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150+ Conferences to attend in 2020 on HR Tech, People Analytics, Employee Experience and the Future of Work

David Green

Through the HR Skills of the Future research we conducted last year as well as the courses we continue to develop for the myHRfuture Academy, it is clear that HR professionals recognise that the function is changing and are keen to acquire the skills they (and their organisations) will need to thrive in the 2020s.  

In the HR Skills of the Future study, we asked HR professionals themselves what was the one skill they most wanted to learn. The results, as illustrated below in Figure 1, highlighted People Analytics, Strategic Workforce Planning/Organisational Design, Digital HR Tech, and Design Thinking/Agile Methodologies alongside complimentary ‘soft’ skills in Stakeholder Management and Consulting & Influencing as the six skills they most wanted to develop.

FIG 1: The top six skills HR professional want to learn (Source: myHRfuture, HR Skills of the Future, 2019)

The study also highlighted the key sources HR professionals use to acquire knowledge and skills with blogs, social media, free video content and online learning all coming out ahead of formal company training – a sign of the shift we are witnessing both in how people learn and also how organisations are transforming their approach to corporate learning.

Attending Conferences was also cited as one of the key sources of learning for HR professionals. 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

I’ve been tracking the conferences taking place around the world that broadly cover the six skills in Figure 1 for several years. Given the rising interest and growth of each of these categories, it is perhaps hardly a surprise that the number of conferences dedicated to or prominently featuring these topics has also witnessed a dramatic increase. Indeed, the list that follows below highlights over 150 such events that are scheduled to take place in 2020 all over the world.

The list by month follows with further information provided on the conferences where I am already scheduled to speak or chair in 2020. 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 onto the list.   

JANUARY

PEOPLE ANALYTICS & FUTURE OF WORK (PAFOW) | 29-31 JAN | SAN FRANCISCO

For the fourth year in a row, I’ll be kicking off my conference year by co-chairing PAFOW with Al Adamsen in San Francisco. This year’s theme is ‘Honoring the Human Experience in the Age of AI & Perpetual Change’ and given PAFOW is created by leaders and practitioners for leaders and practitioners, it is hardly a surprise that the speakers, sponsors and attendees represent a veritable who’s who of the people analytics field. This year’s flagship PAFOW show promises to be bigger and better than ever before. Read my write-up of last year’s show – Four Strategic Imperatives for People Analytics - to get a flavour of what’s in store, and I look forward to seeing you there.

Confirmed speakers include: See image below but Dawn Klinghoffer, RJ Milnor, Amit Mohindra, Heather Whiteman, Michelle Harrow and Kanwal Safdar are all confirmed.

FEBRUARY

MARCH

PEOPLE ANALYTICS & FUTURE OF WORK (PAFOW) | 3-4 MAR | SYDNEY

The first-ever PAFOW show ever in Australia promises to be a memorable one given that Thomas Rasmussen, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Brydie Lear and host Al Adamsen have already been confirmed as headline speakers.

Confirmed speakers include: Thomas Rasmussen, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Brydie Lear and Al Adamsen

HR CORE LAB | 16-17 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 amongst 400+ delegates in Barcelona. For the second consecutive year, I’ll be chairing the Leading with Talent Analytics track and speaking about the latest developments in the people analytics space. If last year is anything to go by, HR Core Lab will be one of the highlights of the conference year.

Confirmed speakers include: Tom Haak, Shilpa Shah, Patrick Coolen, Aggy Dhillon, Oliver Kasper, Sophie Rwegera, Jürgen Bitz and 40+ others

UNLEASH SPRING CONFERENCE | 24-25 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 the Workforce Analytics track.

Confirmed speakers include: Dr Alan Watkins, Sharon Doherty, Vicky Wallis, Tim Munden, Simon Brown, Jennifer Candee & 100+ others

Interested in learning about People Analytics? Check out our online HR training courses on myHRfuture

APRIL

WHARTON PEOPLE ANALYTICS CONFERENCE | 2-3 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 for the last three years and have learnt a whole heap of new things.

