Project managers are rockstars who seamlessly orchestrate tasks, resources, and timelines to achieve specific goals.
They’re the masterminds behind successful project execution, and project management conferences are where they go to level up. ⬆️ 🚀
This article highlights 10 events you don’t want to miss. Get the scoop on the best project management conferences 2024 has to offer.
Project Management Conferences to Enhance Your Skills in 2024
Summarize this article for me pleaseSignificance of Project Management Conferences
Staying ahead of the competition is more than a professional goal; it’s a strategic imperative for project managers. Conferences are epicenters where knowledge, innovation, and collaboration converge to shape the future of this dynamic field.
Below, we’ve highlighted some of the many ways that project management conferences can help make 2024 your best year yet.
Build a winning network
Conferences act as catalysts for networking opportunities. Networking sessions, spontaneous conversations over coffee, and chance encounters with industry leaders help you forge meaningful connections with fellow project professionals to propel your career forward.
Develop your skills
Project management conferences offer exposure to diverse perspectives, real-world challenges, and hands-on workshops. Meet with like-minded industry pros, hone your skills, and turn theory into actionable expertise that’ll help you juggle project management goals, timelines, and resources like a pro.
Share knowledge
Gatherings of seasoned project managers and thought leaders set the stage for a passionate exchange of insights and best practices. Use these social events to access a treasure trove of experiences, case studies, and methodologies you won’t find in textbooks.
Stay ahead of trends
Trends change in the blink of an eye, and project management conferences can help you get ahead of the curve (and stay there). Get a top-down view of what’s shaping the industry, from the latest free project management software to deep dives into emerging methodologies.
Summarize this article for me pleaseComprehensive List of the Top Project Management Conferences in 2024
Below, we’ve highlighted seven can’t-miss events and eight honorable mentions for 15 fantastic conferences to fill out your calendar for the year. 📅✨
1. Project Management Symposium
When: April 18-19, 2024
Where: College Park, Maryland, USA
Cost: $525 (in-person early-bird pricing)
In-person or virtual: In-person, virtual, and hybrid attendance options are available
The Project Management Symposium has brought industry professionals together every year since 2014. Choose from in-person, virtual, and hybrid attendance options, a format inspired by the outstanding virtual Project Management Symposium 2020 event during the pandemic.
Attendees can obtain professional development units (PDUs) toward the renewal of Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications, plus a wealth of knowledge on topics such as:
- Risk management
- FinOps
- Lean and Agile methodologies
- Federal program management
- Project Management 4.0
- The value of curiosity
Want more time to explore the Washington DC Metro area and network with the pros?
Enjoy back-to-back summits by pairing the Project Management Symposium with the 12th Annual IPMA Research Conference highlighted below.
2. 12th IPMA Research Conference
When: April 19-21, 2024
Where: College Park, Maryland, USA
Cost: $499 (early-bird pricing)
In-person or virtual: In-person
The 12th Annual IPMA Research Conference is among the largest project management conferences in North America this year. The theme is Project Management in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. It’ll be exploring all aspects of the AI-PM intersection, including the following:
- Collaboration
- Ethical frameworks
- Emerging project competencies
- Learning models
- Sustainability
- Teams
This three-day conference features prominent keynote speakers covering topics like maximizing project value, team diversity, and the impact of AI on project management.
We’ll quit with the back-to-back events after this one, but if you want to keep the party going, hop on a plane to Orlando to ProjectSummit*BusinessAnalystWorld highlighted below. ✈️🗺️
3. ProjectSummit*BusinessAnalystWorld
When: April 22-24, 2024
Where: Orlando, Florida, USA
Cost: $2,209 (early-bird pricing)
In-person or virtual: In-person
ProjectSummit*BusinessAnalystWorld or PS*BAW is 2024’s biggest conference in North America for project managers and business analysts.
This event is offering continuing development units (CDUs) and PDUs for each hour of learning; four-day attendees have the opportunity to earn a total of 26 credits.
PS*BAW is designed for team leaders, project managers, project coordinators, project directors, strategic managers, business analysts, and more.
The official event program is TBD at the time of this writing, but you’re guaranteed to hear from experts representing every sector from around the world.
Get ready to arm yourself with new tools, skills, and techniques you can immediately apply in your workplace.
4. Global Scrum Gathering
When: May 19-22, 2024
Where: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Cost: $1,400 (early-bird pricing)
In-person or virtual: In-person
The Global Scrum Gathering 2024, or GSGNOLA24, is hosted by the Scrum Alliance in New Orleans, and it promises to be one of the most fun events of the year.
