September 15, 2025 • 21 mins
In this special episode of the HRchat Podcast, we preview the 2025 HR Tech Conference in fabulous Las Vegas!
Bill Banham's guest is Katie Achille, Managing Partner at The Devon Group, and an award-winning communications pro. Katie is deeply embedded in the planning and communications behind the HR Tech Conference in Las Vegas, happening September 16–18.
HR Tech Conference, one of the world’s biggest HR technology events, will offer a power-packed Tuesday through Thursday format that ends with Josh Bersin's closing keynote.
This year introduces the HR Strategy Summit, specifically for leaders of large organizations and the prestigious HR Icons Awards Gala, celebrating excellence across six categories.
As always, networking opportunities abound as the conference brings together the HR technology ecosystem – practitioners, vendors, investors, analysts, and media – creating what Katie Achille describes as a "town hall" atmosphere where meaningful business connections happen naturally. The speaker lineup features numerous big names plus the awesome William Tincup will be moderating a panel of TikTok influencers on converting social engagement to job applications.
The Women in HR Tech Summit returns for its eighth year, consistently reaching capacity with sessions that deliver actionable insights rather than just high-level trends. Another highlight is Lydia Wu's session on leveraging AI as a career advancement tool, elevating the conversation beyond basic applications to strategic leadership development. Innovation takes center stage at the Startup Pavilion with approximately 50-60 emerging companies and the reimagined Pitch Fest competition.
Literary legend James Patterson adds star power, previewing his first-ever business book before its official publication. For an immersive experience, attendees can observe live podcast recordings at the HR Executive/WRKdefined studio on the expo floor through a unique "fishbowl" setup with headphones.
Ready to join the HR technology community in Las Vegas? Register at hrtechnologyconference.com with code DEVON25 for $250 off any registration type.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the HR Chat Show, one of the world's
most downloaded and sharedpodcasts designed for HR pros,
talent execs, tech enthusiastsand business leaders.
For hundreds more episodes andwhat's new in the world of work,
subscribe to the show, followus on social media and visit
hrgazettecom and visithrgazettecom.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Welcome to this special episode of the HR Chat
Show.
Hello listeners, this is yourhost today, bill Bannum, and in
this episode I am joined bysomeone who is deeply embedded
in the planning andcommunications behind one of the
world's biggest HR tech eventsthe HR Tech Conference in Las
Vegas, happening September 16thto the 18th.
My guest, of course, is KatieAchille, managing Partner at the
(00:53):
Devon Group, award-winningcommunications pro and the
leader of PR and media relationsfor HR Tech.
Katie, how are you doing today?
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Thank you for having me.
I'm doing great and gettingready, getting ready.
We're a little less than twoweeks out as we're recording
this today, so things are a bitbananas at the moment, but in
the best way possible.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah, I can't believe you're able to squeeze me in
for this.
Honestly, you must be doingcrazy long days having a million
things you're trying to juggle.
So I do appreciate, appreciateyour time.
Let's get straight into it then.
Why don't we start with the bigpicture stuff?
What can attendees expect fromthis year's HR Tech Conference?
What?
What feels new or different for2025 compared to past years?
Speaker 3 (01:37):
so there's a lot that's changed this year.
In general, we've changed theformat slightly for 2025.
Previous years the show hasgone until Friday.
So this year's show is a littlebit different.
It's wrapping up Thursdayafternoon with Josh Bergeson as
our closing keynote.
So in terms of format, that's alittle bit of a change.
For us, big changes is that onMonday, which is the
(02:07):
pre-conference day for the show,we are having the HR Strategy
Summit, which is hosted byMadeline Lerano of Aptitude
Research, and that eveningthere's going to be the HR Icons
Awards evening, where the HRtech and HR executive are going
to be honoring a number of awardwinners for categories.
I believe there's six differentcategories that they're going
(02:27):
to be honoring for this year.
So those are sort of the majorchanges to the format, which
we'll see how that works out interms of when people land and
what they get to experiencethroughout the week.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Rock and roll.
So if attendees want to go tothe awards and of course you've
got summits within summits we'regoing to talk about the women
in tech, the women in HR techpiece shortly but for attendees,
do they need to registerseparately for the awards or
those mini summits, or is thatall covered within their tickets
?
Speaker 3 (02:59):
So the HR strategy Summit is specifically open to
HR leaders at organizations over, I believe, 2,000 employees, so
that is a very specifictargeted audience.
The HR Icons Awards Gala isopen to all attendees, but it is
a separate ticket that you haveto buy and I believe tickets
(03:23):
are almost sold out, so peoplewho are interested would need to
move very quickly andeverything else that you just
mentioned.
