About this Event
Elevating Leadership
PMI-SAC · Professional Development Conference · Nov 27, 2026 · Calgary
Leadership is not a title — it is a practice. A daily choice to see further, act with intention, and bring others with you. “Elevating Leadership” is our call to rise above the operational, the reactive, and the familiar — into leadership that is strategic, human, adaptive, and globally aware.
Great projects need more than great processes. They need leaders who can navigate complexity, inspire people and turn ideas into meaningful results. Join project professionals from across Southern Alberta for a day of learning, connection and inspiration designed to strengthen the way you lead — on your projects, in your organization and throughout your career.
Your Annual Day of Growth & Connection
PDC brings together project managers from across Southern Alberta for a focused day of learning and connection. Sessions are designed around real challenges – so what you learn in the room, you can put to work the following week.
Whether you’re looking to sharpen a specific skill, expand your network, or simply invest a day in your own growth, PDC is built for that.
Agenda
🕑: 07:30 AM - 08:30 AM
Registration & Breakfast
🕑: 08:30 AM - 08:45 AM
Opening Remarks & Welcome — President, PMI-SAC
🕑: 08:45 AM - 09:45 AM
OPENING KEYNOTE: MIQ: Rocket Fuel for The Crew
Host: Tyler Hayden
🕑: 09:45 AM - 10:15 AM
Transition & Coffee Break
🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM
BREAKOUT SESSIONS — SET 1
🕑: 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Coffee Break
🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
BREAKOUT SESSIONS — SET 2
🕑: 12:15 PM - 01:15 PM
Lunch
🕑: 01:15 PM - 02:00 PM
BREAKOUT SESSIONS — SET 3
🕑: 02:00 PM - 02:30 PM
Coffee Break
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:15 PM
BREAKOUT SESSIONS — SET 4
🕑: 03:15 PM - 03:45 PM
Coffee Break
🕑: 03:45 PM - 04:45 PM
CLOSING KEYNOTE: Achieving Your Moonshot: Turning Audacious Dreams into Action
Host: Colonel Jeremy Hansen
🕑: 04:45 PM - 05:00 PM
WRAP UP & CLOSING REMARKS
🕑: 05:00 PM - 06:30 PM
Closing Reception
Breakout Sessions
🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM
Seeing the Person Behind the Task: Life Lessons as a Project Manager and Profe
Host: Danaka Porter
🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM
The PMO That Almost Got Shut Down: A Field Guide to Rescuing a Failing PMO
Host: Bruno Freitas
🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM
Own Your Presence and Power: How Project Leaders Get Heard, Seen & Trusted
Host: Lovelin Johnson
🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM
From Triumph to Tragedy: The Tay Bridge Story Every Project Leader Should Know
Host: Jim Benvie
🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
The Project Culture Clash: Building Project Team Cultures for Performance
Host: Ben Chan
🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
Happy Living: The Missing Dimension of Elevated Leadership
Host: Eddy Farah
🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
Elevating the Project Leader: Delivery Expert to Strategic Force Multiplier
Host: Adebayo Ajayi
🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
75 AI Use Cases Later: What We Got Wrong Before We Got It Right
Host: Andy Deshpande
🕑: 01:15 PM - 02:00 PM
[Panel] What Your C-Suite Really Thinks About Your Projects
Host: Dan Reinbold
🕑: 01:15 PM - 02:00 PM
The Playful PM: Using the Eight Play Personalities for Better Teams
Host: Paul Lopushinsky
🕑: 01:15 PM - 02:00 PM
Beyond the Software: The Human Side of Portfolio Transformation
Host: Manik Sethi
🕑: 01:15 PM - 02:00 PM
Rise Above Routine: Embrace Life Beyond Your Comfort Zone
Host: Darren Mann
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:15 PM
[Panel] Technology & Innovation
Host: Dany Allard
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:15 PM
[Panel] Landing the Next Job
Host: Michael Taylor
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:15 PM
Corporate Catalyst: Apply an Entrepreneurial Mindset to Enterprise Tech
Host: Chimbusomma Chika
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:15 PM
[Panel] Lights, Camera, Exec: What Film Producers Teach Us About Project Leade
Host: Michael Peterson
Event venue & nearby stays
Winsport Event Centre, Olympic Rd S W, Calgary, Canada
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.