100+ Conferences to attend in 2019 on people analytics, the future of work and data-driven HR
HR has rapidly evolved into one of the most exciting places in the business to work as C-Level executives increasingly realise how people insights can help drive improvements in productivity and performance as well as gain competitive advantage.
The function is also facing unprecedented change with rising employee expectations, huge technological advances and the surge in adoption of people analytics. This entails HR professionals needing to grow and acquire skills in a number of new and emerging areas.
At myHRfuture, we ran a survey before Christmas that identified six core components of new/emerging knowledge areas required by HR professionals (see FIG 1). We will be releasing a report in the near future on the findings of the research and why these six categories were the ones that emerged. We are also building out online training through our Academy on these six knowledge areas (go here to check out currently available courses on the future skills of HR).
As well as training, another vehicle for acquiring new awareness of the future direction of HR is to go to a conference. This can be particularly helpful in understanding what peers are doing in other organisations, hearing from analysts on trends within the space as well as meeting technology vendors that can support your firm’s people strategies.
When I last collated a list almost exactly 12 months ago of conferences where the six knowledge areas in FIG 1 were either the core or central theme, I found 75 conferences. This time, I’ve found nearly double that amount. For me this really emphasises the massive shift taking place both in HR (and in our organisations) as the future of work becomes a reality.
The list by month follows with further information provided on the conferences where I am already scheduled to speak or chair in 2019. This list will be updated regularly throughout the course of the year. If you are a conference organiser and your event has not been included, please add a note and link in the comments section and we will add relevant events into the list.
JANUARY
16 Jan | The HR and People Analytics Meet-Up | London
17 Jan | Data Visualisation Masterclass with Cole Nussbaumer | London
22-23 Jan | HR Metrics and Analytics Masterclass | Suva, Fiji
23-25 Jan | HR Analytics, Metrics and Measurement | Sydney
24-25 Jan | d&i Leaders Global Forum | London
30-31 Jan | HR Analytics, Metrics and Measurement | Zürich
30 Jan – 1 Feb | HR Analytics, Metrics and Measurement | Melbourne
31 Jan – 1 Feb | People Analytics & Future of Work | San Francisco
PEOPLE ANALYTICS & FUTURE OF WORK (PAFOW) | 31 JAN & 1 FEB | SAN FRANCISCO
Lovingly crafted by Al Adamsen, I’ve had the pleasure of co-chairing the PAFOW events with Al for two years. This year’s theme is ‘People Data for Good’ and the speakers represent a veritable who’s who of people analytics practitioners, consultants and vendors. Also for the first time this year, PAFOW will couple the leading practices and ideas shared by many of the world's foremost People Analytics leaders with the People Analytics Technology Expo, whilst day 2 will be joined by The People Analytics Career Expo. For more on what you can expect at a PAFOW conference, you can read ‘Analytics of the people, by the people, for the people’, which summarises PAFOW 2018 in San Francisco.
Confirmed speakers include: Dawn Klinghoffer (Microsoft), David White (LinkedIn), Heather Whiteman (GE), Piyush Mathur (Johnson & Johnson), RJ Milnor (McKesson), Richard Rosenow (Facebook), Amit Mohindra and many more (see image below).