So women in tech is includedwith the full conference pass,
but it is quite a fun packedweek.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
So the speaker lineup is is a big highlight for
everyone, of course.
And can I just say before I askthe next question um, even
though we've got a top threeglobal hr tech podcast, last
year is my first time at the hrtech conference shock, horror,
you know it's.
It's quite a long way for me totravel, um, but my goodness me,
what an amazing event.
I had such a great time andI've just been telling everybody
(04:00):
I know anybody who'll listenthat they need to be going to
this one.
For me, there are three keyevents in the US each year they
need to be attending, and thisis one of those three.
Anyway, my question for you iswho are some of the standout
presenters you're most excitedabout this year and why?
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Oh, there's a whole bunch.
You know there's hundreds ofspeakers this year.
So I would say our openingkeynote is Nicola Maru, from IBM
.
She was the 2024 HR Executiveof the Year, as awarded by HR
Executive, the sort of media armof the HR Tech Conference.
So Nicola has spent almost, Ibelieve, her entire career at
(04:41):
IBM, so she's sort of afascinating person to hear from.
She's also spearheading, youknow, ibm's adoption of AI in
the HR practice, so I thinkthat's gonna be a really
interesting session.
Obviously, ibm is a hugeemployer, so there's that take.
There's also a lot of otherpeople, though, that have been
added this year that are otherfresh voices from with
(05:05):
throughout the industry, alldifferent aspects, all different
angles.
One of my favorites is KatKibben.
So Kat is releasing a book thismonth called the Bounce Back
Factor.
Kat has, you know, is on themore the recruiting side of the
space, and the book is reallyabout navigating the unknown,
(05:28):
and it's a guide for leaders.
So that's what Cat Session isgonna be focused on.
Really, looking forward to thatone, william Tin Cup is gonna
be hosting a panel of sort ofsocial media influencers,
specifically TikTok influencers,people with big TikTok
followings, and they're going tobe talking about converting
(05:48):
social attention intoapplications.
So that's Lorna and Victoriafrom Expert Interviewers, mike
Pedito from Realistic Recruiting, jessica Miller Merrill.
I think that one's going to bereally interesting.
Those are all folks who peopleshould be paying attention to.
So those are just sort of threeof the ones that I'm looking
forward to to I love, love, lovewilliam think up.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
He is.
He's one of my hr heroes.
Every time I get think up on myshow I go a little bit shy.
Frankly, I'm a massive fan boyof william.
He knows this.
Um, he makes my knees go alittle bit weak and I'm looking
forward to seeing him in vegasin a couple of weeks as we
record this.
Ok, so the first time I went toHR Tech, it was described to me
(06:33):
as a little bit different to acouple of the other big events
which will remain nameless forthe purposes of this recording
today, in that it's not justabout the learnings, it's
genuinely a place where businessgets done.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
So my question for you is what role does the
conference play in shapingtrends within HR tech?
So you know, obviously you knowthere are a number of
conferences, as you've justalluded to.
Each one serves a differentpurpose is the way I look at it.
Each one kind of has its ownniche, each one has its own
audience.
Hr tech is the longest runningof the bunch.
As a result of that, it doessort of serve as almost this
(07:13):
town hall.
It really brings together thecommunity in a way that is far
reaching, so that it has theinvestors, it has the
practitioners, it has thepartnerships, it has the media.
It really is all encompassingin a way that I think is really
(07:33):
difficult to replicate, and Ithink that's why people come
back year after year is becauseit's touching all of the aspects
.
So there is something foreveryone, which is what gets
people coming back.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
From my personal experience, I was at one
networking event, I think uh, itmight have been textio, uh and
every time I turned around therewas like a john sumzer or matt
adler, all these, all these hrheroes of mine, always big
influencers.
So you know, I think that'sanother huge strength of your
(08:08):
conference, that that youattract all of the big analysts
and influencers.
So well done to you guys.
Continuing through.
If you could pick just one bigtakeaway that you hope attendees
would leave with from theconference, what would that be?
Speaker 3 (08:23):
I hope that they come in with an idea of what they're
looking for, and I think HRtech has something for everyone.
So if you're leaving feelingunsatisfied, there's something
missing from the plan.
I think, with a show of thismagnitude, you need to go in
prepared and that means you knowwhether you've looked at the
(08:49):
expo floor map ahead of time andcome up with.
You know which booths you wantto attack, or looked at the
program and decided whichsessions you want to attend.
If you're there to meet withmedia and analysts, you know,
bill, you just mentioned severalnames of people who are going
to be there this year, maybescheduling those meetings in
advance.