Attendees will learn from global agile leaders, celebrate their achievements, and access resources to accelerate their careers.
GSGNOLA24 will feature:
- Personalized coaching sessions
- Career services
- Insightful talks on the latest agile methodologies
- Monday Mingle party to help attendees connect and let loose
- Tuesday scavenger hunt to explore historic sites throughout the French Quarter
These gatherings started way back in 2004 when the scrum community came together for the first collaborative event, and they’ve grown bigger every year. They’re intended for everyone interested in scrum and agile, regardless of their industry.
Plus, you can’t beat a conference with a party and a scavenger hunt at the end. 🍷🔎
5. Agile2024
When: July 22-26, 2024
Where: Grapevine, Texas (Dallas area), USA
Cost: $1,849 (members-only early-bird pricing)
In-person or virtual: In-person
The Agile Alliance annual conference, Agile2024, connects passionate members of agile communities worldwide. Together, attendees will learn about the latest ideas, practices, and strategies shaping Agile software development.
Get an in-depth look at all things Agile, including the following:
- Agile metrics and measurement
- Best practices
- Continuous improvement strategies
- Latest trends and technologies
This is THE event for agilists who want to network and converse with industry experts about all things project management.
6. PMI Global Summit
When: September 18-21, 2024
Where: Los Angeles, California, USA
Cost: To be announced (price tag usually spans four digits; PMI members receive significant discounts)
In-person or virtual: In-person
The PMI Global Summit is one of the biggest PM summits of 2024. Hosted by the Project Management Institute, this event will focus on the best PM practices and take a deep dive into PMP standards.
At the time of this writing, the call for papers for this conference is still open. While things aren’t set in stone, we do know that there will be AI-focused sessions, learning opportunities, activities, and conversations.
Want an excuse to travel internationally this year? Hit up the PMI Global Summit Series Europe in Berlin, Germany, on April 10-11, 2024, or the PMI Africa Conference in Rwanda on November 18-20, 2024.
7. FuturePMO
When: October 3, 2024
Where: London, England, Europe
Cost: $464 (early-bird pricing)
In-person or virtual: In-person
With a theme like “The Wizardly World of PMO,” FuturePMO 2024 by Wellingtone is guaranteed to be a hit. 🧙
It’s a one-day PMO Conference in London designed to bring industry-leading speakers and professionals together in an engaging, exciting event.
This conference is designed to be inspiring, informative, fun, and (drumroll please) non-sales. Attendees can gather, learn, share, and grow without being sold on anything.
After all, if you’re attending, you’ve already paid for your ticket.
You’ll enjoy insights and discussions on serious PMO and PPM insights blended with fun activities to keep things lighthearted.
FuturePMO 2024 is the flagship annual event held every October, but these summits take place every month and are hosted by Microsoft at their offices in London, Manchester, and Dublin. If you can’t make it to this one, keep your eye on their calendar for a better fit.
8. Project management conference honorable mentions
Need more options to flesh out your plan to improve your PM prowess? Check out one of the eight project management conferences that earned honorable mentions:
- Women In Project Management Summit: March 7, 2024 | Dublin, Ireland, Europe | $272 (early-bird pricing) | in-person attendance
- Devopsdays Denver: April 29-30, 2024 | Denver, Colorado, USA | $175 (early-bird pricing) | in-person attendance
- Agile & Beyond 2024: May 14-15, 2024 | Detroit, Michigan, USA | $399 (early-bird pricing | in-person attendance
- Agile + DevOps West 2024: June 2-7, 2024 | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | registration prices coming soon | in-person attendance
- Agile on the Beach 2024: July 4-5, 2024 | Falmouth, England, Europe | $636 (early-bird pricing) | in-person attendance
- International Conference on Kanban in Project Management: July 22-23, 2024 | Tokyo, Japan | $272 (early-bird pricing) | in-person and digital attendance
- Project and Program Management Symposium: August 13-15, 2024 | Canberra, Australia | registration prices coming soon | in-person and digital attendance
- 2024 Digital PM Summit Austin: October 13-16, 2024 | Austin, Texas, USA | $250 (refundable digital deposit—full price expected to be $799-$1,299) | in-person attendance
Summarize this article for me pleaseKey Takeaways From Conferences for Project Management Professionals
Project management conferences will enhance your knowledge, expand your network, and keep you updated on project management trends. But what will you learn?
Some conferences pick a specific theme each year and organize their program around it. Others cover everything you could need to know about the field.
