In order to become an industry leader, in any field, you must be willing to sink additional hours into studying and honing your craft. Keeping abreast of best practice, analysing related materials, and following industry specific blogs are all part of the continual learning experts undertake in order to stay at the forefront of their trade. This is especially applicable in Project Management.
Waterfall, PRINCE2, Cybernetic control. All terms found within Project Management…but you’d be forgiven for thinking they formed the script components for an up and coming Terminator reboot.
It’s safe to say the role of Project Manager is not a simple one.
Therefore, in the already challenging field that is Project Management, it’s vital to take advantage of any and all viable educational opportunities that one may come across. One such opportunity, and arguably one of the best sources of discovering new knowledge, is through the attending of professional conferences.
Industry specific conferences allow attendees to listen to, and absorb, the knowledge and wisdom of key and very experienced headline speakers. More importantly, it gives delegates the opportunity to network with, and learn from their own peer group. Having the opportunity to speak to fifty different members of your field at a typical conference, all with their own observations, skillsets, and teachable insights, in a single afternoon, is an incredible resource, and something that would usually take months, if not years to achieve in normal working life.
This synergistic transfer of information and insight is hugely valuable to the development of professionals in any particular field who seek to be the best. There is a reason the cream of the crop of any given industry regularly attend conferences in their niche – because they know it puts them a step ahead of their peers.
With that being said, we’ve painstakingly compiled a list of the must-attend Project & Portfolio Management conferences of 2018 (many of which we’ll be at!).
Take a look at the list to see which you’d be able to attend. Many of the events will have been and gone by now – so make sure you note them down for next year.
February
RICS Project Leadership Conference
February 21, London, UK
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accredits professionals worldwide in the land, property and construction field. This yearly event gathers project managers and leader from both large- and small-scale construction projects to discuss trends impacting the industry.
March
March 25-28, Las Vegas, NV
The Association of Change Management Professions (ACMP) hold an annual conference that brings about participates worldwide to share the latest business solutions, explore innovative best practices and trends and, of course, offer networking opportunities.
April
April 16-18, Minneapolis, MN
The Scrum Alliance produces this event, which this year is centered around such themes as the Champions of Agile, the Community of Agile, Non-Software Scrum, Organizational Transformation, Playing in the Scrum Sandbox, in collaboration with IEEE Software, a survey of the Past, Present and Future of Scrum. Scrum4Hardware, Scrum in Government and Regulated Industries and the Scrum Team.
Project Summit Business Analyst World
April 16-18, Orlando, FL
One of a series of nationwide conferences for project managers and business analysts. These conferences are accredited by both PMI and IIBA and participants can earn participants up to 19 PDUs/CDUs. The conferences focus on learning from industry experts and innovators, increasing your productivity and effectiveness, acquiring new skills, strategies and best practices, while offer a chance to network with your peers.
7th International Scientific Conference on Project Management in the Baltic States
April 19-20, Riga, Latvia
Organized by the Research Institute of the Project Management of the Faculty of Business, Management and Economics, University of Latvia, in cooperation with the Professional Association of Project Managers, the aim of this conference is on scientific research. There is an opening plenary session, parallel sessions, and all abstracts have been double-blind reviewed. The conference is in English.
APM Project Management Conference
April 25, London, UK
This year’s conference is entitled Future Proof, which aims to inspire the profession of today for the challenges of tomorrow. The conference is broken up into three core areas of interest: Mega Trends, Future Proofing: People and Future Proofing: Projects. The object of the conference is for project managers to “future proof” their approach for success.
April 30-May 2, Austin, TX
Nothing was cited on the site about the 2018 conference, but this must-attend event for the Agile community speaks to new Agile tools and techniques, patterns and practices emerging in the field. Participants learn how to support and evolve their Agile engineering practices as they relate to advances discussed. The three-day conference explores topics such as DevOps approaches, UX design and cloud computing.
May
May 7-9, Berlin, Germany
Hosted by the accrediting agency PMI, the EMEA Congress gathers project, program and portfolio managers from around the globe. They are there to discuss best practices, identify new trends and reinforce core industry skills.
May 16-18, Ypsilanti, MI
Agile & Beyond is a grassroots and volunteer-run event that serves to educate on Agile principles and practices. It also covers topics related to Agile. There are approximately 100 sessions packed into the two-day conference, suitable for those new to Agile and also the Agile experts.
June
June, TBA
The PMO Conference focuses on portfolio, program and project offices. A one-day event offers a full program of expert speakers as well as a conference hall with PMO products and services being exhibited. PMO research, new ideas and techniques and networking are all available.
Project Summit Business Analyst World
June 4-7, Toronto, Canada
The second in a series of conferences for project managers and business analysts, this one in Canada, is accredited by both PMI and IIBA. Participants can earn up to 26 PDUs/CDUs. The conferences focus on learning from industry experts and innovators, increasing your productivity and effectiveness, acquiring new skills, strategies and best practices, while offer a chance to network with your peers.
Project Management in Practice
June 7-8, Boston, MA
Located at Boston University, this the 12th annual conference caters to newcomers and certified practitioners alike. Topics range the gamut, from Agile to strategic project management, including soft skills and behavioral competency. The two-day conference is also available online, and PDUs are available for attending.
Project Summit Business Analyst World
June 18-20, Washington, D.C.
The final session for the year in a series of conferences for project managers and business analysts, this one in Canada, is accredited by both PMI and IIBA. Participants can earn up to 19 PDUs/CDUs. The conferences focus on learning from industry experts and innovators, increasing your productivity and effectiveness, acquiring new skills, strategies and best practices, while offer a chance to network with your peers.
July
22nd International Congress on Project Management and Engineering (ICPME)
July 11-13, Spain
An international forum for the discussion and debate of all project management and engineering companies and professionals. The conference is geared towards experts, researchers and trainers who are focused on educating future professionals in the field. However, all interested persons are encouraged to attend.
September
September 4-6, Memphis, TN
Located at the Guest House at Elvis’ Graceland in Memphis, the Digital PM Summit is a two-day conference of presentations, breakout sessions and talks. It welcomes all methodologies and approaches, from Agile to waterfall and hybrid, offering new perspectives in a social networking-friendly environment. There is also an optional half-day workshop on Sept. 4, which requires a separate ticket.
October
October 4, London, UK
This PMO conference is created by Wellingtone, a PPM consultancy that works with clients across the UK. The organization is both a Microsoft Gold Partner with PPM Specialization and an APM accredited training provider. It’s one-day conference is for practitioners at all levels, and brings together leading experts from across the industry.
October 6-8, Los Angeles, CA
This PMI-hosted event, focuses on the evolving role of project management, this conference is open to project, program and portfolio professionals and will discuss new ideas and approaches, while giving participants the opportunity to make new relationships and strengthen existing ones.
November
November 11-14, Washington, D.C.
The PMO Symposium gives participants access to executive-level networking, workshops and discussions. Learn actionable insights for organizational executives, PMO leaders and senior decision-makers. The details for the 2018 event have yet to be posted.
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