I think preparedness is whatleads to the takeaway here.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Yeah, I'm still working on that myself.
You know we're flying out onthe 14th and the next week we'll
be booking lots of meetings,making sure that happens in
advance, okay very good, let'snow dive into some of the
featured sessions.
Obviously, you've given us anice overview and mentioned some
of the sessions that folks cancheck out either within or
around the HR Tech Conference,but let's dive in a bit deeper,
(09:35):
if that's okay.
Women in HR Tech Summit.
I think that's the morning ofthe 16th.
What makes that track uniqueand essential for attendees?
Speaker 3 (09:47):
So the Women in HR Tech Summit started.
I believe it was like abouteight years ago.
At this point it was prettyunique at the time when it
started.
It remains sort of the only oneof its kind in the space.
It's grown and it's changedover the years, but every year
it's one of the most popularfeatures of the show.
(10:08):
It's really dedicated to whatwomen are doing in the space and
it's also very instructive.
So it's not just about thesehigh level.
Here's the trends, here'swhat's happening.
You go and you learn.
You sit there and you canactually take away knowledge
(10:29):
from people who are doing thework in a meaningful way and
then apply it back at your ownorganization.
It's these sessions are packedyear after year.
I mean, honestly, the feedbackwe get is that people can't get
into the sessions.
So I mean Women in Tech standsalone and that's what makes it
(10:51):
unique and essential is thatit's hard to get into because
it's that popular and it's youknow, these are such handcrafted
, really bespoke, meaningfulsessions.
So I really encourage everyoneto check it out.
I know a lot of people tend tofly in that morning because the
conference itself doesn'tofficially open until the
afternoon.
(11:11):
But if you are going to be intown.
You know, bill.
You mentioned you're flying inon the 14th.
For anyone who is coming in,you know, potentially 14th or
15th if you are there already.
You know if you're going to bethere in the morning of the 16th
, please come check it out.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Okay, so that could be one of the biggest takeaways
from today's conversation.
It's first come, first serve interms of the lineup for these
sessions.
You got to get there, but youknow, get there early, otherwise
you may not get into some ofthese, is that right?
Speaker 3 (11:35):
the breakouts, especially, yeah, those rooms.
You know they, they only holdso many people um, so you have
to, you have to squeeze in okay,uh.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Another hot topic is the power play building,
political capital and influencein the age of ai.
Can you give us a preview ofwhat this session promises?
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Sure, lydia Wu.
She is a total rock star.
She is, you know, one of thoserising voices in the space who
really tells it like it is.
So she is standing alone.
This is one of the breakoutsessions and she's standing
alone on this one.
So this is not a panel.
It's going to just be Lydia upthere, and you know she's based
this off of some research fromout of Stanford.
(12:17):
That's talking about, you know,women in leadership and the
shifts that are taking placespecifically around AI driven
transformations, and so it'sgoing to be looking at how,
instead of seeing AI as a threat, what if we use it as a tool
for influence?
So I think that's a reallyimportant conversation to have,
because you know again how we'relooking at AI.
(12:40):
Right now.
Most of how we're talking aboutit is in terms of let me go to
ChatGPT and have it writesomething for me real quick.
Or there is some talk about,you know, ai for coaching and
things of that nature.
But this is bringing AI up.
We're talking about, you know,taking it up into leadership, up
(13:02):
into the C-suite, using it toreally propel careers forward.
So I think this is an importantconversation to be having,
specifically for women, who maynot be thinking about.
You know conversation to behaving specifically for women
who may not be thinking aboutyou know this as a tool in their
toolbox.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Okay, very good.
Uh, as we like to do on thisshow, let's now switch up the
tempo a little bit and I'd liketo get your thoughts on, uh,
three sessions and I'm going tochallenge you now.
Okay, um, you get 60 secondsmax for each of them.
I'm going to blurt out allthree and then you're going to
take up 60 seconds and telleverybody how these particular
(13:38):
sessions add value for attendees, why they should check them out
and anything else you want toadd.
So those three are recruiting,life hacks one size never fits
all.
Investor experience and pitchfest, which has been reimagined
for this year, and Ask theExpert sessions, which are
actually scattered throughoutthe agenda.
Go.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Okay, recruiting, life Hacks.
So this is a combination ofanalyst, erin Spencer from
Deloitte and a practitioner.
You can't go wrong with ErinSpencer.
She knows everything and shewill tell you exactly what she's
thinking.
Combined with a practitioner,you're going to learn a lot.
George LaRocque has puttogether the investor experience
(14:20):
and pitch fest.
