Early Booker Pricing Available for APM 2008 National
Project Management Conference in London

Reported by Miles Shepherd in London, UL

Advancing the PMO Summit 2008 set for
San Antonio, Texas in November

According to an announcement recently published, a PMO Symposium 2008 will be held during 9-11 November 2008 in San Antonio, Texas, USA at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, located on the famous Riverwalk (shown in photo).

The PMI Project Management Organization Specific Interest Group (PMOSIG) is pleased to announce the PMO Symposium, Advancing the PMO. This is expected to be a must attend event providing opportunities for PMO practitioners, project management and organizational leaders.

Attendees will learn from an engaging group of over 20 recognized speakers with wrap-up panel discussions to ask questions of speakers from different industries and different levels of maturity. Whether you are considering starting a PMO or already working in an established PMO, this is the premier PMO event you must attend for 2008. Additional information and registration forms can be found at www.pmosymposium.org .

Benefits of attendance

• Gain important insight into issues facing PMOs in a variety of sectors and industries

• Learn from sessions focusing on advancing existing PMOs as well as establishing a new PMO

• Participate in practical, practitioner-oriented sessions

• Network with speakers, panelists, and fellow attendees

• Earn up to 18 professional development units (PDUs)

You won’t find a better value for your money anywhere. Seating is limited so register today! Visit www.pmosymposium.org or contact Jim Carras at dir_km@pmosig.org.

September Programme and Project Support Office
Seminar in Coventry, UK

Reported by David Shannon in London, UK

The Programme and Project Support Office Specialist Interest Group (PPSOSIG) will be holding its second 2008 seminar from 17-18 September 2008 at Warwick Conferences in Coventry, UK.

The event, entitled Sweating Your PPSO’s Assets: How Do You Get Best Value Out of What You Already Have?, seeks to help Programme and Project Support Officers take what they know their assets to be and get the most out of them in a belt-tightening, credit crunching, recession-wary business era. Delegates will be given the opportunity to evaluate their most valuable assets in their PPSO and learn more about how they can get the most value from what they already have without the need for extra outgoing costs and resource expenditure.

Sweating Your PPSO’s Assets will guide delegates with presentations, workshops, networking and Q&A sessions that concentrate on five main asset issues:

• Physical Assets - PPSO Physical Resources and Infrastructure

• Personal Assets - Personal Skills Inventory

• Skills and Knowledge Assets – Risk Identification and Management, Earned Value and Configuration & Change Management

• Information Assets – Managing Information – Sink or Swim

• Future Assets – What’s on the horizon for PPSOs

The intent is to provide delegates with a whole new set of ideas and plans to take away and implement into their PPSO structure. For more information on rates and the seminar agenda as well, visit www.ppsosig.co.uk/Events.php.

The PPSO SIG is a not for profit organisation which is owned by its members - It is not aligned with any methodology or industry. Nor, despite focusing on one of the 52 APM BoK topics, is it a Specific Interest Group within the APM. Membership is free and open to anyone employed or interested in Programme and Project Support in any industry. Its aim and objectives are to provide a forum for PPSO professionals to meet and discuss matters of mutual importance. Born in December 2001, the PPSO SIG continues to hold conferences and networking events that allow like-minded professionals to get together. More information at http://www.ppsosig.co.uk/.

Inside of IT Projects - NTT Executive Satoshi Kurishima
to Share Experiences in Keynote Speech at Sept. ProMAC 2008
PM Conference in Anchorage

The ProMAC 2008 conference team has announced that Satoshi Kurishima, Senior Vice President for NTT Data Corporation, will deliver a keynote speech during the plenary session on September 16, 2008. Mr. Kurishima's speech will be entitled "Inside IT Projects - How to Motivate Manages and Stakeholders."

The ProMAC 2008 Project Management Conference, "Project Management Leading Managerial Revolutions", will be held at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, Alaska during September 15-18, 2008. This conference follows previous successful ProMAC conferences in Singapore, Japan, and Australia.

Mr. Satoshi Kurishima (pictured right) graduated in 1980 from the Masters Course, School of Engineering, University of Tokyo. In his current position as senior vice president of NTT Data Corporation, he is also Senior Executive Manager, Financial Systems Sector, Project Management Office, and Financial Systems Planning Office. Mr. Kurishima joined Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation in 1980; he was promoted to Manager, Financial Systems Sector in 1988. In 2003 he was named Deputy Senior Executive Manager, Financial Systems Sector, and Senior Executive Manager, Banking Solution Planning Office. He became Senior Vice President in 2005, and Senior Executive Manager responsible for NTT’s Financial Systems Sector, Project Management Office and Next Banking Planning Office. He was named to his current position in 2007.

According to Mr. Kurishima’s abstract, "Communications management is the key success factor for IT projects, especially software development projects. In large scale projects that consists of more than 1,000 people, project managers spend almost all of their work effort for keeping good relationships with the project team, stakeholders, customer, and sponsor. NTT DATA Corporation has many experiences in managing large scale software development projects, and we would like to discuss how our project managers have been managing the projects in some our cases. Also, we would like to introduce our strategies and tactical solutions to train next generation managers to inherit the well experienced project managers' knowledge and skills."

The ProMAC 2008 conference will serve as an important forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences to revolutionize today’s project management knowledge and techniques for the future. Special plenary sessions featuring top executives and government officials will be held to exchange their practices and plans. Numerous paper presentations and workshops will be held. For details, visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/promac/.