Confirmed speakers include: Lindsey Vonn and Janette Sadik-Khan

EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE SUMMIT | 27 APR | VIENNA

I’ll be performing the closing keynote at the first Employee Experience Summit in Austria, which takes place in the beautiful, historic city of Vienna.

Confirmed speakers include: Mark Levy, Noor van Boven, Dejan Stojankovic and Max Lammer and 20+ other speakers.

PEOPLE ANALYTICS & FUTURE OF WORK (PAFOW) | 29-30 APR | LONDON

The first PAFOW in London in 2019 was a tremendous success and the second edition will again take place at the QEII Centre in the heart of Westminster. I’ll be co-chairing along with my partner-in-crime Al Adamsen.

Confirmed speakers include: Full list to follow but Josh Bersin, Frida Polli, Brydie Lear, Jonathan Ferrar and Ian Bailie are already confirmed

MAY

UNLEASH AMERICA | LAS VEGAS | 12-13 MAY

UNLEASH took its unique blend of thought-provoking speakers, fabulous production, learning and fun to the US three years ago. This year UNLEASH returns to Las Vegas and a new home at the MGM Grand with another terrific line up of speakers, innovative vendors and a host of surprises.

Confirmed speakers include: Full list to follow but Heather McGowan, Dawn Klinghoffer, Ernest Ng, Guru Sethupathy, Luciana Duarte and Elpida Ormanidou are already confirmed.

JUNE

 

JULY

Interested in learning about Strategic Workforce Planning? Check out our HR training courses online at myHRfuture

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

PEOPLE MATTERS TECH HR SINGAPORE | 19-21 FEB | SINGAPORE

Asia’s largest HR and Work Tech Conference takes place in India in August and also for the second consecutive year in Singapore in February at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Center. I’ll be delivering a Keynote, Masterclass and Workshop all around the topic of using people analytics to drive business value and workforce experience.

Confirmed speakers include: Jason Averbook, Holger Mueller, Chin Yin Ong, Alexis Saussinan and 100+ others.

OCTOBER

UNLEASH WORLD CONFERENCE | PARIS | 20-21 OCT

The big one. UNLEASH takes the world’s largest and greatest show on the future of work and workforce technology back to Paris for the second consecutive year at the Paris Convention Centre. One of the highlights of my professional career was being the emcee of the main stage at the 2018 show in Amsterdam and last year’s show in Paris and I’ll be taking the reins again in 2020. Look out for announcements on speakers and the program later in 2020.

NOVEMBER

PEOPLE ANALYTICS & FUTURE OF WORK (PAFOW) | NEW YORK | 17-18 NOV

Al Adamsen takes the PAFOW show to the East Coast for the annual fall conference, where I’ll once again be co-chair with Al. Look out for announcements later this year about the program and speakers.

DECEMBER

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 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.

A BETTER WAY TO THE BUILD THE HR SKILLS YOU NEED

The myHRfuture Academy provides you with an on-demand platform where you can get access to over 500+ pieces of short, bitesized learning content all expertly curated to help you build knowledge in the skills that you need to prepare for the future of HR. Get access to exclusive content on People Analytics, Digital HR & HR Technology, Design Thinking, Workforce Planning, Consulting & Influencing and Stakeholder Management. Whether you prefer to watch videos, listen to podcasts, read articles or complete an expert-led training course, myHRfuture has you covered. Sign-up today for unlimited to access to myHRfuture for only £25 per month.

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. As an Executive Director at Insight222, he helps global organisations create more cultural and economic value through the wise and ethical use of people data and analytics. Prior to joining Insight222 and taking up a board advisor role 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. 


SEE ME SPEAK AT THESE EVENTS IN 2020

Now that my speaking gigs are over for 2019, it’s time to look forward to 2020. I’ll be chairing and/or speaking about people analytics, data-driven HR and the Nine Dimensions for Excellence in People Analytics model at the following events until the end of April 2020.