2024 Conference Program

Breakfast

Meals and Breaks

What Future-Ready Looks like in Human Capital Management

General Session

The pace of change and disruption has accelerated dramatically, leaving many organizations struggling to adapt their human capital management strategies. This general session brings together winners of 2023 Brandon Hall Group awards to share how they have transformed their approach to managing their workforce to meet the challenges of today and prepare for the uncertainties of tomorrow.

Expo and Refreshment Break

Meals and Breaks

Attendees can meet our conference sponsors and attend 15-minute “tech talks” in breakout rooms adjacent to the expo floor.

Catalyst Leadership Development - Partnering for another win

Did you know that you can win more than once for your project? Synovus did just that with two subsequent Brandon Hall awards for their Catalyst leadership development program. Join us to talk about what they did to keep winning and how they decided to utilize a combination of internal and external resources to achieve success.

Bonus: Walk away with an internal vs external resource decision-making tool.

Speakers:
•Willette Roundtree, Sr. Director of Talent Management and Development, Training Pros
•Chenier Mershon, Relationship Manager, TrainingPros
•Lori Fancher, Relationship Manager, TrainingPros

Kroger Helps Pharmacists Explore their Passion for Serving Patients

In a world of burnout and high turnover, Kroger offered their 6,000+ pharmacists an experiential journey of self-care, leadership development and operational excellence. The result was rekindled energy for their profession, patient care, and for Kroger Health’s vision and mission. Join us to hear about the innovative, experience-driven program that Kroger called Project Passion.

Speakers:
•Laura Hoppa, Principal Consultant, TiER1 Performance
•Laura Raney, National Health & Wellness Director, Kroger Health

Cultivating Excellence: Flexco's Transformative Leadership Development Journey

In this session, you’ll discover how Flexco, fulfilled its commitment to its core value "Investing in People First." To build a robust leadership pipeline, Flexco embarked on a strategic journey to create a leadership training solution aligned with the organization's timelines and needs. With a team of internal experts and external L&D partners, including TTA, Flexco successfully designed and implemented a breakthrough leadership development initiative, The Leading Others Program.

Conquering the "Great Reflection": How to Attract and Retain Top Talent

The past two years have seen a shift in employee expectations and priorities, dubbed the "Great Reflection." Workers today expect meaning, purpose, flexibility, and personal development from their jobs. The session will feature a discussion between Brandon Hall Group Excellence Award winners as well as hands-on learning through small-group exercises.

How Does HR Make Data its New Currency?

As HR becomes a valued data-driven strategic partner, leaders and practitioners must continue to improve their understanding and capabilities around data and analytics. This session will include case studies from Excellence Award-winning organizations and small-group discussions to share success stories among attendees. Attendees will leave this session with ideas and strategies to make data a crucial asset.

Establish L&D as a Strategic Investment to Maximize your ROI

Join us for a data-packed session focused on discovering powerful strategies to effectively quantify the success of your learning programs. Learn to craft robust evaluation strategies and identify key metrics that drive meaningful conversations around learning outcomes and ROI. Unlock the potential to strategically invest in impactful L&D programs that deliver tangible results through research insights and practical applications.

Speakers:
•Kylie Stair, Chief People Officer, Litmos
•Jill Stefaniak, Chief Learning Officer, Litmos



HRCI: The use of this official seal confirms that this Activity has met HR Certification Institute’s® (HRCI®) criteria for recertification credit pre-approval.

Lunch

Meals and Breaks

Network with your award-winning colleagues in the Florida sunshine in the middle of winter.

LMS + TMS: A Love Affair for Learning Operations Success (Fast Track)

Just like it takes two to tango, it takes both a Learning Management System (LMS) and a Training Management System (TMS) to make learning programs successful. Yet for most L&D professionals, when it comes to managing instructor-led training (ILT) and vILT, the only tools they’re pairing with their LMS are xls spreadsheets – which doesn’t quite make for the best love story of all time.

Speaker:
• Peter Olyarchuk, Learning Solutions Director, Training Orchestra

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Navigating Team Leadership in a Disengaged World: How to Equip Leaders and Managers for Success

In an environment characterized by hybrid work, continuous disruption, and disengagement, organizations need to empower today’s leaders and mangers to enhance collaboration, improve engagement, and nurture cohesive, agile team environments. This session will examine new research and innovative approaches to onboarding, personalized development, and AI-driven coaching in the flow of work designed to increase leader and manager effectiveness and support high-performing teams.