The ProMAC 2008 conference host and lead sponsor is the Masters of Science program in Project Management (MSPM) at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Other sponsors include the PMI Anchorage Alaska Chapter, the Society of Project Management (Japan), Asia Pacific International College (Australia), Alaska Communications Systems (ACS), Alaska Airlines, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company , ASRC Energy Systems, British Petroleum (BP), ConocoPhillips, CH2MHill, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Hawk Consultants LLC, NANA Development Corporation, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), and the Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The general conference co-chairs are Dr. Jang Ra, University of Alaska Anchorage, USA (Chair); Prof. Ali Jaafari, Asia Pacific International College, Australia; Dr. Osamu Ohno, Society of Project Management, Japan; and Prof. Khim Teck Yeo, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The Project Manager is Danny Elmore, University of Alaska Anchorage. For more information, visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/promac/.

Professor Lynn Crawford to Deliver Keynote Speech
at 22nd IPMA World Congress in Rome in November 2008

The project management team for the 22^nd IPMA World Congress on Project Management - ROMA 2008 Project Management to Run - has announced that Dr. Lynn Crawford will be a keynote speaker for the November congress. Prof. Lynn Crawford (BArch MTCP GradDipHRM ADipC DBA FAIPM FRAIA MAPM) is Professor of Project Management at the Bond University, Australia and at the ESC of Lille, France. She is also Director of Human Systems International Limited.

Lynn Crawford is involved in project management practice, education and research and is Professor of Project Management at both the Lille Graduate School of Management (ESC Lille), France and Bond University, Australia. Through Human Systems, she works with leading corporations that are developing organisational project management competence by sharing and developing knowledge and best practices as members of a global system of project management knowledge networks. She is currently involved in three research projects.

Her research and writing are currently focused on Exploring the Role of the Executive Sponsor, The Value of Project Management and Impact of Complexity Theory on Project Management. Results of a completed study have been published by in a book titled "Project Categorization Systems: Aligning Capability with Strategy for Better Results". Lynn has been actively engaged in the development of global standards for project management since the late 1990’s and has been instrumental in the formation of the Global Alliance for Project Performance Standards (GAPPS).

At the 22^nd IPMA World Congress in Rome, as a key-note speaker, Dr. Crawford will speak on the topic of "Project Management for a Faster Tomorrow".

According to her abstract, "We are all running to keep up with the pace of change. Project and Program Managers, as the managers of change, are at the heart of this challenge. Like professional athletes, individuals, project teams and organisations need to baseline and benchmark their performance, develop and implement ongoing improvement programs to ensure and maintain their fitness for competition. This presentation will show how leading project managers, teams and organisations are preparing themselves by developing their competence for a faster future."

The IPMA 22^nd World Congress on Project Management will be held in Rome, Italy during 9-11 November 2008. According to the "ROMA 2008 - Project Management to Run" project team, with keynote speeches and 12 streams of presentations over three days, as many as 200 presentations on important project management topics can be anticipated.

The congress is expected to attract leading project management authorities and over 1,000 participants from the 45+ countries represented by IPMA membership. The Roma 2008 World Congress will be one of the largest project management events in the world this year. The 22^nd IPMA World Congress and Exhibition will be held at the Palazzo dei Congressi near the heart of downtown Rome. For registration, schedule and other information, visit the conference website at www.ipmaroma2008.it.

The local hosts for the ROMA 2008 World Congress are the Italian Project Management Academy and the Italian National Association of Industrial Plant Engineering (ANIMP). The President of ANIMP is Fabrizio Di Amato; the President of the Italian PM Academy is Roberto Mori; the Congress Chairman is Luigi Iperti; and the Project Manager for IPMA 2008 is PierMarco Romagnoli.

Founded in 1967 and registered in Switzerland, the International Project Management Association (IPMA) is is an international federation of more than 40 national PM societies in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Local societies serve each country in its national language. IPMA provides an umbrella organization at the international level. IPMA’s internationally acclaimed 4 Level PM Certification Programme continues to grow worldwide. The IPMA annually presents awards to teams that achieve great feats in project management. IPMA maintains its continuous presence in the global PM arena through regular International Symposia, Expert Seminars and its Annual World Congress. The president of IPMA for 2008 is Veikko Valila. Additional information is available at www.ipma.ch.

Fascinating Paper Presentations Announced for ROMA 2008 - IPMA 22nd World Congress on Project Management -
November 2008 in Rome

The project management team for the 22nd IPMA World Congress on Project Management - ROMA 2008 Project Management to Run - have announced some very interesting paper presentations for the November World Congress. The IPMA 22^nd World Congress on Project Management will be held in Rome, Italy during 9-11 November 2008. According to the "ROMA 2008 - Project Management to Run" project team, with keynote speeches and 10 streams of presentations over three days, as many as 250 presentations on important project management topics can be anticipated. www.ipmaroma2008.it

Some early announcements of fascinating paper presentations to occur in Rome in November include the following:

US Presidential Helicopter Program, by Massimo Biggi, Agusta Eestland, Italy – How an Italian enterprise won the contract to build the helicopter for the President of the United States. Many challenges have been met by the Agusta Westland Team in executing the new Presidential Helicopters Program to satisfy the US DoD’s EVMS requirements. This presentation will explore the lessons learned in applying a full blown EVMS requirement in developing and implementing an EVMS design to be fully compliant with ANSI/EIA 748-A. The effort culminated with an officially Certified EVM System under 748-A in October 2007.