There are 33 companiescompeting in pitch fest and the
investor experience is, if youwant to meet investors, if you
want to learn from investors, ifyou want to know what investing
looks like in the space, that'swhere you need to go and then
ask the experts.
These are the experts.
These are the folks who aredoing the work, whether it's
(14:42):
implementations, transformations, advising the analysts.
They are going to be at thefront of the room and this is
your chance to meet with themand ask them questions directly
on specific topics that areimpacting HR right now.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Very well, it's almost as if you've got your own
podcast.
Okay, and last year I thinkthere was an area for startups.
Have you guys got that as wellthis year?
Speaker 3 (15:11):
We do, and it is packed this year, I believe.
I was trying to eyeball itearlier this week and it looked
like there might be about 50 to60 startups in there and many of
them are participating in thePitchfest.
Again, there are 33 companiesthat made it to the competition,
but again I believe there'sabout another.
(15:32):
You know 20 to 30 that'll be inthe startup pavilion holy
smokes.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Okay, I'm foreseeing many, many conversations at hr
tech conference.
Uh, this year's agenda alsofeatures some special highlights
the the james patterson andpatrick had in keynotes uh,
including a book giveaway.
You and I were talking aboutthis before we hit record today.
I'm very, very excited for that.
And the HR executive andwork-defined podcast studio.
(15:57):
We've already given some loveto Mr Tinkup, also mentioning
Ryan Leary lovely chap.
Can you share more about thoseexperiences?
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Sure thing.
So James Patterson, for anyonewho doesn't know, is the most
best-selling author of all time,since, I believe, like 1978,
he's published dozens of booksand now, at almost 80 years old,
has decided to write a businessbook for the very first time
(16:29):
and he is bringing it to HR Techwith his co-author, patrick
Ledden, and they are going to bedelivering a keynote on it on
Wednesday morning and the bookwill be previewed at HR Tech.
It's actually not beingpublished until October or
November, so the HR techaudience is actually going to be
the first to see it.
(16:50):
And so after their keynotethere is going to be a book
giveaway and signing on site soattendees will be able to get a
copy of the book before it'sreleased, which I think is
pretty cool.
And again, james Patterson isgoing to be there.
So for anyone who's a big fanof his other books, his fiction,
here's a chance to meet him inperson.
(17:13):
And then the HR executive slashwork to find podcast studio.
This is happening from the expofloor.
This is the work to find team.
William Tinkup and Ryan Learyand several of their shows are
invading essentially the HRExecutive Podcast Studio and
will be recording throughout theshow, basically whenever the
(17:36):
expo floor is open, there willbe podcasts that are recording
from the studio.
This is an opportunity to watchthe podcast being recorded live
.
Attendees can go and sitoutside the studio.
There will be headphones andyou can kind of it's sort of
like a fishbowl you can watchwhat's happening inside the
studio and the different guestsand what they're talking about,
(18:00):
before these podcasts areactually published.
So that's kind of a coolexperience as well, almost like
a silent disco, except withpodcasts silent podcasts?
Speaker 2 (18:12):
um, silent podcast would never work.
Uh, william and ryan, if you'relistening, I haven't forgotten
about our conversation a fewmonths back.
I've got some ideas for somenew podcasts and work defined is
on my radars, so, uh, let'scatch up in a couple of weeks.
Um, okay, we are coming towardsthe end of this particular chit
chat.
Before we wrap up, two morequestions for you.
(18:33):
Katie, you're not only helpingto shape hr tech, but you're
also running your own show andnewsletter.
Uh, up next at work and the how.
How can listeners go to learnmore about your work?
Um, and actually I'll justthrow in the other question
right now as well.
The other question is how canthey, of course, get uh passes
(18:54):
for hr tech, and I believe Idon't know if it's an hr gazette
exclusive, but I believe youmight have a little code that
you can share with our listenersI do have a little code um.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
so for anyone you know still thinking about
attending the conference, youcan register over at
HRTechnologyConferencecom and ifyou use code DEVON D-E-V-O-N
2-5, that will take $250 off anyregistration type.
There is no expiration date onthat, so that should be good
(19:27):
pretty much up until the datethe conference starts.
Again, that's Devin 25 for $250off.
So you know, we do encourageyou.
If you're on the fence there'sstill an opportunity to come to
the show and you know I'll bethere, bill will be there, you
know.
Hopefully that's enough reasonto come, to come check it out.
If you know, all the otherthings we talked about today
(19:48):
weren't enough reason.