FEBRUARY
5 Feb | People Analytics Academy Conference | Tilburg, Netherlands
5-6 Feb | HRD Summit | Birmingham
12-15 Feb HR at IBM Think | San Francisco
14-15 Feb | HR Minds L&D Forum | Athens
18-20 Feb | Workforce Analytics & HR Data | Sydney
20 Feb | Meetup: Unleashing People Analytics beyond HR | Frankfurt
24-25 Feb | SHRM Tech EMEA | Dubai
25-26 Feb | New Work Summit | Half Moon Bay, California
26 Feb | Leading HR in the Age of Analytics - Masterclass with Amit Mohindra | London
26-27 Feb | Hiring Success | San Francisco
27 Feb | Glassdoor 2019 Best Places to Work | New York
27 Feb | Strategic HR Analytics Meetup | New York
27 Feb – 1 Mar | Digital HR and Analytics | Kuala Lumpur
27 Feb – 1 Mar | IQPC HR Metrics & Analytics Summit | Orlando
27 Feb – 1 Mar | IQPC Employee Experience Impact | Orlando
28 Feb | People Matters TechHR'19 Conference & Exhibition | Singapore
28 Feb | Advance to Next-Generation People Analytics – Masterclass with Amit Mohindra | London
28 Feb – 1 Mar | People Analytics Winter Academy | Santa Cruz, California
HRD SUMMIT | 5-6 FEB | BIRMINGHAM
The HRD Summit welcomes over 1,000 attendees every year to Birmingham, and I will be speaking at the event for the first time with my keynote on day 1 ‘Accelerating business performance through people analytics’. I’ll also be running a CoLab Interactive Workshop with Jonathan Ferrar on day 2 on our Nine Dimensions for Excellence in People Analytics model.
Confirmed speakers include: Rita McGrath, Lucy Adams, Josh Bersin, Mervyn Dinnen, Volker Jacobs and 150 other speakers.
SHRM TECH EMEA | 24-25 FEB | DUBAI
I’m thrilled to be the emcee and one of the keynote speakers at the first ever SHRM event in the Middle East, as 500+ delegates gather in Dubai for SHRM Tech EMEA at the end of February. This will be the largest specialised event yet in the region on technology and its impact on the workforce. It will be the first time I’ve spoken in Dubai and I’m eager to learn of all the exciting innovations being driven by HR in the region.
Confirmed speakers include: Jason Averbook, Mark Levy, Johnny C. Taylor Jnr, Anna Tavis, Hessa Al Ghurair, Giovanni Everduin, Dena Ali Al Mansoori and Mahdi Shehimy
MARCH
5-7 Mar | HCI People Analytics & Workforce Planning Conference | Miami
5-8 Mar | Qualtrics X4 The Experience Management Summit | Salt Lake City
11-12 Mar | Rethink HR Tech DACH | Hamburg
11-14 Mar | i4CP Next Practices Now | Scottsdale, Arizona
12-14 Mar | LEAP Tech Talent | San Francisco
14 Mar | HR Tech 2019 | Oslo
18 Mar | HR and People Analytics Meetup | London
18-21 Mar | Work Human | Nashville
19-20 Mar | UNLEASH Spring Conference | London
19-20 Mar | HR Analytics 2019 | Toronto
21 Mar | Changeboard Future Talent Conference | London
22 Mar | New York Strategic HR Analytics Meetup | New York
26-27 Mar | HR Core Lab / Leading with Talent Analytics | Barcelona
26-27 Mar | HRD Summit US | Boston
26-28 Mar | HR Transform | Las Vegas
27-28 Mar | CIPD HR Business Partnering Conference | London
28 Mar | Employee Engagement Summit | London
28-29 Mar | HR Tech Forum | Moscow
28-29 Mar | Employee Engagement Summit | Atlanta
UNLEASH | 19-20 MAR | LONDON
The best show on HR technology and the future of work on the planet. UNLEASH has long set the bar for others to follow in combining speakers that really challenge conventional thinking with fabulous production and the most innovative vendors around. If you want to learn and have fun, then UNLEASH is the show for you. The spring event in London is set to attract over 3,000 delegates and spotlights the most influential leaders on the Future of Work and HR Technology. I’ll be speaking about the latest trends in people analytics and data-driven HR as well as being emcee of a new concept at the show – watch this space for more news soon!
