Logging IDP Credits for AIA luncheons

So I was trying to get a handle on my IDP account the other day and I thought to myself, "I wonder if I can somehow log those AIA luncheons my work hosts to achieve some kind of IDP credit?"  I especially pondered this because my work issued me a certificate of completion - written proof!  I was looking into it on the IDP and AIA websites and it APPEARED as though I had to JOIN the AIA to log the hours... a commitment requiring, oh, a couple hundred dollars.  I then thought to myself, "how is that remotely worth it?  Paying a couple hundred dollars to log only a few hours of credits?"  I decided to email my IDP aficionado, (we'll call her the Host) and she hit me with the 4-1-1.  Below are nuggets of her tremendously informative email.  You may find them useful for your own purposes...

"You can get supplementary education hours for the AIA luncheon's but you do not need to be a member to do so! You can email the AIA and they will give you a "member number" where you basically act like you are an AIA member and they record your AIA hours, which you then submit to the NCARB as Supplementary Education. Here is a link: http://www.aia.org/professionals/idp/AIAS075010#P82_12013. Refer to the question: I am not an AIA member. How do I submit AIA Continuing Education work for IDP supplementary education credit? If I remember correctly, they responded within 3 days with my tracking number, however it took over 2 months for my account to be created..."

"Some other free pieces of advice - At NCARB they have what they call monographs. Since you are an NCARB member you get one called Professional Monograph for free. There is an exam you take after reading it and if you pass they give you 2 hours of credit under the Office Management category. Also, there are free mini-monographs that are worth 1 AIA training unit a piece and I believe there are 5 of them (they are super easy). It's kind of funny because you get the mini-monographs from the NCARB website but the results are recorded with the AIA so you have to submit your AIA transcript back to NCARB to get credit ... it's kind of silly."


I may try to solicit her to join our blog because I think she would be an excellent contributor as she is rich with knowledge and ripe with thought!