End of September the international Project Management Community will meet in Panama for the 29th IPMA World Congress. It is a very special World Congress this year and absolutely worth travelling to Panama. Firstly, IPMA will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in Panama. Founded in 1965 by a few enthusiasts in Europe for an experience exchange about project network techniques, IPMA grew to a vibrant network of nowadays more than 60 member associations across the globe. During the meeting of the IPMA Council of Delegates in Panama several new members will be added to that network.

The continuous growth of IPMA in Latin America caused the Executive Board to award the 29th IPMA World Congress to the Member Association in Panama. It´s the first time for an IPMA World Congress to be held in that region. Panama is key to that region. On the one hand, the Panama Canal is a key factor for the whole region and the economical upswing through trading and logistics. The canal celebrated its 100th Anniversary last year, today a major extension programme is being performed to safeguard the development. On the other hand, Panama is of great importance for LATNET, a network of IPMA Member Associations in Latin America. The World Congress is therefore a joint endeavour of the LATNET Member Associations. They will present themselves in various streams. During the event it is also possible, to experience the rich culture, country and heritage of Panama. The social program provides also a chance to study the Panama Canal Extension Programme. Furthermore, the IPMA Young Crew celebrates its 10th Anniversary during the Global Young Crew Workshop, another attraction during the Panama Event for those, who are under the age of 35.

During the World Congress in Panama, two of the core IPMA Standards will be published, the next version of the IPMA Individual Competence Baseline (IPMA ICB®) as well as the new IPMA Project Excellence Baseline (IPMA PEB®). The IPMA ICB will be in future the basis for qualification and certification of project, programme and portfolio managers . The IPMA PEB is a global standard for performing and evaluating projects (and programmes) based on the acknowledged Project Excellence Model, which was derived in Germany from the Excellence Model of the European Foundation of Quality Management (EFQM). It is used since 12 years for the IPMA Project Excellence Awards [http://ipma.ch/awards/].

Join in and let´s together move the profession forward! The 29^th IPMA World Congress is definitely THE highlight of the project management year 2015. Are you ready for take-off?

See also the invitation of Tom Taylor, President of Association for Project Management (APM): http://aeipro.com/index.php/es/noticias-y-eventos/1181-invitacion-de-tom-taylor-al-ipma-wc-de-panama