People Analytics Conferences - 2024

Richard Rosenow

The landscape of People Analytics and HR Technology is rapidly evolving and staying on top of the latest trends and insights is crucial for professionals in this field. To understand where other experts are turning for their insights and inspiration in 2024, we surveyed people analytics practitioners. Our aim? To discover which conferences are on their radar - the ones they plan to attend and those they aspire to make it to someday. Let's dive into the results of this survey, revealing what's hot on the conference circuit this year!

Who's in the Spotlight?

Role of Respondents

We had a diverse group of practitioners from a number of disciplines, but a vast majority were working on or for people analytics teams and projects (100+ of the responses). A handful of HR tech and HR Ops leaders who did not have People Analytics teams also replied. We had a small number of vendors/consultants and academics take the survey as well. While these groups were not the primary focus of our analysis, their presence reflects the conferences' role in business development, networking, and the diverse perspectives in the field today.

Seniority Breakdown

  • Director+: A third of the respondents held positions at the director level or higher. This substantial representation emphasizes the strategic importance these conferences hold for senior decision-makers.
  • Manager / Sr. Manager: Approximately a quarter of respondents were in managerial roles (either Manager or Senior Manager). It's worth noting that in many developing people analytics teams, these roles might be the highest-ranking members as the function evolves.
  • Individual Contributor: The remaining respondents (~40%) identified themselves as Individual Contributors, constituting the most represented group. This not only underscores the active interest and participation of operational-level professionals in people analytics conferences but also accurately reflects the structure of seniority within People Analytics teams. Naturally, due to organizational design, there will be more Individual Contributor representation than Director/Manager.

Company Size Breakdown

  • 20,000+ Employees: This is the largest segment, comprising about half of the respondents. It suggests that major corporations view these conferences as crucial for their people analytics strategies and initiatives. These are also likely the teams with available budgets for professional development.
  • 5,000-20,000 Employees / 1,000-5,000 Employees: Roughly 20% of respondents belong to each of these ranges. This underscores the importance of these conferences for large organizations that have established people analytics functions but aren't as big as the largest corporations.
  • Less than 1,000 Employees (a. <1,000): The smallest segment unsurprisingly comes from smaller organizations. We’ve heard that in these organizations, employees often have multiple roles or teams that they balance, making it difficult to find time to attend these conferences.

Top Conferences on the Radar

Drumroll please, here are the top planned conferences!

Planned Conferences

Four conferences were identified by more than 20% of practitioner respondents as events they would attend. Several other conferences fell within the 10-15% range. However, for simplicity, we've only listed conferences that garnered 20% interest or higher below. There are indeed many excellent conferences (more listed below), but these are the standouts this year:

    1. SIOP Chicago 
      Roughly 1/3 of those who replied to the survey planned to attend SIOP! This stood out by far from the other conferences. For some in the people analytics space, this may come as a surprise, but for those who have attended SIOP in the past, this makes a lot of sense. SIOP attendees are loyal.

      SIOP is the annual gathering of the Society for IO Psychology professionals (but open to anyone interested) and sees upwards of 5,000 IO Psychologists descend on a new city each year for four days of intensive conference activities. With around 10 concurrent sessions every hour, there is content for everyone, leading to a healthy dose of FOMO. Specifically, SIOP provides a fantastic experience for people analytics leaders and practitioners.

      I had the opportunity to attend SIOP in 2023, and it was memorable for its rigorous debates, insightful discussions, and excellent networking opportunities. The sessions I attended on AI ethics, employee listening, recruiting analytics, and assessments were some of the best in-person content I've experienced. Additionally, the impromptu conversations in the hallways with new and old friends were incredibly valuable.

      If you’d like to learn more about SIOP and how a People Analytics team may benefit, please read my review here: A People Analytics Journey to SIOP! I am thrilled to attend again in 2024 and have the privilege of presenting a Machine Learning Operations masterclass with Rob Stilson and Derek Mracek (more details to follow). If you're planning to attend, please let me know!

    2. Local PA Meetups
      Chosen by a third of respondents and in a close second to SIOP, local meetups interest is still going strong (and it feels like it’s rising). NYC and Bay Area still lead the pack as the earliest meetups and strongest communities, but we’ve seen dozens of meetups spring up (in the US at least) over the past few years (including Pittsburgh here in my backyard!).