Speakers:
•Niko Drakoulis, Founder and CEO, SurePeople
•Demetra Anagnostopoulos, Chief Success Officer, SurePeople

Human-Centric Learning In The Age Of AI

How are Learning and Development teams going to upskill and reskill their workforces in response to generative AI, and what do learning leaders need to do to help their companies stay competitive through the AI revolution? Join Katie Sheketoff, Director of Global Leadership Development at Marriott International, and Jacob Nikolau, Head of Product Marketing at NovoEd, for an energetic session on how the workforce is going to change through the AI revolution and 5 tips for how L&D organizations should structure their programs in 2024 to align to and thrive though, this wave of technological and organizational change. Anchoring to Katie’s global leadership development portfolio, which reaches 30,000 Marriott employees per year, we’ll also talk about how generative AI is making content more commoditized and personalized learning easier than ever before but still fails to solve the most critical variable for driving impact at scale: human centricity.

Speaker:
•Katie Sheketoff, Director of Global Leadership Development, Marriott International
•Jacob Nikolau, Head of Product and Customer Marketing, Novoed

Passing Break

Meals and Breaks

How to Make Wellness Your Secret Weapon for Business Success

Employee well-being is becoming a top priority for leading enterprises looking to improve employee retention, engagement, and productivity. In this interactive session, attendees will learn strategies to create a culture of holistic wellness and the business case for investing in the overall well-being of employees- starting with your own personal journey!

Getting Your HR Tech Stack to Actually Stack Up

The effective use of HR technology is becoming critical for attracting talent, enabling employees, and creating efficient operations. In this session, attendees will learn strategies for optimizing their HR tech stack to improve UX and unlock value. The session will feature a discussion between Brandon Hall Group Excellence Award winners as well as hands-on learning through small-group exercises. Attendees will gain perspectives on building a best-in-class HR tech portfolio tailored to their strategic goals.

Tomorrow’s Leadership Today: See into the Future of Senior Leadership Development

What does the future of leadership development look like? Learn how industry pioneers at Brandon Hall Group Award-winning organizations have innovated to produce cutting-edge leadership development and deliver big value to the organization. Get inspired to drive impact in your own organization by hearing their tales from the field enabling executives to deliver enterprise impact, developing senior leadership capabilities, ensuring success in new roles, and more!

Speakers:
•Rick Cheatham, Chief Marketing Officer, BTS
•Meghan Mariner, Senior Vice President, BTS
•Lance Wilke, Senior Vice President, BTS
•Tara Castaneda, Senior Director, BTS

Expo and Refreshment Break

Meals and Breaks

Attendees can meet our conference sponsors and attend 15-minute “tech talks” in breakout rooms adjacent to the expo floor.

Leadership Bench Strength and Succession – Effective Strategies for Building a Leadership Pipeline

If there are never strong internal candidates for senior leadership and executive vacancies, we’ve failed at leadership development. When we hire from the outside, we pay more to get less. Despite costing more, external hires perform worse and quit more.

Speaker:
•Alex Draper, CEO & Founder, DX Learning Solutions

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Achieving L&D Maturity: From Training to Learning to Development

L&D teams serve up learning, but how many are delivering true development?

Learning has to be connected to so many other parts of both the business and the employee experience, but it often occurs in a self-contained silo, disconnected from the very things it is supposed to be impacting. This session explores the areas L&D teams must consider to turn their learning efforts into true talent development. Attendees will discover the initial steps to take on the path to mature their L&D programs.

Speaker:
•David Wentworth, VP, Learning & Talent Development Platform Evangelist, Schoox

Implementing Artificial Intelligence Is More Than A Technology Play

Thrasio implemented a complete artificial-intelligence-powered, omnichannel solution that uses predictive insights to achieve 1-minute first reply times, 48-minute full resolution times, 94 percent CSAT, 87 percent one-touch tickets, and 80 percent employee satisfaction. This was all done by decreasing the total cost of ownership by 45 percent. Artificial intelligence, automation, and other advanced technologies played a massive role in achieving these results. Organizational development was equally responsible. The skill and talent development enabled employees to understand the benefits of the technology, embrace their role in the deployment, and own the accountability of the positive outcomes. Disprz’s artificial intelligence platform was critical in this success. This 15-minute presentation will provide practical, live examples of Thrasio’s journey and Disprz’s role in organizational development.

Speaker:
•Gershwin Exeter, Vice President, Global Services, Thrasio

How to Build Personalized Learning Experiences with the Right Technology

Discover how extended enterprise learning systems provide ultimate flexibility for personalized learning experiences, leveraging features like multi-tenancy, AI-powered customization, and innovative extensibility options that redefine "moment of need." Don't miss this opportunity to explore the future of learning and empower your organization with the tools to succeed in our evolving learning landscape.