Confirmed speakers include: Cal Henderson (Slack), Leena Nair (Unilever), Cassie Kozyrkov (Google), Josh Bersin, Eden Britt (HSBC), Steffen Riesenbeck (Bosch), Michael Cox (Nestlé), Ian Bailie, Nick Holley, Lexy Martin (Visier), Soumyasanto Sen, Catalina Schveninger (Vodafone), Danielle Harmer (Metro Bank), Bill Boorman and 130+ more
HR CORE LAB | 26-27 MAR | BARCELONA
HR Core Lab combines three conferences under one roof: Leading with Talent Analytics, The Future of Recruitment and HR Agility for two days of learning and networking in Barcelona. I’ll be the co-chair for Leading with Talent Analytics and will also be delivering a speech on How to Create Business Impact with People Analytics.
Confirmed speakers include: Tom Haak, Anna-Lena Fritzsche (Merck), Gustavo Canton (Schneider Electric), Toby Culshaw (Philips), Yvonne Agyei (Booking.com) and 40+ others.
APRIL
2 Apr | HR Tech Summit | New York
2-3 Apr | Digital HR Summit | Amsterdam
2-3 Apr | Data Driven HR & People Analytics | Munich
4 Apr | HR Tech Summit | Singapore
4-5 Apr | Wharton People Analytics Conference | Philadelphia
4-6 Apr | SIOP 2019 | National Harbor, Maryland
9-10 Apr | Annual HR Analytics ASEAN Summit | Kuala Lumpur
10 Apr | Strategic HR Analytics MeetUp | New York
10-11 | Future Workforce Asia Summit | Singapore
11-12 Apr | Inclusion 19 | Zürich
14-15 Apr | ATD Middle East Conference & Exhibition | Dubai
15-17 Apr | Deloitte IMPACT 2019 | Phoenix
22-24 Apr | ERE Recruiting Conference | San Diego
23-25 Apr | Frontiers | San Francisco
24-25 Apr | People Analytics & Future of Work | London
24-25 Apr | HR Tech MENA Summit | Dubai
29 Apr | CIPD Talent Management and Workforce Planning Conference | London
WHARTON PEOPLE ANALYTICS CONFERENCE | 4-5 APR | PHILADELPHIA
The immensely popular 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. I’ve attended both the 2017 and 2018 events and learnt a whole heap of new things.
Confirmed speakers: Adam Grant, Richard Thaler, Lindsey Vonn, Cathy Engelbert, Marcus Buckingham, Angela Duckworth, Daniel Pink amongst a number of others.
PEOPLE ANALYTICS & FUTURE OF WORK | 24-25 APR | LONDON
I'm delighted that two of my favourite people analytics conferences are joining forces for People Analytics & Future of Work in London this April. Having been chair of Tucana's People Analytics World in London since 2015, and co-chair of Al Adamsen's People Analytics & Future of Work events in San Francisco and Philadelphia for the past two years, I'm particularly thrilled that Al and Barry Swales have decided to come together. Expect to see the biggest conference on people analytics yet staged in Europe.
Confirmed speakers: Amit Mohindra, Ian Bailie, Nicky Thomas, Blair Hopkins, Stacia Garr, Vanessa Lammers, Jordan Pettman, Oliver Kasper, Steve Scott and more to be announced
MAY
6-8 May | Visier Outsmart | San Francisco
8-9 May | HR Festival Asia | Singapore
8-9 May | Data Driven HR & People Analytics | New York
13 May | Chatham House Future of Work 2019 | London
14-15 May | UNLEASH America | Las Vegas
15-16 May | HR Core NORDIC | Copenhagen
21 May | HRTechX | Copenhagen
21 May | HR and People Analytics MeetUp | London
19-22 May | ATD International Conference & Exposition | Washington DC
22-23 May | IQPC Employee Experience for Global Enterprises | Barcelona
23-24 May | SHRM Tech APAC | Hyderabad, India
23-24 May | HR Vision | Amsterdam
29-30 May | Gartner Digital Workplace Summit | Orlando
UNLEASH AMERICA | 14-15 MAY | LAS VEGAS
UNLEASH took its unique blend of thought-provoking speakers, fabulous production, learning and fun to the US two years ago with the inaugural UNLEASH in San Francisco and then last year’s barnstorming event in Las Vegas (see The Revolution will be Televised). This year UNLEASH returns to the Aria, where I’ll be moderating the Smart Data track and speaking about the latest trends in the people analytics space. For evidence that UNLEASH is different to any other show about the future of work, look no further than the fact that Edward Snowden (yes, THAT Edward Snowden) is one of this year’s keynote speakers.
