About Focus PM 2025

Project Management Fundamentals

Part I - Beginner
This two-part workshop provides a comprehensive Show more...introduction to translation project management, tailored for current and aspiring project managers. The first session, Project Management Fundamentals (Beginner), focuses on the basics of managing translation workflows—covering the full project lifecycle from client briefing to final delivery. The second session, Project Management in Practice (Advanced), dives deeper into real-world challenges, strategic decision-making, and advanced tools and techniques. Topics include quotation, scheduling, quality assurance, stakeholder coordination, and the use of translation technologies. For a complete view of project management in the language services industry, we recommend registering for both sessions.

Coffee Break

Project Management in Practice

Part II - Advanced
This two-part workshop provides a comprehensive Show more...introduction to translation project management, tailored for current and aspiring project managers. The first session, Project Management Fundamentals (Beginner), focuses on the basics of managing translation workflows—covering the full project lifecycle from client briefing to final delivery. The second session, Project Management in Practice (Advanced), dives deeper into real-world challenges, strategic decision-making, and advanced tools and techniques. Topics include quotation, scheduling, quality assurance, stakeholder coordination, and the use of translation technologies. For a complete view of project management in the language services industry, we recommend registering for both sessions.

Break

From Philosopher to Practitioner: AI Tools in the Translation Agora

Workshop
Managing several AI tools for one project can be messy and slow. Show more... This hands-on workshop shows you how to build custom AI tools that work together seamlessly.

You'll see how these tools handle your entire process: analysing documents, finding key terms, creating style guides, and translating with proper context. Most importantly, we'll show you how to automatically fix quality issues that usually take hours to resolve manually.

This approach cuts costs, saves time, and lets you focus on managing projects rather than fighting with technology.

By the end, you'll have practical skills to build tools that make your work easier.

Coffee Break

Fit for Purpose: Exploring your PM Toolkit

Workshop
In this 90-minute workshop with the "Goddess of Tools Show more...of Localisation," Marina Orešković, you'll use three different tools to solve a couple of the same real-life PM problems. Join this session to get into the mindset of a results-driven PM—one who isn't afraid of new tools or fresh approaches to complexity. Use your current knowledge, learn new perspectives, and get help from Marina to see if the tool you are using is "the right one for your fight." This hands-on PM experience workshop will broaden your horizons and make you rethink what you know about the big, blue sea of PM tools.

Opa on the Rooftop!

Welcome drinks reception @ Wyndham ABOVE Rooftop Pool Bar
Start Show more...your Focus PM experience the Greek way—up high with good vibes and a toast to new connections! Enjoy two drinks on ELIA as we gather on the rooftop with sweeping views of Athens. This is your moment to unwind, mingle, and shout “Opa!” with your fellow PMs. Casual, warm, and joyful—just how a good Greek gathering begins.

Open Registration & Welcome Coffee

Event Opening

Atrophy is Not a Trophy: Sharpening Skills, Finding Human Value

Part I
Let’s unpack atrophy: from α- (without) and τροφή (nourishment). Show more... In the age of AI, cognitive nourishment risks starvation. MIT research warns of skill erosion when we outsource too much thinking. But as one influential CEO quipped, it’s “the revenge of the English majors”: knowing how to communicate and asking the right questions matter more than ever. AI should amplify, not amputate, our human edge. This keynote re-centers project managers as cognitive athletes, not just tech operators. Expect sharp insights, a few olives of humor, and practical ways to keep your human toolkit in shape.

Coffee Break

Owning Change, Leading with Style, and Staying Human

Part I
This session takes us on a lively and relatable journey Show more...through the evolving world of localisation project management, set against the backdrop of personal career growth and the everyday chaos PMs know all too well. With warmth and humor, it traces a path from accidental beginnings in project management to navigating today’s complex, tech-disrupted landscape shaped by AI and large language models. Along the way, we’ll reflect on how to stay adaptable, lead with authenticity, and bring human connection into every project—especially when everything else is changing.

Lunch

Clarify Your Chaos: From Messy Roles to Scalable Growth

Part I / Group A
Project managers are often caught in the messy Show more...middle: blurred roles, unclear scopes, rising expectations. But what if that chaos could be a blueprint for transformation? In this two-part workshop, we’ll reflect on shared challenges and explore how curiosity, not control, can unlock new roles, new value, and new growth opportunities. You’ll work through real business cases, draft strategic responses, and explore how AI tools (or even custom-built solutions) could support your ideas. Come ready to share, question, build, and rethink your potential, not just as a PM, but as a consultant, problem-solver, and partner in growth.

Still Human: Why PMs Lead in an AI World

Part I / Group B
AI and Large Language Models excel at task-based Show more...execution, but successful project management requires more than computational efficiency. Customer expectations cannot be fully analyzed, trust cannot be gained, and uncertainty cannot be navigated by code alone. In this session, we explore how human insight is needed to condition and guide execution so that output is usable and collaboration is based on mutual understanding. Because even the most sophisticated AI still needs a project manager to translate complexity into clarity—and align delivery with real-world purpose.