Complex or Complicated? By Peter Fielder, BAE Systems, UK – The issue of Complexity has become a hot issue in Project Management in the past two years. It promoted much debate at the 2007 IPMA Congress, both inside and outside the auditorium. There is little doubt that Projects are becoming more Complicated, but are they becoming more Complex? Peter Fielder, BAE Systems Business Improvement Director, will discuss what makes a Project Complex, drawing from his extensive career in the Defence Industry and his role as Business Improvement Director and Chairperson of the BAE Systems Project Management Council. Peter will also consider the capabilities required of the Manager of a Complex Project, and how they might differ from those required of the Manager of a more conventional Project.

Project Management and the Celtic Tiger - How Ireland was transformed from a peasant society to a high technology economy, by Donncha Kavanagh, University College Cork, Ireland, and Ed Naughton, The Institute of Project Management, Ireland. The Celtic Tiger is a term popularly used to describe the transformation of the Irish economy since 1990. There is no consensus as to why the Celtic Tiger occurred, but the following are usually identified as important reasons: low corporate taxation, significant and long-term investment in education, the development of an advanced free-market economy, low-cost labour (at least initially), and EU investment This study explores the hypothesis that, in contrast to the accepted wisdom, micro practices of work and management, and project management practices specifically, are an (overlooked) reason for the Celtic Tiger.

These and more than 240 other papers on various aspects of technical, social and commercial projects will be presented in ten different streams and a poster session. Over thirty Ministries, Universities and other leading Organizations operating in various technological fields are giving their patronage and sponsoring the event. Over 1,000 delegates are expected for the Congress, with a further 5,000 attendees visiting the exhibition.

Rome's splendid conference centre, the Palazzo dei Congressi, with its comprehensive facilities, will host the Congress. Covering over 4,000 square metres of space, the exhibition to accompany the congress will be the must-attend event for the global project management industry.

The magnificent historical city of Rome with its unrivalled monuments and wonderful food will ensure you have a stay to remember. Participants will have enjoy special Social Events, including a Gala Dinner and Concert at the Parco della Musica, the outstanding musical complex designed by the worldly famous Architect Renzo Piano. For registration, schedule and other information, visit the conference website at www.ipmaroma2008.it.

The local hosts for the ROMA 2008 World Congress are the Italian Project Management Academy and the Italian National Association of Industrial Plant Engineering (ANIMP). The President of ANIMP is Fabrizio Di Amato; the President of the Italian PM Academy is Roberto Mori; the Congress Chairman is Luigi Iperti; and the Project Manager for IPMA 2008 is PierMarco Romagnoli.

Founded in 1967 and registered in Switzerland, the International Project Management Association (IPMA) is is an international federation of more than 40 national PM societies in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Local societies serve each country in its national language. IPMA provides an umbrella organization at the international level. IPMA’s internationally acclaimed 4 Level PM Certification Programme continues to grow worldwide. The IPMA annually presents awards to teams that achieve great feats in project management. IPMA maintains its continuous presence in the global PM arena through regular International Symposia, Expert Seminars and its Annual World Congress. The president of IPMA for 2008 is Veikko Valila. Additional information is available at www.ipma.ch.

Alaska Gas Pipeline Project Update - Denali President Bud Fackrell to Deliver Keynote at September ProMAC 2008
PM Conference in Anchorage

Bud E. Fackrell, President of Denali - The Alaska Gas Pipeline LLC, will deliver a keynote speech during the ProMAC 2008 International Project Management Conference in September. Mr. Fackrell's speech will be entitled "Moving Forward with Denali - The Alaska Gas Pipeline."

The ProMAC 2008 Project Management Conference, "Project Management Leading Managerial Revolutions", will be held at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, Alaska during September 15-18, 2008. This conference follows previous successful ProMAC conferences in Singapore, Japan, and Australia.

In April, BP and ConocoPhillips announced the start of the Alaska gas pipeline, the largest private energy project in North American history. Conference participants will be provided with an update on the project, current activities, and key milestones.

Bud E. Fackrell is President of Denali – The Alaska Gas Pipeline LLC, a position he has held since June 2006. Bud graduated with a BS in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Wyoming in 1975. He has worked in the oil and gas industry for over 30 years, with much of his career spent working internationally. Bud began his career with Amoco handling drilling, completion, work-over and production activities and providing expert witness as a regulatory engineer.

From 1980 to 1987, Bud was the District Engineer managing Amoco’s engineering activities in the Gulf of Suez (GOS) for four years, with two years as the GOS Subsurface and Resource Manager over drilling and water flood improvement projects. From 1991 to 1995, he led the development of a gas strategy and execution plan as the Trinidad Gas Asset Manager. In 1995, Bud was selected as the Executive Assistant to the International Group Vice President of Amoco and the lead representative for the Upstream group to develop a process for all of Amoco’s operating companies to ensure that major projects delivered “Best in Class” results. In 1996, Bud served as the GOS District General Manager for BP Amoco. Bud was responsible for BP’s extensive natural gas assets in southwest Wyoming from 2000 to 2002 where he functioned as the Asset Delivery Manager.