Speaker:
•Karren Swindells, Sr. Director, Customer Engagement & Strategy, Thought Industries

Empowering Business Success: Data Literacy and Skills-First Strategies for Talent Management

In this conference session, we’ll explore the critical role of data literacy and a skills-first approach in driving business success. This engaging sesion will explore best practices and strategies of how to foster a data-literate workforce. It will delve into the benefits of and how to apply a skills-first approach to support talent management efforts. It will include real-world examples with lessons learned and practical activities. 

Unlocking Human Potential: Positioning Yourself for Skills-Based AI Success

Embrace the future of Human Capital Management in our engaging session, Unlocking Human Potential: Positioning yourself for skills-based success. This session is your opportunity to explore the intricacies of skills tracking and development, and understand the profound impact it has on employee engagement, retention, and the evolving landscape of AI-driven learning. Join Maija Mickols, AI Product Manager at Docebo, for a groundbreaking session that will equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to unlock human potential in the digital age. Be part of the conversation that shapes the future of learning and development in organizations.

Speaker:
• Maija Mickols, AI Product Manager, Docebo

Fearless Feedback: Amplifying the VoE with AI

Organizations worldwide strive to understand and retain their employees. While surveys are commonly used, they often limit open-ended questions because text is difficult to analyze. This untapped data can be used to fix broken systemic processes. Explorance MLY, with its unique text analysis capabilities, empowers organizations with targeted insights into employee experiences. As the only AI-powered Voice of the Employee solution tailored to HR and L&D leaders, it analyzes feedback data in terms they understand. Join us for a live Explorance MLY demo and delve into our AI approach in L&D.

Speaker:
• Michael Cohen, General Manager Metrics That Matter, Explorance

Welcome Reception

Meals and Breaks

Breakfast

Meals and Breaks

How Will Generative AI Transform Human Capital Management?

General Session

Generative AI represents an enormous opportunity to reimagine how enterprises attract, develop, and retain talent. In this general session panel kicking off the second day of the conference, Excellence Award-winning companies will share their vision for harnessing generative technologies to transform human capital management.

Expo and Refreshment Break

Meals and Breaks

Attendees can meet our conference sponsors and attend 15-minute “tech talks” in breakout rooms adjacent to the expo floor.

What Would You Do With More Time? AI-supported, Human-centered Experiential Learning at Scale.

Today’s learning leaders are taking advantage of AI by shifting to programs that focus on human experiences that enable learners to practice new skills, behaviors, and mindsets. This form of engaging and effective experiential learning is more scalable and affordable than ever, thanks to AI and innovative authoring systems.

Speaker:
•Mike Vaughan, CEO, The Regis Company

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Archways to Opportunity: Empowering McDonald’s Restaurant Employees by Enhancing Language Skills

Uncover the secrets behind McDonald’s award-winning "English Under the Arches" program in this insightful session led by a prominent industry expert from the McDonald’s Archways Team. This initiative not only breaks down language barriers but also strengthens the fabric of the organizational culture, aligning seamlessly with the company’s core values. Learn about the evolution of this program, learnings along the journey and the tangible results that underscore its popularity.

Unlocking Potential at All Levels:The Transformative Value of Coaching Across the Enterprise

Coaching has evolved from an executive-focused practice to an enterprise-wide capability driving performance, engagement, and growth. This session will include case studies from Excellence Award-winning organizations and small-group discussions to share success stories among attendees. We will explore how to maximize the impact of coaching programs at their organization.

Converting Performance Management from Paperwork to ‘Peoplework’

Even after years of evolution, performance management is often viewed as cumbersome and demotivating for both employees and managers. This session will discover approaches for focusing performance management on enabling people’s strengths, supporting continuous growth, and aligning activities with business objectives. It will include case studies from Excellence Award-winning organizations and small-group discussions to share success stories among attendees.

Empowering Educators: An Award-Winning Online Education Initiative Centered on Strategies for Fostering Mental Health and Wellness

In this session, Meg O’Rourke, who is a Senior Mental Health Consultant at the Center for Childhood Resilience at Lurie Children's Hospital, will share her experience on how REACH helps teachers better support their students while focusing on their wellness.

Speakers:
•Meg O'Rourke, LCSW, Senior Mental Health Consultant Center for Childhood Resilience, Lurie Children’s Hospital
•Leslie Bodnar, Chief Marketing Officer, Learning Pool

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Lunch

Meals and Breaks

Network with your award-winning colleagues in the Florida sunshine in the middle of winter.

Developing Great Leaders: The Most Important Do's and Don'ts

The need for resilient, agile leadership has never been greater. Attendees of this session will gain insights into designing leadership programs focused on driving strategic business priorities, leading through ambiguity, and thriving in volatile times. The session will cover techniques for developing authentic, inspiring leaders while avoiding common pitfalls that waste leadership development resources. It will feature a discussion between Brandon Hall Group Excellence Award winners as well as hands-on learning through small-group exercises.