Confirmed speakers: Full list of speakers to follow but already confirmed are Edward Snowden, Peter Hinssen, John Bunch (Zappos) and Amy Cappellanti-Wolf (Symantec)
HRTECHX | 21 MAY | COPENHAGEN
The inaugural HRTechX is set to be the largest HR Technology Conference in the Nordics in 2019 with over 900 attendees, 60+ speakers and three tracks: Recruitment & Onboarding, Management & Retention and Strategic HR & Leadership. I’ll have the honour of delivering the opening conference keynote on ‘Driving Business and Employee Value with People Analytics’.
Confirmed speakers: Lexy Martin, Volker Jacobs, Morten Kamp Andersen, Jacob Jeppesen, Sanne Mosegaard Fibiger, Peter Hartmann, Bettina Mølgaard, Elise Hauge Larsen and many more.
JUNE
3-4 Jun | HR & Workforce Analytics Summit | San Francisco
4 Jun | Nordic People Analytics Summit | Stockholm
4-5 Jun | HR 360 | Vienna
10-12 Jun | CogX – The Festival of AI and Emerging Technology | London
11-13 Jun | Greenhouse Open 2019 | New York
12-13 Jun | CIPD Festival of Work | London
12-13 Jun | The Future of HR Summit | Johannesburg
13 Jun | Future of Work Summit | London
16-20 Jun | Predictive Analytics World | Las Vegas
17-19 Jun | Human Capital Analytics & Workforce Planning | Atlanta
18 Jun | Data Visualisation Masterclass with Cole Nussbaumer | Dublin
18-19 Jun | HR Tech Summit | Toronto
19-20 Jun | Australasian Talent Conference | Sydney
19-20 Jun | HRD Summit EU | Amsterdam
20-21 Jun | Beyond: The Global HR Leadership Forum | Amsterdam
23-26 Jun | SHRM Annual Conference & Exposition | Las Vegas
25 Jun | Data Visualisation Masterclass with Cole Nussbaumer | Copenhagen
25-27 Jun | Culture Summit | San Francisco
27 Jun | Data Visualisation Masterclass with Cole Nussbaumer | Zürich
27 Jun | Mission Critical HR Analytics Summit | London
JULY
11 Jul | RecFest 2019 | London
29-30 Jul | HR Innovation & Tech Fest | Auckland
29-31 Jul | Culture First | San Francisco
29-31 Jul | HCI Employee Engagement Conference | Denver
AUGUST
1-2 Aug | Tech HR by People Matters | Gurugram, India
6-7 Aug | Gartner Reimagine HR | Sydney
PEOPLE MATTERS TECH HR | 1-2 AUGUST | GURUGRAM, INDIA
Asia’s largest and fastest-growing HR and Work Tech Conference. In 2019, People Matters TechHR will bring together Thought Leaders, HR Practitioners, HR Technology Product Leaders, Start-ups and Investors to build a vibrant community that will redefine the future of work and raises the bar for productivity, innovation and growth.