From 2002 to 2006, Bud served as the General Manager and chief executive officer of the Abu Dhabi Marine Operation Company, a large joint venture operating all of the offshore concessions on behalf of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, BP, Total and the Japan Oil Development Company in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Bud transferred to Anchorage in August 2006 where he served as the Senior Vice President of BP Exploration (Alaska) with accountability for all operations of the Alaska Consolidated Team.

The ProMAC 2008 conference will serve as an important forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences to revolutionize today’s project management knowledge and techniques for the future. Special plenary sessions featuring top executives and government officials will be held to exchange their practices and plans. Numerous paper presentations and workshops will be held. For details, visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/promac/.

The ProMAC 2008 conference host and lead sponsor is the Masters of Science program in Project Management (MSPM) at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Other sponsors include the PMI Anchorage Alaska Chapter, the Society of Project Management (Japan), Asia Pacific International College (Australia), Alaska Communications Systems (ACS), Alaska Airlines, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company , ASRC Energy Systems, British Petroleum (BP), ConocoPhillips, CH2MHill, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Hawk Consultants LLC, NANA Development Corporation, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), and the Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The general conference co-chairs are Dr. Jang Ra, University of Alaska Anchorage, USA (Chair); Prof. Ali Jaafari, Asia Pacific International College, Australia; Dr. Osamu Ohno, Society of Project Management, Japan; and Prof. Khim Teck Yeo, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The Project Manager is Danny Elmore, University of Alaska Anchorage. For more information, visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/promac/.

Institute of Directors Chair Dr. Neville Bain to Speak at APM 2008 National Project Management Conference in London

Reported by Miles Shepherd in London, UK

The Association for Project Management (APM) has announced that Dr. Neville Bain will be a featured speaker at the 2008 APM Project Management Conference, "Success Through Projects" being held at the historic Brewery Conference Centre in London during 29-30 October 2008. Dr. Bain will speak on the importance of programme and project management to Britain’s economy and corporate efficiencies.

Dr Neville Bain, Chairman of Hogg Robinson, former non-executive Chairman of the British Post Office and management author, has been appointed Chairman of the Institute of Directors (IoD). He formally took up the position on 1^st May 2008 replacing Christopher Beale, who stood down after five years.

An experienced corporate figure, Neville is currently Chairman of the business services company, Hogg Robinson. During his career he has held international general management positions with Cadbury Schweppes and Coats Viyella, while non executive roles have included Safeway and Scottish and Newcastle. Originally from New Zealand, Neville, a Chartered Accountant, began his executive career as a Finance Director. He also holds a Masters Degree in Commerce and a Doctorate in Law. Married with three children, he now lives in Surrey.

He has been on the Council of the IoD since 1997 and has already chaired several internal committees. Looking forward to his term in office Dr Bain said: "I am looking forward to the role and working with the team, in the best interests of members, to provide quality services and opportunities for director improvement."

Come to London in October

Programme and project managers from around the UK and abroad are invited to take part in the October Conference, to help develop the national and international project management agenda through presentations, panel discussions and debate.

For details about the conference visit www.apm.org.uk/conference.asp or contact conference@apm.org.uk.

Exhibition opportunities are also available. Those interested in exhibiting at the APM Project Management Conference 2008, or sponsoring an activity or award, can download the exhibitors pack on the conference website athttp://www.apm.org.uk/exhibitors.asp , or contact Jo Asher on jo@impact-now.co.uk.

The Association for Project Management (APM) is the UK’s national body for professional project management. With over 16,500 individual and 500 corporate members throughout the UK and abroad, APM is one of the largest organisations of its kind in Europe. The organisation develops and promotes project management across all sectors of industry and beyond. APM's published mission is: "To develop and promote the professional disciplines of project and programme management for the public benefit." APM is the UK member of the International Project Management Association (IPMA). With headquarters in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, APM has twelve regional branches throughout the UK and one in Hong Kong. Additional information can be found at www.apm.org.uk.

Best PM Practices at ConocoPhillips to be Presented by Samar Walther at September ProMAC 2008 Conference in Anchorage

Samar Walther, Capital Projects Manager for ConocoPhillips Alaska, will deliver a keynote speech during the ProMAC 2008 International Project Management Conference in September. Ms. Walther's speech will be entitled "ConocoPhillips Project Management Best Practices." The ProMAC 2008 Project Management Conference, "Project Management Leading Managerial Revolutions", will be held at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, Alaska during September 15-18, 2008. This conference follows previous successful ProMAC conferences in Singapore, Japan, and Australia.

Samar (Summer) Walther is Capital Projects Manager for ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc., USA. In this role, Samar is accountable for a Long Range Plan (LRP) capital projects portfolio of approximately $3.0 billion and an annual spend range of $400MM to 900MM. She leads an organization of about 120 employees and contract personnel. She also ensures Project Management best practices & processes, enterprise project management systems and tools, and robust resource management is implemented on all capital projects to facilitate project delivery and excellence.

Samar has over 21 years of experience in the industry and has worked in multiple locations in North America supporting Canadian, US, and international sites. She began her career with Dow Chemical in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada. She held several roles including process engineering, process control, operations representative, commissioning / start-up leader of a mega project, and plant production leader for an ethylene plant. She transferred to Houston in 1995 and held Project Management/Services roles.