      As part of participating in this survey, I'll be connecting people with others in their local community to initiate more meetups. So, stay tuned for updates. People analytics can often feel isolating for small teams. Therefore, I urge everyone reading this to take note of your local meetup and try to attend if possible! We've also included a comprehensive list of known local meetups at the end of this blog post (jump to end of blog)

    3. Wharton People Analytics
      With approximately a quarter of respondents, Wharton stands out as one of the few conferences in the US solely dedicated to people analytics and not affiliated with a vendor. Now in its 11th year in 2024, the Wharton conference is academically rich and rigorous. Although I haven't personally attended before, I'm looking forward to participating in March this year!

    4. HR Technology Conference and Exposition (Las Vegas)
      Rounding out the top four, a quarter of respondents indicated that HR Tech in Vegas is the place to be, underscoring both how significant technology choices are to People Analytics teams, but also the density of talent that makes its way to Vegas for HR Tech. With nearly 10k attendees, the vendor floor is a spectacle and an exciting way to see the showcase of technology supporting the people analytics and broader HR space. If you’re a PA leader who also oversees or interacts with Tech, it’s a must-attend event each year.

Wish List Dreams

We also asked respondents which conferences were on the practitioners' wish lists. Four conferences stood out that People Analytics practitioners wish they could attend:

    1. Wharton People Analytics
      A repeat from the list above, about half of the respondents wish they could attend the Wharton People Analytics conference. As mentioned, Wharton has been a staple in the community for well over a decade now. It’s unclear why more folk can’t make it to Wharton PAC, but I’ll make sure to take rigorous notes later this year and will report back on insights and takeaways. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to hear more throughout the year!
    2. People Analytics World - London (Tucana)
      Well over a third of respondents wish they could attend People Analytics World London. PAW London is a dedicated gathering of people analytics practitioners put together by Tucana. It’s a staple in the field and always draws mature people analytics teams and world-class speakers. Tucana has also recently branched out to supporting workforce planning and a number of other events globally and is a leading provider supporting the PA community. Definitely one to try to attend if you can!
    3. Insight222 Global Executive Retreat
      Nearly a quarter of respondents wish they could attend the Insight222 Executive Retreats, but compared to many others on these lists, these executive retreats are invite only. Insight222 is the premier membership organization for people analytics teams and from what I hear, these events are meticulously planned, organized, and executed. Bravo to the Insight222 teams for curating these experiences and if you ever change your mind about speakers from outside vendors coming to speak… you know where to find me.
    4. Gartner ReimagineHR
      Rounding out the top 4 is Gartner ReimagineHR. Gartner ReimagineHR is a premier conference for HR leadership with a specific focus on CHROs and CHRO directs. The quality of conversation is high and the maturity of teams is elevated. I missed this one in 2023, but after hearing reports from folk who attended, it’s not one I’ll miss again. Looking forward to attending this one in 2024 too.

Those are the most popular events, but many world-class events were not mentioned. We've compiled our list below and appreciate all who submitted people analytics conferences. If you found this helpful, please let us know. If it proves beneficial, we'll compile a similar list again next year.

One Model + Lightcast + Worklytics = The Talent Intelligence & People Analytics Summit

And we here at One Model have got some of our own events coming together in 2024! The main one to highlight is a roadshow we’re putting together with our friends at Lightcast and Worklytics. The Talent Intelligence & People Analytics Summit is traveling to a few select cities in the US across 2024, starting with Austin, Texas on February 7th! It’s not too late to register.

Register for Event


Finally, I hope to see you out there in 2024! Make sure to follow me and the One Model page to stay connected to us out in the field!

2024 events

Follow One Model on LinkedIn and check out our events page.

Is the wait too long?

You don't need to wait till the next event to talk to One Model (although we're excited to see you in person). Connect with us today.

 

2024 Meetups

And now time for the meetups! These meetups happen frequently throughout the year, so the best wya to be involved and stay involved is to connect with their local site / meetup / LinkedIn group. Where we can, we’ve included some details about how to connect and when there was not a site yet available, we’ve added in local organizers.

Written By

Richard Rosenow

Richard is an experienced practitioner in the field of people analytics. He is passionate about teaching others about people analytics, lowering the barrier to entry for HR professionals, designing and building organizations, and setting up HR data foundations. In his current role as Vice President of People Analytics Strategy at One Model, Richard focuses on building connections between ideas, developing communities, and creating content that supports HR and People Analytics leaders. He is also actively involved in the People Analytics community, attending and promoting meetups and sharing his insights on LinkedIn.
HR Current Events, explainable AI

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