Um, and then, yeah, you know,if you want to learn more about
me, I I'm over at the devongroup and you know we do have
our podcast up next at work,which is on the work defined
network, and then we do have, uh, I have a newsletter called the
how, which is on substackwonderful.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
And uh, just just to make sure, uh did you say Devon
25?
Devon 25.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
Devon 25.
D-e-v-o-n 25, like the Devongroup.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Okay.
I was once told if you keeprepeating a name or a term six
times in fairly rapid succession, then it sticks in your mind.
I think we've achieved thattoday.
Now that just leaves me to sayfor today Katie, thank you very
much for being my guest on theHR Chat Show.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm looking forward to seeingyou in person in a couple of
weeks here.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Me too, and listeners as always.
Until next time, happy working.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
Thanks for listening to the HR Chat Show.
If you enjoyed this episode,why not subscribe and listen to
some of the hundreds of episodespublished by HR Gazette and
remember for what's new in theworld of work?
Subscribe to the show, followus on social media and visit
hrgazettecom.
Welcome to the HR Chat Show, one of the world's
most downloaded and sharedpodcasts designed for HR pros,
talent execs, tech enthusiastsand business leaders.
For hundreds more episodes andwhat's new in the world of work,
subscribe to the show, followus on social media and visit
hrgazettecom and visithrgazettecom.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Welcome to this special episode of the HR Chat
Show.
Hello listeners, this is yourhost today, bill Bannum, and in
this episode I am joined bysomeone who is deeply embedded
in the planning andcommunications behind one of the
world's biggest HR tech eventsthe HR Tech Conference in Las
Vegas, happening September 16thto the 18th.
My guest, of course, is KatieAchille, managing Partner at the
(00:53):
Devon Group, award-winningcommunications pro and the
leader of PR and media relationsfor HR Tech.
Katie, how are you doing today?
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Thank you for having me.
I'm doing great and gettingready, getting ready.
We're a little less than twoweeks out as we're recording
this today, so things are a bitbananas at the moment, but in
the best way possible.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah, I can't believe you're able to squeeze me in
for this.
Honestly, you must be doingcrazy long days having a million
things you're trying to juggle.
So I do appreciate, appreciateyour time.
Let's get straight into it then.
Why don't we start with the bigpicture stuff?
What can attendees expect fromthis year's HR Tech Conference?
What?
What feels new or different for2025 compared to past years?
Speaker 3 (01:37):
so there's a lot that's changed this year.
In general, we've changed theformat slightly for 2025.
Previous years the show hasgone until Friday.
So this year's show is a littlebit different.
It's wrapping up Thursdayafternoon with Josh Bergeson as
our closing keynote.
So in terms of format, that's alittle bit of a change.
For us, big changes is that onMonday, which is the
(02:07):
pre-conference day for the show,we are having the HR Strategy
Summit, which is hosted byMadeline Lerano of Aptitude
Research, and that eveningthere's going to be the HR Icons
Awards evening, where the HRtech and HR executive are going
to be honoring a number of awardwinners for categories.
I believe there's six differentcategories that they're going
(02:27):
to be honoring for this year.
So those are sort of the majorchanges to the format, which
we'll see how that works out interms of when people land and
what they get to experiencethroughout the week.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Rock and roll.
So if attendees want to go tothe awards and of course you've
got summits within summits we'regoing to talk about the women
in tech, the women in HR techpiece shortly but for attendees,
do they need to registerseparately for the awards or
those mini summits, or is thatall covered within their tickets
?
Speaker 3 (02:59):
So the HR strategy Summit is specifically open to
HR leaders at organizations over, I believe, 2,000 employees, so
that is a very specifictargeted audience.
The HR Icons Awards Gala isopen to all attendees, but it is
a separate ticket that you haveto buy and I believe tickets
(03:23):
are almost sold out, so peoplewho are interested would need to
move very quickly andeverything else that you just
mentioned.
So women in tech is includedwith the full conference pass,
but it is quite a fun packedweek.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
So the speaker lineup is is a big highlight for
everyone, of course.
And can I just say before I askthe next question um, even
though we've got a top threeglobal hr tech podcast, last
year is my first time at the hrtech conference shock, horror,
you know it's.
It's quite a long way for me totravel, um, but my goodness me,
what an amazing event.
I had such a great time andI've just been telling everybody
(04:00):
I know anybody who'll listenthat they need to be going to
this one.
For me, there are three keyevents in the US each year they
need to be attending, and thisis one of those three.
Anyway, my question for you iswho are some of the standout
presenters you're most excitedabout this year and why?
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Oh, there's a whole bunch.
You know there's hundreds ofspeakers this year.
So I would say our openingkeynote is Nicola Maru, from IBM
.