Samar joined ConocoPhillips in 2006 as director of project services in the Downstream Technology Project Management and Services group in support of major and small project development and execution. After the integration of Upstream and Downstream Project Services organizations, Samar assumed the role of Manager of Functional Excellence within Project Services, Project Development group. Her responsibilities included training & development, quality assurance and control, work process, standards and procedures stewardship, project staffing and home room, capital project technology initiatives, document and engineering data management, construction and commissioning/handover functional excellence, networks of excellence, consulting services to all major capital projects, benchmarking, and integration/ synergy opportunities. She has lead the Alaska Capital Projects Organization since 2007.

Samar holds a Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Houston in Texas. Samar is a certified Black Belt in both MAIC [Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control] and DFSS [Design for Six Sigma] processes. She is also a registered professional engineer with APEGGA (The Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta).

According to her abstract, delivering a $3.0 billion portfolio of capital projects requires real-world application of project management cornerstones: design basis, execution plan and controlling the project cost and schedule. Samar will review current and upcoming projects in the Alaska and ConocoPhillips global portfolios. In addition, she will also review the project management systems that enable her organization to deliver projects that meet expectations for safety, quality, cost effectiveness and on-time delivery. The ConocoPhillips Alaska Capital Project Organization is at the forefront of developing and following the ConocoPhillips standards for project delivery - and implementing emerging best practices in risk assessment and contingency, portfolio management and reporting.

The ProMAC 2008 conference will serve as an important forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences to revolutionize today’s project management knowledge and techniques for the future. Special plenary sessions featuring top executives and government officials will be held to exchange their practices and plans. Numerous paper presentations and workshops will be held. For details, visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/promac/.

The ProMAC 2008 conference host and lead sponsor is the Masters of Science program in Project Management (MSPM) at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Other sponsors include the PMI Anchorage Alaska Chapter, the Society of Project Management (Japan), Asia Pacific International College (Australia), Alaska Communications Systems (ACS), Alaska Airlines, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company , ASRC Energy Systems, British Petroleum (BP), ConocoPhillips, CH2MHill, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Hawk Consultants LLC, NANA Development Corporation, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), and the Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The general conference co-chairs are Dr. Jang Ra, University of Alaska Anchorage, USA (Chair); Prof. Ali Jaafari, Asia Pacific International College, Australia; Dr. Osamu Ohno, Society of Project Management, Japan; and Prof. Khim Teck Yeo, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The Project Manager is Danny Elmore, University of Alaska Anchorage. For more information, visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/promac/.

1st Annual Project Management Symposium in Panama City Rescheduled for March 2009

The Panama Chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI) has announced that the 1^st Annual PMI Panama Project Management Annual Symposium will now be held in Panama City, Panama During 19 March 2009. This major project management event, subtitled "The Land Divided - The Project World United" previously scheduled for October, will still be held in the Panama Canal Authority Auditorium in Panama City.

According to Luis Fasano, PMI Panama Chapter President, "This will be a big event for our PMI chapter and for project managers in Panama. It became the consensus of the symposium team that we should not rush this event, but take more time to ensure high quality and higher attendance. Since we expect participants from all around the Americas, the extra time should be more convenient for everyone."

The conference will feature the following two keynote speakers from the Panama Canal Expansion Program:

Mr. Jorge Quijano, Executive Vice President , Panama Canal Authority, Engineering and Programs, Management Department, Responsible for $5.25 billion expansion program, will speak on the topic of "Panama Canal Expansion Program—Status and Plans".

Mr. Jhan Schmitz, Senior Vice President, CH2M HILL, Program Manager, Panama Canal Authority, will speak on the topic of "Managing post-crisis and disaster relief programs - Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, Asian Tsunami".

The all-day symposium, which will feature presentations, panel discussions, break-out sessions, focused workshops and networking opportunities, will be bilingual with translation available (Spanish or English). Registration fees are $225, $195 for PMI members, and $125 for students. Attendees can receive up to 7 PDUs for PMP recertification. The symposium venue will be the Panama Canal Authority Auditorium and facilities. The call for presentations has also been extended until 1 December 2008; interested speakers should contact tom@betterprojectresults.com. More information can be found at http://www.pmipanama.org/.

Local sponsors include the Panama Canal Authority and CH2M HILL, prime management contractor for the expansion. Participants will have an opportunity to tour the canal and meet the program manager.

The PMI Panama Chapter is a chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI^®), the world’s largest member-based organization devoted to professional project management. Founded in 1969 in the United States, PMI now has more than 265,000 members in 170 plus countries. Founded in 2001, the PMI Panama Chapter is a volunteer based professional association dedicated to supporting the growth and development of the project management discipline and its critical role in business and organization success. The PMI Panama Chapter has approximately 150 members and serves the project management and business communities of Panama and nearby countries. For more information, visit www.pmipanama.org

North America West Coast Infrastructure Conference to be
14-15 October 2008 in Los Angeles, California

North America West Coast Infrastructure Partnerships, a major conference related to Public Private Partnerships (P3) for major infrastructure projects will be held during 15-16 October 2008 in Los Angeles, California, USA. The event will showcase opportunities for private sector organizations to get involved in public infrastructure projects across the Western USA, Canada and Mexico.

According to Rod Morrison, Editor of Project Finance International (PFI) and Conference Chairman, "This event will showcase major public infrastructure projects in British Columbia, California, Oregon, Washington State and Mexico. We will discuss project financing, procurement, public private partnering opportunities and general market conditions for these large projects. With trillions of dollars in infrastructure investment planned in western North America over the next two decades, we expect some of the largest organizations in the major projects construction, engineering, finance, and management fields to participate."

