Abstract Submission

ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN

Our 2026 symposium theme is 'Digitisation: Data Driven Decisions through Dashboards - progressing beyond Documents & Committees' and we encourage you to submit an application that ties in with one of our key streams.

If you are in the project management space and have ideas to share or stories to tell, we would love to have you join the symposium presentation team for 2026. 

Benefits of presenting at the Symposium:

  • Highlight the great work that you and your organisation are achieving.
  • Develop your thoughts and ideas, presenting and interacting with an audience of your peers.
  • Engaging and networking with thought leaders and project management luminaries. 
  • Contribute to developing the project management community through sharing your knowledge and experience. 
  • Complimentary all-access pass to the symposium, including presentations, catering and symposium networking activities across the symposium.

SUBMIT ABSTRACT

Who should nominate?

INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS

If you are applying project and program management ideas and techniques at the leading edge of your industry, the symposium is the ideal opportunity to make these visible to a motivated group of project, program and portfolio professionals. 

PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRACTITIONERS

Our audience wants to hear real world stories from people of all levels throughout an organisation. If you have project management stories, whether as a manager or supporting staff, we would love to hear from you. Your application of knowledge and sharing of experience is valued and appreciated. 


Abstract Submission Process

Select preferred stream:

Stream One

Maintaining Focus on the
Fundamentals

Topic examples could include

  • Product, price & time: the practical relationships in a high-tech project environment
  • Tracking progress: methods & methodologies that work
  • Cost estimation fundamentals: where does it start – how does it end
  • Baselines & baselining
  • Key project management cycles: monthly, quarterly, half-yearly & annual
  • Half of project management is managing up (what, when, how much & more)
  • The real differences between being a project manager & a program manager
  • Is it project management or project monitoring: being effective when the contractor is responsible 
  • The learnings of a professional across a lifetime in project management
  • Delivering outcomes vs outputs
  • Scheduling as a predictive tool not a reporting tool
  • Fundamentals of data structures & data management
  • Or any relevant presentation topic that you would like to share...

Stream Two

Embracing the Pathway to
Digital

Topic examples could include

  • Pathway to digital – what do we really mean
  • Building inclusive digital teams that drive innovation
  • Overcoming technical barriers
  • Overcoming resistance to digital transformation
  • Training & retaining talent for future programs
  • Modernising contracting for speed and flexibility
  • How to secure top-down commitment for digital initiatives
  • An organisational case study – we got there
  • Or any relevant presentation topic that you would like to share...

Stream Three

Data & Dashboards: Empowered
Decision Making

Topic examples could include

  • Building a single source of truth from multiple stakeholders’ plans
  • Avoiding cognitive overload in dashboard design
  • Case studies of successful (& unsuccessful) dashboard adoption
  • Designing dashboards for clarity & actionability
  • Ensuring integrity & trust in dashboard-driven governance
  • Opportunities & risks in automated decision support
  • Integrating cost, schedule, & risk data for real-time project health
  • Using real-time data to support compliance & accountability
  • Reimagining governance structures with digital tools
  • Choosing the right metrics for effective decision-making
  • Maintaining deliberate control in an environment of data immediacy & uncontrolled autonomy
  • Lies, damn lies & statistics - story telling with dashboards
  • Or any relevant presentation topic that you would like to share...

About your presentation: 

Our stream presentations fit into 45-minute time slots. So, typically you would plan for 30-35 minutes of presentation and 5-10 minutes of questions and audience interaction. You should anticipate presenting in front of a live audience that could be anything from 25 to 125 depending on topic and interest. The presentation will also be broadcast to a live video audience dispersed around Australia and potentially overseas.

How to submit your proposal:

Please click on the below link once live to submit your presentation through our portal, you will be required to supply the following information during your submission: presenters name, presentation title, abstract (100 - 150 words), short bio of presenter and photo as well as contact details. 

If selected to present, you will then be provided with further instructions closer to the event that will advise you of your presentation format, program agenda, presentation timing, presentation guidelines and other necessary information.

Abstract submissions close 5pm AEST Friday 22 May 2026.

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Types of Presentations

PRACTICAL PRESENTATIONS

Feedback from the last three symposiums is consistent.

Our audience wants to hear real world stories from the people who are doing what they do.

Shared experiences from real world activities are important to our development as project professionals. Whether around the bar, over lunch or in the corridor, everything from anecdotes to detailed analytical dissections help us learn the art of being a project professional.

So, we need you to think about what you could share - what you do, or what works (or not), what challenges you or your project have and how you deal with it, or some observations or reflections.

Practical presentations are 40 minutes and you don't have to be the CEO, the Project Director or the Chief Scheduler. You might present to a specialist stream, or you might be identified to present for the whole symposium audience.

Submit your presentation proposal and let's see where it goes from there.

There are lots of other reasons you might want to present:

Showcase the professionalism of your organisation.
Draw attention to new ideas.
Generate professional visibility.

ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS

Academic presentations within the symposium are an important component of our overall program designed for academics, for academics interested in advancing the practice of project, program and portfolio management in our region.

Symposium presentations only need to be PowerPoint, but written papers are encouraged and will be published in the PGCS Library. If you have a great presentation from elsewhere you would like to share with our audience this is OK but we do need to know.


Symposium Managers

Consec - Conference and Event Management
PO Box 3127
Belconnen Delivery Centre
BELCONNEN ACT 2617
Tel: +61 2 6252 1200
Email: pgcs@consec.com.au