Stockholm is a city of connections
Built across 14 islands and linked by more than 50 bridges, it offers a strong metaphor for the project profession. At PMI Sweden’s fifteenth Passion for Projects Congress 2026, that idea came to life. Not just in geography, but in how we connect ideas, people, and outcomes.
For Nigel Smith and Merv Wyeth, attending and speaking at the 15th anniversary congress was more than a highlight. It was a reminder that project management, at its best, builds bridges. Between strategy and delivery. Between technology and people. Between effort and value.
A Congress That Delivers More Than Content
Held at the iconic Münchenbryggeriet, the congress brought together over 300 project professionals in a setting that felt both purposeful and energised. What stood out was not just the content. It was the participation.
This was an audience that leaned in. Conversations continued in corridors. Ideas were tested, not just presented. The event reflected what strong, community led delivery looks like. Many would call it host leadership in action.
Across sessions, three themes kept surfacing:
- Leadership as influence, not authority
- The accelerating role of AI in delivery
- A sharper focus on value over output
As one speaker put it, “Project Success = Business Success.” Without clear value, delivery risks becoming activity without impact.
Power Skills Are Not “Soft”
Nigel and Merv’s session, From Soft Skills to Hard Outcomes: Pump Up Your Power Skills for Project Success, challenged a familiar assumption – that communication is a soft skill. Communication was reframed as a core delivery capability. One that shapes alignment, decision making, and outcomes. Audience input reinforced this, with participants recognising just how much of their role depends on it.
The session centred on three practical shifts:
- Speak with confidence
- Structure for impact
- Engage to unlock insight
Simple. Actionable. Essential.
As highlighted in the session, “Power Skills are the difference between projects that succeed and those that don’t” .
From Slides to Insight
The delivery model mattered as much as the message.
Rather than relying on dense slides, the session used live interaction and AI enabled tools to turn participation into insight. They demonstrated their innovative PowerPoint Impact Analyser (PIA) that helps presenters to ‘avoid death by PowerPoint’ by assessing clarity, cognitive load, and delivery effectiveness of slide decks, helping to tackle the familiar problem of overloaded presentations.
This is the shift many events are now making:
- From presenting information
- To creating understanding
- To generating insight that drives action
It aligns directly with the PMI Talent Triangle, where Power Skills are now critical.
Learning Beyond the Stage
The conversation continued beyond the venue, including a visit to Mentimeter, Stockholm HQ. The focus was how real time engagement tools are reshaping how we run sessions, test alignment, and capture insight. For project professionals and PMI communities, this matters. Events are no longer just about content. They are platforms for insight, connection, and measurable impact.
Final Thoughts
In a city built on bridges, the Passion for Projects Congress set a strong benchmark. Well designed, highly engaging, and purpose led, it provided a clear template for shaping events that inform, engage, challenge, and create outcomes that extend well beyond the room.
It built meaningful connections between people, ideas, intent, and outcomes, showing what is possible when events are designed for impact.
Article by Merv Wyeth and Nigel Smith