California and Oregon are leading the way among Western States in the development of P3 models to deliver public funding and private finance to upgrade both social and hard infrastructure. From the Columbia River Crossing to the Oakland Port project, rust belt USA is transforming under partnerships. With the British Columbia Canada projects and Mexico border projects too, West Coast North America is now a region of choice for global project finance.

The 1.5 day conference will be held at the Los Angeles Four Seasons hotel. Organizers are PFI conferences, a division of Thomson Reuters. The conference will highlight current and ongoing opportunities for funders, sponsors, contractors and project advisors. A must attend networking opportunity and the only regional conference of its kind in the PPP calendar, the PFI West Coast Infrastructure conference is an essential event for both global and regional partnership professionals. For information, visit http://www.pficonferences.com/pfi_west_coast_2008/conference_home.aspx

Project Finance International is the leading source of global project finance intelligence. It provides senior project finance decision-makers with authoritative and unbiased capital markets commentary and analysis. IFR is a division of Thomson Financial, a US$1.5 billion provider of information and technology solutions to the worldwide financial community. Thomson Financial helps clients in more than 70 countries make better decisions, be more productive and achieve superior results. PFI sponsors major conferences worldwide for project financing, capital markets and international finance.

Experience Italy in November! Pre & Post Congress Tours Announced for IPMA World Congress in Rome

The project management team for the 22^nd IPMA World Congress on Project Management - ROMA 2008 Project Management to Run - has announced that a variety of pre and post congress tours of Italy will be available for participants. The IPMA 22^nd World Congress on Project Management will be held in Rome, Italy during 9-11 November 2008.

EEM Congressi & Eventi, the Official Secretariat, will offer several tours which can be organized on demand for groups and/or individuals. The following examples have been announced by the IPMA congress team.(Prices include: transport, accommodation in double room of (***) stars superior or (****) stars hotel, professional assistant, guide and entrance fees.) Examples include the following:

Florence - 2 days/1 night - Cost 280,00 € per person. Departure: Friday, November 7 and Wednesday, November 12. Day 1: Transfer from Rome to Florence - Half day guided tour of Florence - Overnight accommodation. Day 2: Day at leisure for optional tours, self discovery, shopping - Return to Rome.

Florence & Tuscany Art Cities - 3 days / 2 nights – Cost 500,00 € per person. Departure: Thursday, November 6 and Wednesday, November 12. Day 1: Transfer from Rome to Pisa - Half day guided tour of Pisa - Overnight accommodation. Day 2: Breakfast at hotel - Transfer to Lucca and visit of the city - Transfer to Florence - Overnight accommodation. Day 3: Half day guided tour of Florence - Afternoon at leisure for optional tours, self-discovery, shopping - Return to Rome.

Venice - 3 days / 2 nights - Cost 500,00 € per person. Departure: Thursday, November 6 and Wednesday, November 12. Day 1: Transfer from Rome to Venice - Initial visit at twilight - Overnight accommodation. Day 2: Breakfast at hotel - Guided tour of Venice - Afternoon at leisure for optional tours, self discovery, shopping - Overnight accommodation. Day 3: Half day guided tour of Venice and its laguna - Return to Rome.

Amalfi Coast & Island of Capri - 4 days/3 night - Cost 570,00 € per person. Departure: Wednesday, November 5 and Wednesday, November 12. Day 1: Transfer from Rome to Sorrento -- Visit of the town - Overnight accommodation in Sorrento. Day 2: Breakfast at hotel - Half day guided tour of the Amalfi Coast - Afternoon at leisure for optional tours, self discovery, shopping - Transfer and overnight accommodation in the island of Capri. Day 3: Visit of Capri. Day 4: Return to mainland and guided visit of the remains of the Roman city of Pompei. Return to Rome.

Tours require a minimum of 15 participants. Please visit the official Congress web site at www.ipmaroma2008.it for all updated information and for reservations.

The "ROMA 2008 - Project Management to Run" world congress will include keynote speeches and 12 streams of presentations over three days, with as many as 200 presentations on important project management topics. Approximately 1,000 participants from the 45+ countries represented by IPMA membership are expected to attend, making it one of the largest project management events in the world this year. The 22^nd IPMA World Congress and Exhibition will be held at the Palazzo dei Congressi near the heart of downtown Rome. For registration, schedule and other information, visit the conference website at www.ipmaroma2008.it.

The local hosts for the ROMA 2008 World Congress are the Italian Project Management Academy and the Italian National Association of Industrial Plant Engineering (ANIMP). The President of ANIMP is Fabrizio Di Amato; the President of the Italian PM Academy is Roberto Mori; the Congress Chairman is Luigi Iperti; and the Project Manager for IPMA 2008 is PierMarco Romagnoli.

Founded in 1967 and registered in Switzerland, the International Project Management Association (IPMA) is an international federation of more than 45 national PM societies in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Local societies serve each country in its national language. IPMA provides an umbrella organization at the international level. Additional information is available at www.ipma.ch.

