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75+ Conferences on People Analytics & Data-Driven HR to attend in 2018

David Green

When I last collated a list of conferences dedicated to or prominently featuring people analytics in 2016, I found 24 conferences around the world – and I remember at the time being surprised to find that many.

Fast forward two years, with 2018 in its infancy and people analytics accelerating from the periphery to the core of the HR agenda, it seems an appropriate time to provide a new summary of conferences that will take place in 2018. Perhaps a significant indicator of the growth in the interest and adoption of people analytics is the fact that I have found 75+ conferences - over three times as many as I found just 18 months ago.

Having spoken at numerous conferences across the world on people analytics in the last 18 months in cities such as Sydney, Singapore, San Francisco, New York, London, Helsinki, Moscow, Berlin, Paris, Hamburg, Oslo, Stockholm, Philadelphia and Las Vegas, I was actually not surprised to find that the number of conferences had risen to such a high figure. 

The article is split into two halves. First, I have featured the conferences where I am already confirmed to speak in 2018. Then, I have listed in chronological order the 2018 conferences that are either dedicated to people analytics or where the subject prominently features on the agenda.

In a recent article, Josh Bersin stated that “CEOs and CHROs now understand that people analytics is a vital part of running a high performing company.” This is consistent with what I believe as well as what many other people I speak to in the space tell me they are seeing. Given that analytics underpins many of the trends in the people space (e.g. employee experience, sentiment analysis, consumerisation and organisational network analysis), this is hardly a surprise. As such, I expect 2018 will be a significant year with regards to the continued growth of people analytics and data-driven HR. Conferences are one way to help engage, educate and inspire practitioners to embrace and then excel at data-driven HR.

1. THE CONFERENCES I AM SPEAKING AT/CHAIRING IN 2018

In date order…

PEOPLE ANALYTICS & FUTURE OF WORK: 1-2 Feb (San Francisco); TBC Sept/Oct (Philadelphia); EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE & CULTURE: TBC May (Chicago)

One of the Holy Trinity of people analytics conferences, Al Adamsen’s PAFOW conference series is “created by leaders and practitioners for leaders and practitioners.” I’ve had the privilege of co-chairing PAFOW since January 2017 and once again Al has gathered the crème de la crème of leading practitioners, thinkers and vendors in the space for the flagship San Francisco event on 1-2 February. Click on the first image below and/or the podcast image for more detail and if you decide to go, I’ll see you there! 

Dates / location: San Francisco (1-2 Feb), Philadelphia (TBC, Sept/Oct), Employee Experience & Culture (TBC) | Confirmed speakers: Josh Bersin, Alexis Fink, Guru Sethupathy, Geetanjali Gamel, Jonathan Ferrar, Charlotte Nagy, RJ Milnor, Heather Whiteman, Michael Arena, Nicky Clement, Rob Cross, Jeremy Welland, Al Adamsen, David Green | Resources: Key takeaways of PAFOW Philadelphia 2017 | PAFOW Podcast | People Analytics 3.0 article

EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE BOOTCAMP: 8 Feb (Lisbon)

As organisations seek to improve and personalise the experience of their employees there is increasing recognition that this can only be achieved with a core underpin of data and analytics. This is probably why many people analytics leaders are having employee engagement and experience added to their remit. As such, I’m looking forward to delivering a keynote speech on people analytics at the Employee Experience Bootcamp in Lisbon in February. The program that organisers Magdalena Grasser and Diana Oliveira have compiled is an enticing one.

Date / Location: Lisbon (8 Feb) | Confirmed speakers: Cathy Brown, Tiago Muge, David Green, Filipa Larangeira and many more. Also with optional MasterClass on 9 Feb with Sophie Muller, Sophie Muller, Client Experience Director at TI People | Resources: Blog | YouTube

TUCANA: PEOPLE ANALYTICS WORLD 11-12 Apr (London) | PEOPLE ANALYTICS FORUM: 21-22 Nov (Venue TBC) | STORYTELLING WITH DATA MASTERCLASSES 19 & 20 Feb (London), 22 Feb (Zurich)

The second of the Holy Trinity of people analytics conferences, People Analytics World and People Analytics Forum have emerged as the premier people analytics conference series in Europe. I have had the honour of being the main conference chair since 2015 and am looking forward to performing the same role in 2018. With speakers from all over the world, three streams and plenty of opportunity for networking there is something for anyone working or interested in people analytics – whatever their individual or organisational maturity level. Tucana has also organised three masterclasses on Storytelling with Data with the renowned Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic for February in London and Zurich.