She was the 2024 HR Executiveof the Year, as awarded by HR
Executive, the sort of media armof the HR Tech Conference.
So Nicola has spent almost, Ibelieve, her entire career at
(04:41):
IBM, so she's sort of afascinating person to hear from.
She's also spearheading, youknow, ibm's adoption of AI in
the HR practice, so I thinkthat's gonna be a really
interesting session.
Obviously, ibm is a hugeemployer, so there's that take.
There's also a lot of otherpeople, though, that have been
added this year that are otherfresh voices from with
(05:05):
throughout the industry, alldifferent aspects, all different
angles.
One of my favorites is KatKibben.
So Kat is releasing a book thismonth called the Bounce Back
Factor.
Kat has, you know, is on themore the recruiting side of the
space, and the book is reallyabout navigating the unknown,
(05:28):
and it's a guide for leaders.
So that's what Cat Session isgonna be focused on.
Really, looking forward to thatone, william Tin Cup is gonna
be hosting a panel of sort ofsocial media influencers,
specifically TikTok influencers,people with big TikTok
followings, and they're going tobe talking about converting
(05:48):
social attention intoapplications.
So that's Lorna and Victoriafrom Expert Interviewers, mike
Pedito from Realistic Recruiting, jessica Miller Merrill.
I think that one's going to bereally interesting.
Those are all folks who peopleshould be paying attention to.
So those are just sort of threeof the ones that I'm looking
forward to to I love, love, lovewilliam think up.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
He is.
He's one of my hr heroes.
Every time I get think up on myshow I go a little bit shy.
Frankly, I'm a massive fan boyof william.
He knows this.
Um, he makes my knees go alittle bit weak and I'm looking
forward to seeing him in vegasin a couple of weeks as we
record this.
Ok, so the first time I went toHR Tech, it was described to me
(06:33):
as a little bit different to acouple of the other big events
which will remain nameless forthe purposes of this recording
today, in that it's not justabout the learnings, it's
genuinely a place where businessgets done.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
So my question for you is what role does the
conference play in shapingtrends within HR tech?
So you know, obviously you knowthere are a number of
conferences, as you've justalluded to.
Each one serves a differentpurpose is the way I look at it.
Each one kind of has its ownniche, each one has its own
audience.
Hr tech is the longest runningof the bunch.
As a result of that, it doessort of serve as almost this
(07:13):
town hall.
It really brings together thecommunity in a way that is far
reaching, so that it has theinvestors, it has the
practitioners, it has thepartnerships, it has the media.
It really is all encompassingin a way that I think is really
(07:33):
difficult to replicate, and Ithink that's why people come
back year after year is becauseit's touching all of the aspects
.
So there is something foreveryone, which is what gets
people coming back.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
From my personal experience, I was at one
networking event, I think uh, itmight have been textio, uh and
every time I turned around therewas like a john sumzer or matt
adler, all these, all these hrheroes of mine, always big
influencers.
So you know, I think that'sanother huge strength of your
(08:08):
conference, that that youattract all of the big analysts
and influencers.
So well done to you guys.
Continuing through.
If you could pick just one bigtakeaway that you hope attendees
would leave with from theconference, what would that be?
Speaker 3 (08:23):
I hope that they come in with an idea of what they're
looking for, and I think HRtech has something for everyone.
So if you're leaving feelingunsatisfied, there's something
missing from the plan.
I think, with a show of thismagnitude, you need to go in
prepared and that means you knowwhether you've looked at the
(08:49):
expo floor map ahead of time andcome up with.
You know which booths you wantto attack, or looked at the
program and decided whichsessions you want to attend.
If you're there to meet withmedia and analysts, you know,
bill, you just mentioned severalnames of people who are going
to be there this year, maybescheduling those meetings in
advance.
I think preparedness is whatleads to the takeaway here.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Yeah, I'm still working on that myself.
You know we're flying out onthe 14th and the next week we'll
be booking lots of meetings,making sure that happens in
advance, okay very good, let'snow dive into some of the
featured sessions.
Obviously, you've given us anice overview and mentioned some
of the sessions that folks cancheck out either within or
around the HR Tech Conference,but let's dive in a bit deeper,
(09:35):
if that's okay.
Women in HR Tech Summit.
I think that's the morning ofthe 16th.
What makes that track uniqueand essential for attendees?
Speaker 3 (09:47):
So the Women in HR Tech Summit started.
I believe it was like abouteight years ago.
At this point it was prettyunique at the time when it
started.
It remains sort of the only oneof its kind in the space.
It's grown and it's changedover the years, but every year
it's one of the most popularfeatures of the show.
