#173 | The Making Of A Global Virtual Conference: A Behind The Scenes Look Review With Joe Pusz Agile Ideas podcast

Content provided by Fatimah Abbouchi. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Fatimah Abbouchi or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Agile Ideas »
#173 | The Making of a Global Virtual Conference: A Behind the Scenes Look Review with Joe Pusz

1d ago 57:57

MP3•Episode home

What does it take to run a global virtual conference with 1,000+ attendees, 75+ volunteers, live translation, and zero paywalls?

In this behind-the-scenes episode, Fatimah Abbouchi (Founder & CEO of AMO) is joined by her co-founder of The PMO Leader community, Joe Pusz—better known as PMO Joe—to unpack how a grassroots movement became a global platform for PMO leadership, learning, and real delivery outcomes.

Together, they explore how The PMO Leader went from a one-hour webinar to a 20-hour, follow-the-sun event built entirely by volunteers—where project managers, executives, and first-time speakers all had a voice. From detailed runbooks to backup decks and real-time incident management, they share what worked, what nearly broke, and what it taught them about leadership at scale.

The conversation also dives into PMBOK 8, the shift from “governance-heavy” to value-first thinking, and why today’s PMO leaders need to integrate deeply with strategy, operations, and change. Joe shares insights from the PMI Global Summit, the current job market for project managers, and how sponsors are shifting from brand exposure to meaningful community investment.

This episode highlights what happens when community drives the agenda: bottom-up strategy, multilingual inclusion, practical tools like PMOpedia, and mentoring programs that now span 40+ countries. If you care about making PMOs more visible, valuable, and connected to real outcomes—this is the inside story.

In this episode, I cover:

3:13 PMI Summit Trends and PMOBOK 8

8:50 PMO’s Rising Role and Industry Shifts

15:20 Why The PMO Leader Was Created

22:30 Volunteers, Voice, and Rel Value

28:20 Building a Follow-The-Sun Conference

35:40 Sponsors, Reach, and ROI

42:05 Global Partnerships and Inclusion

49:10 Trust, Belonging, and Member Care

55:40 Live Ops: When Tech Fails

And more...

🎧 Tune in for lessons you can take straight back to your team.

Visit https://www.thepmoleader.com for more information or follow on LinkedIn here https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-pmo-leader.

If you’d like to get involved in shaping what comes next.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Agile Ideas! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone who might benefit from our discussions. Remember to rate us on your preferred podcast platform and follow us on social media for updates and more insightful content.
Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd really appreciate it if you could share it with your friends and rate us. Let's spread the #AgileIdeas together!
We'd like to hear any feedback. www.agilemanagementoffice.com/contact
Don't miss out on exclusive access to special events, checklists, and blogs that are not available everywhere. Subscribe to our newsletter now at www.agilemanagementoffice.com/subscribe.
You can also find us on most social media channels by searching 'Agile Ideas'.
Follow me, your host, on LinkedIn - go to Fatimah Abbouchi - www.linkedin.com/in/fatimahabbouchi/
For all things Agile Ideas and to stay connected, visit our website below. It's your one-stop destination for all our episodes, blogs, and more. We hope you found today's episode enlightening. Until next time, keep innovating and exploring new Agile Ideas!
Learn more about podcast host Fatimah Abbouchi
...

Chapters

1. Welcome And Guest Introduction (00:00:00)

2. PMI Summit Trends And PMBOK 8 (00:03:13)

3. PMO’s Rising Role And Industry Shifts (00:08:50)

4. Why The PMO Leader Was Created (00:15:20)

5. Volunteers, Voice, And Real Value (00:22:30)

6. Building A Follow-The-Sun Conference (00:28:20)

7. Sponsors, Reach, And ROI (00:35:40)

8. Global Partnerships And Inclusion (00:42:05)

9. Trust, Belonging, And Member Care (00:49:10)

10. Live Ops: When Tech Fails (00:55:40)

174 episodes

#Business #Agile Ideas #Agile #PMO #Mental Health #Entrepreneur #Project Management #Delivery #Transformation #Growth #Corporate #Women #Founders #Change #Programming