Coffee Break

Clarify Your Chaos: From Messy Roles to Scalable Growth

Part II / Group A
Project managers are often caught in the messy Show more...middle: blurred roles, unclear scopes, rising expectations. But what if that chaos could be a blueprint for transformation? In this two-part workshop, we’ll reflect on shared challenges and explore how curiosity, not control, can unlock new roles, new value, and new growth opportunities. You’ll work through real business cases, draft strategic responses, and explore how AI tools (or even custom-built solutions) could support your ideas. Come ready to share, question, build, and rethink your potential, not just as a PM, but as a consultant, problem-solver, and partner in growth.

Still Human: Why PMs Lead in an AI World

Part II / Group B
AI and Large Language Models excel at task-based Show more...execution, but successful project management requires more than computational efficiency. Customer expectations cannot be fully analyzed, trust cannot be gained, and uncertainty cannot be navigated by code alone. In this session, we explore how human insight is needed to condition and guide execution so that output is usable and collaboration is based on mutual understanding. Because even the most sophisticated AI still needs a project manager to translate complexity into clarity—and align delivery with real-world purpose.

My Big Greek Networking Feast

Networking dinner @ Brown Acropol Rooftop Bar Restaurant
Think Show more...long tables, shared dishes, warm conversation, and PMs laughing like old friends. Inspired by the spirit of Greek family dinners, this evening is all about connection. You’ll enjoy a relaxed, family-style meal where the food keeps coming and the stories keep flowing. No formalities—just a chance to break bread, build relationships, and enjoy a night that feels more like a celebration than a conference dinner.

Morning Coffee

Clarify your Chaos: From Messy Roles to Scalable Growth

Part I / Group B
Project managers are often caught in the messy Show more...middle: blurred roles, unclear scopes, rising expectations. But what if that chaos could be a blueprint for transformation? In this two-part workshop, we’ll reflect on shared challenges and explore how curiosity, not control, can unlock new roles, new value, and new growth opportunities. You’ll work through real business cases, draft strategic responses, and explore how AI tools (or even custom-built solutions) could support your ideas. Come ready to share, question, build, and rethink your potential, not just as a PM, but as a consultant, problem-solver, and partner in growth.

Still Human: Why PMs Lead in an AI World

Part I / Group A
AI and Large Language Models excel at task-based Show more...execution, but successful project management requires more than computational efficiency. Customer expectations cannot be fully analyzed, trust cannot be gained, and uncertainty cannot be navigated by code alone. In this session, we explore how human insight is needed to condition and guide execution so that output is usable and collaboration is based on mutual understanding. Because even the most sophisticated AI still needs a project manager to translate complexity into clarity—and align delivery with real-world purpose.

Coffee Break

Clarify your Chaos: From Messy Roles to Scalable Growth

Part II / Group B
Project managers are often caught in the messy Show more...middle: blurred roles, unclear scopes, rising expectations. But what if that chaos could be a blueprint for transformation? In this two-part workshop, we’ll reflect on shared challenges and explore how curiosity, not control, can unlock new roles, new value, and new growth opportunities. You’ll work through real business cases, draft strategic responses, and explore how AI tools (or even custom-built solutions) could support your ideas. Come ready to share, question, build, and rethink your potential, not just as a PM, but as a consultant, problem-solver, and partner in growth.

Still Human: Why PMs Lead in an AI World

Part II / Group A
AI and Large Language Models excel at task-based Show more...execution, but successful project management requires more than computational efficiency. Customer expectations cannot be fully analyzed, trust cannot be gained, and uncertainty cannot be navigated by code alone. In this session, we explore how human insight is needed to condition and guide execution so that output is usable and collaboration is based on mutual understanding. Because even the most sophisticated AI still needs a project manager to translate complexity into clarity—and align delivery with real-world purpose.

Lunch

Owning Change, Leading with Style, and Staying Human

Part II
This session takes us on a lively and relatable journey Show more...through the evolving world of localisation project management, set against the backdrop of personal career growth and the everyday chaos PMs know all too well. With warmth and humor, it traces a path from accidental beginnings in project management to navigating today’s complex, tech-disrupted landscape shaped by AI and large language models. Along the way, we’ll reflect on how to stay adaptable, lead with authenticity, and bring human connection into every project—especially when everything else is changing.

Coffee Break

Atrophy is Not a Trophy: Sharpening Skills, Finding Human Value

Part II
Let’s unpack atrophy: from α- (without) and τροφή (nourishment). Show more... In the age of AI, cognitive nourishment risks starvation. MIT research warns of skill erosion when we outsource too much thinking. But as one influential CEO quipped, it’s “the revenge of the English majors”: knowing how to communicate and asking the right questions matter more than ever. AI should amplify, not amputate, our human edge. This keynote re-centers project managers as cognitive athletes, not just tech operators. Expect sharp insights, a few olives of humor, and practical ways to keep your human toolkit in shape.

Event Closing

PMs in the Polis

Athens Evening Guided Tour
Step into the story of Athens—where Show more...every corner whispers history and every plaza invites conversation. This easygoing city tour by bus and foot will take you through the highlights of the ancient polis, with stops to admire the beauty and culture that surround us. Afterward, you're free to return to the hotel or stay in the old town and enjoy dinner at your own pace. A perfect mix of discovery, community, and winding down Focus PM in style.