(10:08):
It's really dedicated to whatwomen are doing in the space and
it's also very instructive.
So it's not just about thesehigh level.
Here's the trends, here'swhat's happening.
You go and you learn.
You sit there and you canactually take away knowledge
(10:29):
from people who are doing thework in a meaningful way and
then apply it back at your ownorganization.
It's these sessions are packedyear after year.
I mean, honestly, the feedbackwe get is that people can't get
into the sessions.
So I mean Women in Tech standsalone and that's what makes it
(10:51):
unique and essential is thatit's hard to get into because
it's that popular and it's youknow, these are such handcrafted
, really bespoke, meaningfulsessions.
So I really encourage everyoneto check it out.
I know a lot of people tend tofly in that morning because the
conference itself doesn'tofficially open until the
afternoon.
(11:11):
But if you are going to be intown.
You know, bill.
You mentioned you're flying inon the 14th.
For anyone who is coming in,you know, potentially 14th or
15th if you are there already.
You know if you're going to bethere in the morning of the 16th
, please come check it out.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Okay, so that could be one of the biggest takeaways
from today's conversation.
It's first come, first serve interms of the lineup for these
sessions.
You got to get there, but youknow, get there early, otherwise
you may not get into some ofthese, is that right?
Speaker 3 (11:35):
the breakouts, especially, yeah, those rooms.
You know they, they only holdso many people um, so you have
to, you have to squeeze in okay,uh.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Another hot topic is the power play building,
political capital and influencein the age of ai.
Can you give us a preview ofwhat this session promises?
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Sure, lydia Wu.
She is a total rock star.
She is, you know, one of thoserising voices in the space who
really tells it like it is.
So she is standing alone.
This is one of the breakoutsessions and she's standing
alone on this one.
So this is not a panel.
It's going to just be Lydia upthere, and you know she's based
this off of some research fromout of Stanford.
(12:17):
That's talking about, you know,women in leadership and the
shifts that are taking placespecifically around AI driven
transformations, and so it'sgoing to be looking at how,
instead of seeing AI as a threat, what if we use it as a tool
for influence?
So I think that's a reallyimportant conversation to have,
because you know again how we'relooking at AI.
(12:40):
Right now.
Most of how we're talking aboutit is in terms of let me go to
ChatGPT and have it writesomething for me real quick.
Or there is some talk about,you know, ai for coaching and
things of that nature.
But this is bringing AI up.
We're talking about, you know,taking it up into leadership, up
(13:02):
into the C-suite, using it toreally propel careers forward.
So I think this is an importantconversation to be having,
specifically for women, who maynot be thinking about.
You know conversation to behaving specifically for women
who may not be thinking aboutyou know this as a tool in their
toolbox.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Okay, very good.
Uh, as we like to do on thisshow, let's now switch up the
tempo a little bit and I'd liketo get your thoughts on, uh,
three sessions and I'm going tochallenge you now.
Okay, um, you get 60 secondsmax for each of them.
I'm going to blurt out allthree and then you're going to
take up 60 seconds and telleverybody how these particular
(13:38):
sessions add value for attendees, why they should check them out
and anything else you want toadd.
So those three are recruiting,life hacks one size never fits
all.
Investor experience and pitchfest, which has been reimagined
for this year, and Ask theExpert sessions, which are
actually scattered throughoutthe agenda.
Go.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Okay, recruiting, life Hacks.
So this is a combination ofanalyst, erin Spencer from
Deloitte and a practitioner.
You can't go wrong with ErinSpencer.
She knows everything and shewill tell you exactly what she's
thinking.
Combined with a practitioner,you're going to learn a lot.
George LaRocque has puttogether the investor experience
(14:20):
and pitch fest.
There are 33 companiescompeting in pitch fest and the
investor experience is, if youwant to meet investors, if you
want to learn from investors, ifyou want to know what investing
looks like in the space, that'swhere you need to go and then
ask the experts.
These are the experts.
These are the folks who aredoing the work, whether it's
(14:42):
implementations, transformations, advising the analysts.
They are going to be at thefront of the room and this is
your chance to meet with themand ask them questions directly
on specific topics that areimpacting HR right now.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Very well, it's almost as if you've got your own
podcast.
Okay, and last year I thinkthere was an area for startups.
Have you guys got that as wellthis year?
Speaker 3 (15:11):
We do, and it is packed this year, I believe.
I was trying to eyeball itearlier this week and it looked
like there might be about 50 to60 startups in there and many of
them are participating in thePitchfest.
Again, there are 33 companiesthat made it to the competition,
but again I believe there'sabout another.