Workforce Reboot: Next Practices in Upskilling and Reskilling

As technologies and business models rapidly evolve, upskilling and reskilling workers are imperative for organizational agility and resilience. This forward-looking session will explore effective strategies for continuously adapting employee capabilities to meet emerging demands. You will gain insights into how to anticipate future skill requirements, close workforce gaps proactively and enhance your continuous learning culture. This session will include case studies from Excellence Award-winning organizations and small-group discussions to share success stories among attendees.

Slaying the Monster: Proving Learning’s Business Impact

Despite considerable effort, many organizations still struggle to tie learning programs to business priorities and assess their true impact on performance. Through a discussion between Brandon Hall Group Excellence Award winners and hands-on learning in small-group exercises, this session explores how to optimize learning measurement to demonstrate workforce capability uplift and business results. You will leave with new perspectives to optimize your organization’s learning measurement practices and clearly demonstrate the business value of learning.

Passing Break

Meals and Breaks

Creating High-Impact, High-Performance Learning Solutions with AI (Sponsored by Infopro Learning)

The L&D industry stands at the powerful intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and innovative design methodologies to enhance performance outcomes. With an intelligent design framework, L&D leaders are moving towards the strategic deployment of AI-driven solutions to optimize and elevate performance across various domains, from business processes to workforce excellence and beyond.

Speaker:
•Dr. Ashwin Mehta, Global Learning Technology & Innovation Lead, Bayer Pharmaceutical (MAPV)
•Arun Prakash, Executive Vice President & Chief Learning Architect, Infopro

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How Majesco Accelerated Job Readiness with Hands-On, Performance-Driven Learning

90% of organizations say their learning doesn’t demonstrate skill proficiency. But the highest-impact organizations are investing in skill validation and hands-on learning that does more than provide knowledge and instead looks at behavior and outcomes. Majesco, a global leader in cloud insurance software solutions, took on high employee turnover, an ineffective training program, and a need to accelerate time to competency, by shifting to performance-driven skill development.

Speakers:
•Sarah Danzl, Chief Marketing Officer, Skillable
•Jennifer Messersmith, Chief Learning Officer, Majesco

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Demystifying AI

In a landscape awash with the buzz of Generative AI, it’s time to demystify the technology and harness its true potential for learning and development. Graham Glass, a visionary in the field of training technology and an AI expert for leading news platforms such as CNN and CBS, invites you to explore the tangible applications of Generative AI that are reshaping the way we learn, train, and innovate.

Speaker:
Graham Glass, Founder and CEO, CYPHER Learning

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Free Time

Meals and Breaks

Pre-ceremony happy hour

Meals and Breaks

Awards Gala

General Session

Featuring a keynote speaker and a ceremony and videos honoring award winners from 2023.

Gala Afterparty

Breakfast

Meals and Breaks

The Innovation Lab: Leading-Edge Technologies Driving Future Excellence

General Session

The conference concludes with a highly interactive session that will use dynamic demos and thought-provoking discussions to inspire you to assess, adopt and maximize AI-driven technologies that can accelerate your people strategy and business performance to bold new heights.

A Fresh Take on a Proven Practice: How Apprenticeships Accelerate Learning at Scale

In this session, featuring the Harvard University Next-Level Lab and Accenture, you will:
• Learn how to build a supercharged, learning-powered apprenticeship program from a Harvard researcher
• Team up with your peers to put these tips into practice
• Hear first-hand how Accenture has developed apprenticeship networks with partners across the country to train thousands of apprentices for jobs of the future.

Speakers:
•Tessa Forshaw, Researcher, Instructor, Presidential Scholar, Harvard University
•Christine Nanan, Senior Manager, Skilling, Accenture
•Robin Boggs, Managing Director, Corporate Citizenship, US, Accenture

Radically Reimagining Systems Training at Verizon

For almost a decade, Verizon’s Global Learning & Development team has searched for more authentic, cost-effective ways to prepare new hires and embedded learners to navigate complex business systems and associated processes while delighting their customers.

Verizon’s Learning Technology Team scoured the marketplace to find that no single solution exists to holistically solve this complex problem. Therefore, a reimagined solution was created combining five separate elements into a seamless and immersive experience that begins in new employee and agent onboarding and carries through to reinforcement opportunities and guided performance support on the job, in the flow of work.

The reimagined solution leverages the power of AI and RPA, including a robust, high-fidelity simulated replication of the production process paired with a conversational chatbot (using natural speech or text) which is orchestrated by Hybrid-Attended Robotic Process Automation (HA-RPA) for asynchronous or classroom training.

Speakers:
•Christy Bratton Jones, Director, Verizon
•Karl Sonta, Associate Director, Verizon

Conference Concludes