Regardless of how the event you’re attending is structured, you’ll get innovative ideas about topics like:
- Agile and scrum methodologies
- Portfolio management
- Change management
- Risk management
- Using roadmaps for effective project management
- Resource planning and management
- Professional development
- The best scheduling apps and technology to keep your team ahead of the game
- Managing teams and stakeholders
- The latest AI tools for note-taking, project planning, task management, and collaboration
- Project management in software engineering and development
- Future predictions about project management
The specifics vary between events, but these are some of the most common areas of focus.
For example, one event might feature a workshop about how to use meeting notes templates with a subject matter expert, another might have a day-long agile and scrum deep-dive, and another could feature both (or none) of these!
Check out the program schedule for the events you plan to attend so you can pick your conferences accordingly!
While you’re waiting for the first exciting event, we recommend brushing up on your knowledge of where the industry’s at with project management podcasts so you don’t miss a beat. After all, you want to be taking names and sharing notes, not playing catch-up.
Summarize this article for me pleaseApplying Knowledge From a Project Management Conference
Applying a wealth of knowledge and wisdom about the latest trends in project management to real-world work environments can be intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be!
There’s one final ingredient in maxing out the value of these project management conferences: project management software for events. ☑️
That’s where ClickUp comes in.
Let’s look at how you can use ClickUp effectively before, during, and after a project management conference.
Before a project management conference
When you’re planning to attend a conference, you’ll need to purchase your ticket, book a flight, and secure hotel reservations. You can create tasks with deadlines for yourself in ClickUp so you don’t forget.
Then, before the conference kicks off, use ClickUp Calendar view to make sure you know what sessions you want to attend, where you need to be, and when you need to be there so you can get as much out of the conference as you can.
Pair the Calendar view with the ClickUp Conference Agenda Template to cover all your bases. While this template was made for organizing conferences, it’s just as helpful for attendees.
During a project management conference
You’ll be taking in a lot of information throughout the conference. Use ClickUp Notepad to jot down notes from discussions, speeches, and workshops. Later, you can transform these entries into organized documents and trackable tasks that you and your team can access from anywhere, anytime.
After a project management conference
With ClickUp Meetings, you and your team can discuss what you learned and brainstorm how to apply this knowledge to your real-world projects and processes. You can assign comments to individual team members and even create recurring tasks for future meetings.
But you don’t have to stop there. ClickUp is for project management, which means you can use it to make your day-to-day more organized and collaborative. Bring your team together with connected workflows, shared ClickUp Docs, real-time dashboards, and more.
It has the tools you need to help every member of your team move faster, work smarter, and save time.
Oh yeah, did we mention that ClickUp is free to use? Forever? Yep. Because we’re here to help you, not the other way around. #humblebrag
Summarize this article for me pleaseCommon FAQs
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about project management conferences.
1. What is a project management conference?
A project management conference is a specialized event designed to connect professionals, experts, and enthusiasts in the industry. You’ll gather to converse, network, share insights, and explore the latest trends in project management. Conferences typically feature keynote speakers, workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities, plus bonuses like after parties or even scavenger hunts.
2. What are the advantages of attending a project management conference?
Attending a project management conference provides an opportunity to stay on top of the latest trends, methodologies, and best practices in the field. They’re also massive hubs for networking, allowing professionals to connect with peers, industry leaders, and potential mentors. Additionally, attendees participate in workshops and sessions to enhance their skills and discover innovative solutions to common project management challenges.
3. Can you utilize tools like ClickUp during the conference?
Absolutely! Tools like ClickUp are invaluable during a project management conference. ClickUp’s versatile project management features are perfect for scheduling, planning, note-taking, and post-conference follow-ups.
Create tasks to outline key takeaways, set calendar deadlines for implementing new strategies, and assign new responsibilities to team members. You can also use ClickUp’s integration capabilities to seamlessly share conference insights across platforms, maximizing efficiency and collaboration. 🌐🔧
Summarize this article for me pleaseLet the Networking Begin
As we conclude our list of the best conferences for project management professionals of the year, your journey to (and through) these events is only just beginning.
So check your calendar, reserve your tickets, plan your trips, and seize every opportunity to level up your project management game. It’s all about staying informed, connected, and inspired.
It’s up to you to turn the insights you gain into actionable success. Take the first step by optimizing your project management processes with ClickUp, the ultimate tool to transform conference takeaways into real-world achievements.
Ready to conquer your project goals? Sign up for ClickUp today—it’s free! 🌻💸
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