(15:32):
You know 20 to 30 that'll be inthe startup pavilion holy
smokes.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Okay, I'm foreseeing many, many conversations at hr
tech conference.
Uh, this year's agenda alsofeatures some special highlights
the the james patterson andpatrick had in keynotes uh,
including a book giveaway.
You and I were talking aboutthis before we hit record today.
I'm very, very excited for that.
And the HR executive andwork-defined podcast studio.
(15:57):
We've already given some loveto Mr Tinkup, also mentioning
Ryan Leary lovely chap.
Can you share more about thoseexperiences?
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Sure thing.
So James Patterson, for anyonewho doesn't know, is the most
best-selling author of all time,since, I believe, like 1978,
he's published dozens of booksand now, at almost 80 years old,
has decided to write a businessbook for the very first time
(16:29):
and he is bringing it to HR Techwith his co-author, patrick
Ledden, and they are going to bedelivering a keynote on it on
Wednesday morning and the bookwill be previewed at HR Tech.
It's actually not beingpublished until October or
November, so the HR techaudience is actually going to be
the first to see it.
(16:50):
And so after their keynotethere is going to be a book
giveaway and signing on site soattendees will be able to get a
copy of the book before it'sreleased, which I think is
pretty cool.
And again, james Patterson isgoing to be there.
So for anyone who's a big fanof his other books, his fiction,
here's a chance to meet him inperson.
(17:13):
And then the HR executive slashwork to find podcast studio.
This is happening from the expofloor.
This is the work to find team.
William Tinkup and Ryan Learyand several of their shows are
invading essentially the HRExecutive Podcast Studio and
will be recording throughout theshow, basically whenever the
(17:36):
expo floor is open, there willbe podcasts that are recording
from the studio.
This is an opportunity to watchthe podcast being recorded live
.
Attendees can go and sitoutside the studio.
There will be headphones andyou can kind of it's sort of
like a fishbowl you can watchwhat's happening inside the
studio and the different guestsand what they're talking about,
(18:00):
before these podcasts areactually published.
So that's kind of a coolexperience as well, almost like
a silent disco, except withpodcasts silent podcasts?
Speaker 2 (18:12):
um, silent podcast would never work.
Uh, william and ryan, if you'relistening, I haven't forgotten
about our conversation a fewmonths back.
I've got some ideas for somenew podcasts and work defined is
on my radars, so, uh, let'scatch up in a couple of weeks.
Um, okay, we are coming towardsthe end of this particular chit
chat.
Before we wrap up, two morequestions for you.
(18:33):
Katie, you're not only helpingto shape hr tech, but you're
also running your own show andnewsletter.
Uh, up next at work and the how.
How can listeners go to learnmore about your work?
Um, and actually I'll justthrow in the other question
right now as well.
The other question is how canthey, of course, get uh passes
(18:54):
for hr tech, and I believe Idon't know if it's an hr gazette
exclusive, but I believe youmight have a little code that
you can share with our listenersI do have a little code um.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
so for anyone you know still thinking about
attending the conference, youcan register over at
HRTechnologyConferencecom and ifyou use code DEVON D-E-V-O-N
2-5, that will take $250 off anyregistration type.
There is no expiration date onthat, so that should be good
(19:27):
pretty much up until the datethe conference starts.
Again, that's Devin 25 for $250off.
So you know, we do encourageyou.
If you're on the fence there'sstill an opportunity to come to
the show and you know I'll bethere, bill will be there, you
know.
Hopefully that's enough reasonto come, to come check it out.
If you know, all the otherthings we talked about today
(19:48):
weren't enough reason.
Um, and then, yeah, you know,if you want to learn more about
me, I I'm over at the devongroup and you know we do have
our podcast up next at work,which is on the work defined
network, and then we do have, uh, I have a newsletter called the
how, which is on substackwonderful.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
And uh, just just to make sure, uh did you say Devon
25?
Devon 25.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
Devon 25.
D-e-v-o-n 25, like the Devongroup.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Okay.
I was once told if you keeprepeating a name or a term six
times in fairly rapid succession, then it sticks in your mind.
I think we've achieved thattoday.
Now that just leaves me to sayfor today Katie, thank you very
much for being my guest on theHR Chat Show.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm looking forward to seeingyou in person in a couple of
weeks here.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Me too, and listeners as always.
Until next time, happy working.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
Thanks for listening to the HR Chat Show.
If you enjoyed this episode,why not subscribe and listen to
some of the hundreds of episodespublished by HR Gazette and
remember for what's new in theworld of work?
Subscribe to the show, followus on social media and visit
hrgazettecom.
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