IRM Risk Forum Hatfield, England 15 - 17 September

Reported by Miles Shepherd in London, UK

The Institute of Risk Management (IRM) will be holding their prestigious annual Risk Forum at the University of Hertfordshire's magnificent de Havilland campus in Hatfield, Hertfordshire for 15^th to 17^th September 2008. The programme covers technical presentations and workshops lead by corporate risk providers (Tuesday) and leading IRM members (Wednesday) supported by some high profile keynote speakers. One of the highlights of the Forum is the Annual Awards Dinner, held at Whipsnade Zoo.

The programme opens on Monday 15 September with an International Reception followed by a buffet supper. The screening of "In the Shadow of the Moon" in which the crew members of NASA's Apollo missions tell their story is a precursor for the opening note the next day. Stephen Carver, rated as one of the top 3 lecturers at Europe’s top Business Schools - Cranfield, will take as his theme a number of internationally well known major project disasters, examining the role of individual and group decision making. The Knowledge Exchange then runs two workshop streams before the closing keynote from Rick Haythornthwaite, Chairman of the UK Government’s UK government established the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council addresses ‘The management of public risk’.

The first full day closes with the Institute’s Annual Awards Dinner. Prizes are awarded to the most successful candidates in the annual examination programme for the IRM Diploma and Certificate qualifications. This event is one of the highlights of the risk management year.

The final day is built around two high profile keynote addresses. General Sir Mike Jackson, until 2007 Chief of the UK Defence Staff will discuss Leadership in uncertain times, a topic he is uniquely qualified to discuss. After a highly distinguished career in the British Army, spanning more than four decades, he is now Senior Advisor at PA Consulting Group. Prior to his appointment as CGS, General Jackson (pictured left) served most recently as Commander in Chief Land Command (from 2000), Commander Kosovo Force (in 1999), Commander ACE Rapid Reaction Corps (from 1997) and Director General Development and Doctrine. General Jackson has seen considerable active service: he commanded at company and brigade level in Northern Ireland, as a divisional commander in Bosnia, and as a corps commander in Macedonia and Kosovo.

After lunch, and further Learning Zone workshops, Shami Chakrabarti, (right) Director of Liberty since September 2003 addresses Controlling risk, respecting rights. A Barrister by background, she was called to the Bar in 1994 and worked for five years as a lawyer in the Home Office for Governments of both persuasions. She asks ‘Must we choose between security and freedom? Or are we only really safe when our rights are protected? Does the risk of terrorism and direct action by extremist organizations justify a strong response from governments and the increasing use of technological surveillance and monitoring techniques?' Shami will help risk professionals in both the public and private sectors consider the practical and ethical issues of managing these risks.

The Risk Forum is one of the highlights of the UK project related scene and promises to pro vide significant insights for practitioners and researchers. The keynote speakers are all noted for their challenging views and the quality of their presentation. The Knowledge Exchange provides individual practitioners with an opportunity to see how the major Risk Services providers address issues of the day while interactive workshops of The Learning Zone are led by IRM members, sharing their own talent and knowledge. The mix of high profile keynotes, expert workshop leaders and the combined expertise of fellow attendees make the IRM Risk Forum a unique educational event.

For further details see http://www.theirm.org/riskforum/index.html or call +44 (0)20 7709 9808.

About the Institute of Risk Management (IRM)

IRM is the leading international professional institute for life long vocational risk management education. IRM’s range of award winning enterprise risk management education, training and knowledge services have attracted over 2,000 members from all parts of commerce, industry and the public sector from across the world. Established as an independent not-for-profit organisation, the Institute is owned and governed by practicing risk professionals and has strong links to leading universities and business schools around the world. www.theirm.org

ASRC Executive Marc Nelson to Discuss Project Management at 4th ProMAC 2008 Conference in Anchorage in September

Mark Nelson, President and CEO of ASRC Energy Services (AES), will deliver a major speech at the ProMAC 2008 International Project Management Conference Anchorage in September. Ms. Nelson's speech will be entitled "Project Management Education and Training Vital to AES’s Success." The ProMAC 2008 Project Management Conference, “Project Management Leading Managerial Revolutions", will be held at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, Alaska during September 15-18, 2008.

Mark Nelson is President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ASRC Energy Services. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer of ASRC Construction Holding Company. He also served as senior vice president of AES Operations and Maintenance (formerly APC Natchiq). For more than 20 years, Mark held management position at APM Natchiq, including president and vice president.

Mark earned a bachelor of science degree in finance from the University of Idaho, USA. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with the Project Management Institute (PMI^®), and holds an Alaska Mechanical Administrator’s license. Mark is a member of the advisory board for the University of Alaska Anchorage Engineering Science Project Management Program. Mark’s community involvement includes serving as vice chair of the Covenant House board of directors; he is also active in the United Way of Anchorage’s Alexis de Tocqueville Society.

Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) is a native regional corporation in Alaska, with over 9,000 shareholders and annual revenues in excess of a billion dollars. ASRC manages five million acres of land within the North Slope that include the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, and the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. ASRC also has many subsidiaries, one of which is ASRC Energy Services (AES). AES provides engineering and consulting services, fabrication, construction, oil and gas support services, and facilities management. AES prospers from adhering to its native values and from the contributions of its University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA)-trained project management professionals. These professionals are responsible for millions of dollars of the company’s total corporate revenues and improvements to overall company management. AES expects to continue to grow over the years. Much of that growth will be directly attributable to the project management training received by AES professionals at UAA. Mark will discuss a few of AES’s current projects and how project management practices impact those projects.