SEPTEMBER
5-6 Sep | People Analytics & Future of Work (PAFOW) | Philadelphia
12 Sep | HR Tech Summit | Sydney
16-18 Sep | MEA Digital HR | Dubai
17-19 Sep | Zukunft Personal Europe | Cologne, Germany
18-19 Sep | Gartner Reimagine HR | London
25-27 Sep | LinkedIn Talent Connect | Dallas
TBC Sep | HR & L&D Innovation & Tech Fest | Johannesburg
TBC Sep | HR Digital | Moscow
PEOPLE ANALYTICS & FUTURE OF WORK | 5-6 SEPT | PHILADELPHIA
Al Adamsen takes the PAFOW show to the East Coast for the annual fall conference in Philadelphia, where I’ll once again be co-chair with Al. Look out for announcements later this year about the program and speakers.
OCTOBER
1-4 Oct | HR Technology Conference & Exposition | Las Vegas
3 Oct | Future of Work Summit | London
4 Oct | International HR Conference | Barcelona
8-9 Oct | Data Driven HR & People Analytics | Warsaw
14-16 Oct | ERE Recruiting Conference | Washington DC
16-17 Oct | HR Core Academy | Amsterdam
22-23 Oct | UNLEASH World Conference | Paris
29-30 Oct | Social Recruiting Days | Berlin
TBC Oct | People Analytics & Future of Work - East Coast | Philadelphia
TBC Oct | DigiHR | Athens
TBC Oct | People Analytics Summit | Toronto
TBC Oct | Human Capital Analytics Conference | New York
TBC Oct | Employee Engagement & Experience Summit | Las Vegas
UNLEASH WORLD | 22-23 OCT | PARIS
The big one. UNLEASH takes the world’s largest and greatest show on the future of work and workforce technology back to Paris in the brand new Paris Convention Centre. One of the highlights of my professional career was being the emcee of the main stage at last year’s show in Amsterdam. Look out for announcements on speakers and the program later in 2019.
NOVEMBER
6-7 Nov | CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition | Manchester
12-13 Nov | HR Forum | Oslo
18-19 Nov | HR Innovation & Tech Fest | Sydney
19-20 Nov | The HR Congress | Nice, France
21-22 Nov | Rethink HR Tech | Berlin
TBC Nov | HR Analytics Summit | Mumbai
TBC Nov | People & Workforce Analytics Summit
DECEMBER
No events to date.
MEET-UPS, FORUMS AND NETWORKING GROUPS
Outside the traditional conference format, you may also want to check out the burgeoning number of informal meet-ups and forums, as well as paid for peer networking groups like Insight222. As such, look out for the popular DisruptHR and Hacking HR events taking place in a city near you. There are also several People Analytics meet-up groups such as those organised in London (by Nigel Dias), Frankfurt (by Soumyasanto Sen and Julia Altenberg), New York (by Stela Lupushor, Philip Arkcoll and Jeremy Shapiro), Washington DC (by Travis Walker), San Francisco (by Richard Rosenow), São Paulo (by Anderson Kenji) and Singapore (organised by Hunter Morgan Davis). If you are a People Analytics Leader based in Europe or North America and are interested in joining a thriving network of peers as part of Insight222’s People Analytics Program, please get in touch.
WANT TO FIND OUT ABOUT MORE CONFERENCES?
Check out the irrepressible Hung Lee’s Recruiting Brainfood Big List of Events for more conferences taking place across the world in 2019 especially those under the recruiting and/or sourcing themes.
WANT YOUR CONFERENCE OR MEET-UP INCLUDED?
If you are organising a conference with a theme dedicated to one (or more) of the six knowledge areas illustrated at the start of this article, please leave a comment and link in the comments section and we’ll add it to the list.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David is a globally respected writer, speaker, conference chair, and executive consultant on people analytics, data-driven HR and the future of work. He helps HR practitioners and organisations leverage data and analytical thinking to drive positive business outcomes, improved performance, and enhance employee experience. Prior to launching his own consultancy business, becoming an Executive Director at Insight222 and board advisor at TrustSphere, David was the Global Director of People Analytics Solutions at IBM Watson Talent. As such, David has extensive experience in helping organisations embark upon and accelerate their people analytics journeys.