Growing strong

Project management is poised to make a big difference in the way global businesses approach strategy and profit, especially in Eastern Europe. PMI Global Congress 2004— Europe, to be held 19–21 April in Prague, is an ideal venue for attendees to learn how project managers influence the Czech Republic's economy and to benefit from the many professional development opportunities.

In addition, congress attendees will hear a keynote talk by Václav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic. At its 2003 inaugural Global Congress held in The Hague, The Netherlands, PMI hosted 556 attendees. Based on that success and this year's keynote speech by the Czech president, organizers expect an even stronger turnout at the event.

POPULATION: 10,249,216 (July 2003 est.)

GDP

• • Purchasing Power Parity: $157.1 billion (2002 est.)
• • Real Growth Rate: 2% (2002 est.)

LABOR FORCE: 5.203 million (1999 est.)

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 9.8% (2002 est.)

INDUSTRIES: Metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass and armaments

INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION GROWTH RATE: 3.5% (2002)

AVERAGE APRIL TEMPERATURE: 10.5 degrees Celsius

CURRENCY: 1 CZK = 0.0304040 EUR = 0.0386170 USD

Source: CIA World Factbook, Czech Meteorological Office, InYourPocket.com.

PMI predicts a standing-room-only crowd to hear Klaus, who is expected to discuss how project management impacted his country's response to the devastating floods of 2002 and continues to contribute to economic growth.

Regional Flavor

Eight targeted Areas of Focus based on PMI member suggestions bring a regional flavor to the event:

• Project Management Today and Tomorrow
• Software and Technical Skills
• Measuring Project Management Success
• Project Team Management and People Skills
• Small Projects Do Not Always Mean Small Management
• The State of the Project Management Profession
• Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) Project Management
• What is a Project Manager?

Presentations will be delivered in one of six formats— case studies, forums, guided design sessions, lectures, panel discussions and simulations—to address different learning styles.

A highlight on the Prague agenda will be presentations on PMI's first project management standard for organizations, Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3™). Launched in December 2003, OPM3 has sold more than 1,500 copies. Presentations on this new product promise to be popular.

Delineated Offerings

Based on last year's attendee feedback, the congress schedule has changed. The event now will begin Monday and end Wednesday, followed by two days of optional post-congress seminars Thursday and Friday. The activities each day will begin at 9 a.m., and all events are held in one venue, the Hilton Prague.

As a further improvement, all future PMI global congresses will offer learning commensurate with the increasing work experiences and responsibilities of attendees. For example, congress attendees in Prague can expect more clearly delineated educational offerings. The Areas of Focus presentations will be labeled by “level”—general, basic, intermediate, advanced—and “target”—knowledge expert, senior executive, mid-level manager—to aid attendees in selecting the topics appropriate for their career stages and knowledge.

“The PMI European Congress is providing the EMEA area with the rare opportunity of creating a solid and well-established community of professionals as already happens in the United States,” says Alexandre Rodrigues, Portugal-based senior consultant with Cutter Consortium and member of the European Congress Project Action Team (ECoPAT).

Meet and Greet

One of the most important elements of any professional development experience is the one-on-one interaction among attendees. PMI provides a well-rounded balance of structured, formal learning activities and networking opportunities to help attendees build long-lasting professional relationships and share helpful ideas and experiences.

The Grand Opening Reception will be held in the exhibition hall on Monday evening. This is the first opportunity for attendees to visit the vendor stands and learn about the latest products and services. The Exhibition Hall offers opportunities to view product demonstrations at the 15 vendor booths, hear from industry experts, test products and bring back product information. Many exhibitors will offer special discounts just for congress attendees.

At last year's exhibition, the PMI Bookstore was consistently busy, as attendees enjoyed browsing through the books before ordering them. This year, attendees again will have the opportunity to view the latest titles and order those that will advance their careers.

On Tuesday evening, after the first full day of presentations, attendees will be treated to a “Taste of Prague.” While this reception is certainly a valuable networking experience, it is also a time to enjoy the wonderful food and entertainment that the host city has to offer.

“This event provides the key benefits of bringing together professionals from these different cultures and thereby helps to establish a solid community that communicates regularly and effectively explores the real benefits and synergies of multicultural environments in project management,” Rodrigues says. “It is most likely the largest multicultural project management event in the world.”PM