The ProMAC 2008 conference will provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences to revolutionize today’s project management knowledge and techniques for the future. Special plenary sessions featuring top executives and government officials will be held to exchange their practices and plans. Numerous paper presentations and workshops will also be held. This conference follows previous successful ProMAC conferences in Singapore, Japan, and Australia. For details, visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/promac/.

The ProMAC 2008 conference host and lead sponsor is the Masters of Science program in Project Management (MSPM) at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Other sponsors include the PMI Anchorage Alaska Chapter, the Society of Project Management (Japan), Asia Pacific International College (Australia), Alaska Communications Systems (ACS), Alaska Airlines, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company , ASRC Energy Systems, British Petroleum (BP), ConocoPhillips, CH2MHill, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Hawk Consultants LLC, NANA Development Corporation, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), and the Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The general conference co-chairs are Dr. Jang Ra, University of Alaska Anchorage, USA (Chair); Prof. Ali Jaafari, Asia Pacific International College, Australia; Dr. Osamu Ohno, Society of Project Management, Japan; and Prof. Khim Teck Yeo, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The Project Manager is Danny Elmore, University of Alaska Anchorage. For more information, visit http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/promac/.

PM on Beijing Olympics & World EXPO 2010 to be showcased at ROMA 2008 – IPMA 22nd World Congress on Project Management in November

The project management team for the 22^nd IPMA World Congress on Project Management - ROMA 2008 Project Management to Run - has announced that the management of two world class events will be highlighted during presentations at the November conference. The IPMA 22^nd World Congress on Project Management will be held in Rome, Italy during 9-11 November 2008. According to the "ROMA 2008 - Project Management to Run" project team, keynote speeches and 10 streams of presentations will occur over three days, with as many as 250 presentations on important project management topics. For information, visit www.ipmaroma2008.it.

With the Beijing Olympics just completed and the World EXPO 2010 in Shanghai now under development, China is showcasing project and project management of world class events on a global scale. Now these stories will be featured presentations in Rome, as follows:

BEIJING OLYMPIC GAMES 2008, Portfolio Management in Technical Support System of Beijing Olympic Games, by
Mr. Hou Xinyi, Deputy Director Technology Department of Beijing Organizing Committee for The Games of the XXIX Olympiad. According to the suggestion of International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad decided to apply formal project management to organize and operate the Beijing Olympic Games. It is the first time in China to manage the large public activity by pursuing the theories and methods of project management, and it is also the first time to apply the methods systemically compared with previous Olympic Games.

As a typical portfolio, the Olympic Games is a one-off act and involves numerous projects, various stakeholders, etc. This time we needed to face hundreds of thousands of people, including over 10 thousand athletes, 20-30 thousand registered media companies, OG families, NOC, national government delegates and over 9 million audiences, etc. And we also developed and managed 59 Venues, cooperated with over 20 contractors. At the IPMA World Congress in Rome, the story will be told by Mr. Xinyi (pictured).

Project Management in Major Public Events, World EXPO 2010 in Shanghai, China, by Qinghua He, Yongkui Li, and Yun Le of the School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai, China. What will World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, deliver to the world? The Chinese people has the opportunity of presenting to the world a successful splendid and unforgettable Exposition upon meeting many important challenges, such as removal organization and resident aftercare, urban planning and architecture design, conservation and reconstruction of historic buildings, construction program management, operations management, land secondary development, etc. This paper will give a clear and comprehensive solution strategy which the Chinese people have developed and will implement during the next three years.

These and more than 240 other papers and speeches on various aspects of managing technical, social and commercial projects will be presented in ten different streams and a poster session in Rome. Over thirty Ministries, Universities and other leading Organizations operating in various technological fields are giving their patronage and sponsoring the event. Over 1,000 delegates are expected for the Congress, with a further 5,000 attendees visiting the exhibition. Rome's splendid conference centre, the Palazzo dei Congressi, with its comprehensive facilities, will host the Congress. Covering over 4,000 square metres of space, the exhibition to accompany the congress will be the must-attend event for the global project management industry.

The magnificent historical city of Rome with its great monuments and wonderful food will ensure a stay to remember. Participants will enjoy special Social Events, including a Gala Dinner and Concert at the Parco della Musica, the outstanding musical complex designed by the world famous Architect Renzo Piano. For registration, schedule and other information, visit the conference website at www.ipmaroma2008.it.

The local hosts for the ROMA 2008 World Congress are the Italian Project Management Academy and the Italian National Association of Industrial Plant Engineering (ANIMP). The President of ANIMP is Fabrizio Di Amato; the President of the Italian PM Academy is Roberto Mori; the Congress Chairman is Luigi Iperti; and the Project Manager for IPMA 2008 is PierMarco Romagnoli.

Founded in 1967 and registered in Switzerland, the International Project Management Association (IPMA) is is an international federation of more than 40 national PM societies in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Local societies serve each country in its national language. IPMA provides an umbrella organization at the international level. IPMA’s internationally acclaimed 4 Level PM Certification Programme continues to grow worldwide. The IPMA annually presents awards to teams that achieve great feats in project management. IPMA maintains its continuous presence in the global PM arena through regular International Symposia, Expert Seminars and its Annual World Congress. The president of IPMA for 2008 is Veikko Valila. Additional information is available at www.ipma.ch.