Dates / Locations: Storytelling with Data MasterClasses, London (19 & 20 Feb), Zurich (22 Feb) | People Analytics World, London (11-12 Apr) | People Analytics Forum, Venue TBC (21-22 Nov) | Early speakers confirmed: Bernard Marr, Peter Howes, Subhadra Dutta, Patrick Coolen, Swati Chawla, Jordan Pettman, Bart Voorn, Max Blumberg, Mattjas Mol, Steve Bianchi, Ben Waber, Laurence Collins, Mariëlle Sonnenberg and David Green. More to follow soon – check the conference site for updates | Resources: Key takeaways from People Analytics World 2017 | Blog | Podcast | Vimeo Channel | 2017 People Analytics Forum site

UNLEASH: 20-21 Mar (London); 14-15 May (Las Vegas) & 23-24 Oct (Amsterdam)

UNLEASH (formerly known as HR Tech World) stages the best shows about HR Technology and the future of work on the planet. If you want to learn and have fun whilst you’re doing it then UNLEASH is the conference for you. Marc Coleman and the UNLEASH team combine fabulous production (replete with loud music and spectacular visuals), outstanding speakers and a program that blows your mind. UNLEASH entered the US market in 2017 with unqualified success, and 2018 is set to be even bigger with three shows. People analytics has always featured prominently and I’ve had the good fortune to chair the Smart Data track for the last few shows as well as speaking. See you in London in March, Las Vegas in May and Amsterdam in October.

Dates / Locations: London (20-21 Mar) | Las Vegas (14-15 May) | Amsterdam (23-24 Oct) | Resources: Link to key takeaways 2017 – London, San Francisco, Amsterdam | Blog | Slideshare | YouTube

WHARTON PEOPLE ANALYTICS CONFERENCE: 22-23 Mar (Philadelphia)

The final member of the Holy Trinity of people analytics conferences, the Wharton People Analytics Conference is convened by students, fronted by Adam Grant and Cade Massey and uniquely features a host of ‘outside-in’ inspirational speakers (see video below of 2017 keynote Malcolm Gladwell in conversation with Adam Grant). Wharton PAC has a lofty reputation and from my experience in 2017 at least, it is well deserved. Indeed, the 2017 conference was one of my personal highlights of the last 12 months.

Date / Location: Philadelphia (22-23 Mar) | Confirmed speakers: Angela Duckworth, DJ Patil, Daniel Pink, Mary Barra, Adam Grant, Cade Massey and many more | Resources: Key takeaways from Wharton PAC 2017 | YouTube Channel

HR & PEOPLE ANALYTICS FORUM: 17-18 Apr (Budapest); TBC May (Warsaw); 16-17 Oct (Zagreb)

Through the HR & People Analytics Forum series, Goran Krstulovic aims to bring the subject of data-driven HR and people analytics to Central and Eastern Europe. I heard excellent reports from Max Blumberg and Jonathan Ferrar of the inaugural event in Zagreb in October 2017 (see video below), and am delighted to have been asked to speak in Budapest and Zagreb in 2018.

Dates / Locations: Budapest (17-18 Apr), Warsaw (TBC May), Zagreb (16-17 Oct) | Confirmed speakers: Mariëlle Sonnenberg, Max Blumberg, Jonathan Ferrar, David Green, Soumyasanto Sen, Sjoerd van den Heuvel, Barbara Zych

SOCIAL RECRUITING DAYS: 29-30 Oct (Berlin)

Social Recruiting Days was one of the most impressive conferences I spoke at in 2017 (see video of my speech below). It was well organised by Martin Daniel and the Quadriga team, had a diverse range of superb speakers and delegates eager to learn and engage. It also demonstrated that the recruiting space is ripe for analytics and keen to embrace it. Expect more of the same in 2018 as well as the best in AI, machine learning, analytics and sourcing.

Date / Location: Berlin (29-30 Oct) | Resources: YouTube | The role of analytics in recruiting | Review of SRD17 by Kasia Borowicz

2. CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF 2018 CONFERENCES

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

  • 2-3 Aug | People Matters HR Tech 2018 | Gurgaon, India (Speakers include: Josh Bersin, John Sumser, Jason Averbook and Ester Martinez)

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

None so far

3. MEET-UPS, FORUMS, NETWORKING GROUPS ETC

Outside the traditional conference format, those working in people analytics roles may want to consider a number of other avenues. These range from informal meet-up groups (such as the example provided below in New York) or paid for peer groups (such as the Insight222 example below). Some to consider include:

This article was originally published on LinkedIn at this link.