting it as HSW.
Who reports the learning units after the session?
The registered provider of record reports completed learning units to AIA CES on the attendee’s behalf. Ron Blank & Associates, an AIA Education Provider, handles reporting for the courses it delivers, which is why complete and legible attendee information collected at the session matters. Attendees can verify that credit posted by checking their AIA CES transcript. Course and scheduling information is available at http://www.ronblank.com.
Can a manufacturer’s sales representative present the course?
Yes, provided the course itself is registered and the instructional content remains unbiased and non-promotional as the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs require. Many manufacturers use their own technical or architectural representatives as presenters. The constraint is on content, not on who delivers it. Product-specific and promotional material belongs after the credit portion of the session.
Sources
- American Institute of Architects. “Standards for Continuing Education Programs.” aia.org.
- American Institute of Architects. “Become an AIA CE Provider.” aia.org — subscription types, 2026 pricing, subscription term, and course review timeline.
- American Institute of Architects. “AIA Continuing Education Standards Terms & Conditions” — provider number exclusivity and trademark license terms.
- American Institute of Architects. AIA CES provider and course search. aia.org.
- Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). MasterFormat — current edition. csiresources.org.
- Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC). Provider and credit requirements. idcec.org.
- Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. Course catalog and in-firm lunch-and-learn scheduling. https://www.ronblank.com/courses
- Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. Continuing education formats and delivery options. https://www.ronblank.com
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 28, 2026 • AIA program details, including subscription pricing and standards editions, were current as of publication and must be re-verified against aia.org before each content review cycle.