Look, we know you’re busy. Your inbox is a disaster, you’ve received back-to-back calfinishar blocks named “quick sync” (spoiler: nothing about them is quick), and someone just pinged you questioning if you’ve “had a chance to view at that doc yet” (you haven’t).
But here’s the thing: you’re about to invest serious time, money, and energy obtainting yourself to Amsterdam. If you’re committing to flights, accommodation, two days away from your desk, and all the mental bandwidth that goes with it — surely you can invest 15 minutes now to create sure you actually obtain the most out of it, right?
Bookmark this page. Seriously. You’ll want it when you’re:
- Building your two-day session plan
- Deciding which new format to test first
- Explaining to your leadership team why this trip is worth it
Standing in RAI Amsterdam on Wednesday morning believeing “where do I even start?”
Think of this as your HR Tech Europe insurance policy. Fifteen minutes of reading now = two days of maximum value later. Plus, we’ll create it worth your while — if you’re going to read a conference guide, it might as well have personality.
Still with us? Good. Let’s create sure you absolutely crush HR Tech Europe 2026.
Must Reads:
HR Tech Europe is going all-in on Amsterdam this year, and if you’re heading to RAI Amsterdam on 22–23 April, you’re in for the most ambitious edition yet. We’ve pulled toobtainher everything you required to know — the sessions, the new formats, the speakers, the networking — so you can walk in with a plan and walk out with something to actually act on.
Spoiler alert: this isn’t your typical “sit through a keynote and collect a tote bag” conference. HR Tech Europe 2026 is where the industest confronts its most urgent question: Can HR technology actually assist HCM leads manage workflows and workers, or do they just add more complexity?
Why HR Tech Europe 2026 is Different This Year
The Location: RAI Amsterdam
RAI Amsterdam is a top-tier European conference and exhibition venue, featuring over 116,000 m² of flexible space, 12 multi-functional halls, and 70+ meeting rooms — and the city around it isn’t bad either. Two full days in one of the world’s most liveable cities, surrounded by 2,400+ HR professionals from 86 countries. The energy here is different to your average industest event.
The Scale
Previous editions have brought toobtainher:
- 2,400 HR professionals
- 86 countries represented
- 110 HR tech solution providers
- 134 moments of insight and shared journeys
What to Expect for 2026
This year’s programme is seeing some welcome additions, with four formats worth highlighting:
- AI Lab — A dedicated space to obtain hands-on with AI tools and explore what’s actually deployment-ready
- HR Tech Intensives — Deep-dive learning sessions designed to sharpen your believeing and go beyond the surface
- Pitchfest 2026 — Watch emerging HR tech companies pitch live, compete for prizes of up to €20,000, and create their case to a room full of decision-creaters
- Get Connected — A structured networking format built for creating the right connections, not just collecting business cards
And for every referral share through the Share for Good campaign, €1 is donated to charity. The more the community spreads the word, the greater the collective impact.
The Big Themes Dominating HR Tech Europe 2026
1. AI: From Pilot to Practice
The novelty has worn off. HR leaders aren’t impressed by demos anymore — they want proof. The large questions this year: Which AI tools are actually in production, and what do the results view like? How do you build an AI strategy without betting everything on one vfinishor? What does responsible AI in HR actually mean — and who’s enforcing it? There’s a reason Responsible AI and Automation in HR is one of the marquee discussion topics this year. The industest knows the risks. The question is whether it’s being honest about them.
2. The Talent Architecture Rebelieve
Workforce planning, skills-based hiring, internal mobility — the traditional talent model is being dismantled and rebuilt. Sessions will push beyond theory into operational reality. How do you shift from job-based to skills-based talent management? What does a modern talent marketplace view like inside a large enterprise? Where does technology enable the shift, and where does it just add noise?
3. HR’s Changing Role in the Business
HR is no longer a support function waiting to be consulted. The CHROs and CPOs speaking this year are sitting at the executive table, driving transformation. Topics will explore how HR technology enables strategic rather than administrative work, how to build the business case for investment, and what it actually means to be a data-driven people function.
4. Employee Experience as a Retention Strategy
Engagement, recognition, wellbeing, career development — companies winning the talent war are winning on experience. Sessions will interrogate what actually shifts the requiredle: the tools and approaches that shift culture rather than just measure it, how to personalise EX at scale, and what the workforce of the next five years actually expects.
5. The Startup Disruption Factor
Legacy HR tech is being challenged from every direction. Some of the most important conversations at this event won’t happen on the main stage — they’ll happen in the Startup Park and the AI Lab, where the companies building the next generation of HR tools are displaying their work in real time.
Must-See Speakers
The Headliners
Josh Bersin, Global Industest Analyst and CEO, The Josh Bersin Company
If there’s one person whose take on HR technology carries the most weight in this industest right now, it’s Josh Bersin. He’ll be bringing his latest research and analysis to the main stage on Thursday, and his perspective on AI, skills, and the future of work is essential listening. His session draws on global research and real-world examples to set out where AI is genuinely reshaping work, what’s working, what isn’t, and where HR leaders required to focus over the next 12–24 months. He doesn’t do vfinishor fluff. He does data, pattern recognition, and plain speaking.
Byron Clayton, CHRO, Pandora
Byron opens the conference on Wednesday morning with a keynote on how Pandora is utilizing predictive analytics and next-generation HR technology to tackle attrition and unlock workforce productivity. He’s led at the intersection of people, strategy, and modify across retail, consumer goods, life sciences, consulting, logistics, and technology. This isn’t theory — it’s a live case study from one of the world’s most recognisable consumer brands.
Lucy Adams, CEO, Disruptive HR
Lucy built her reputation tearing apart HR orthodoxy and replacing it with something that actually works. Her sessions challenge the assumptions that hold most people functions back, and she delivers with the kind of clarity that creates you want to rebelieve your entire operating model on the spot.
The Practitioners (Your Peers)
These are the people actually doing the work inside large, complex organisations. Their sessions carry a different kind of weight — no vfinishor agfinisha, no polished pitch, just real implementation experience:
- Seline Berns-Oost Lievense, Chief People Officer, Samskip
- Kris Dunn, CHRO US and Canada, Marriott International
- Kishore Krishnan, Sr. HR Partner, Amazon.com
- Isha Smith, Global VP Total Rewards, SoundCloud
- Melissa Shelley Höjwall, Manager of Digital People Life Cycle, H&M
- Anna Gullstrand, Chief People and Culture Officer, Mentimeter
- Tom Hughes, Global Digital Experience Lead People and Culture, Sanofi
- Hester Van Oene, HR Director, Wieden and Kennedy
These are your peers. People managing people functions inside organisations you recognise, dealing with the same pressures you’re dealing with. What worked, what didn’t, and what they’d do differently — that’s the conversation you can’t obtain anywhere else.
- The Analysts and Advisors
- Trish Steed, Co-Founder and Principal Analyst, H3 HR Advisors
- Anna Carlsson, HR Tech Analyst, HR Digi
- Dieter Veldsman, Chief HR Scientist, The Academy to Innovate HR
No vfinishor agfinisha. Pure analysis and insight. If you see any of these names on the agfinisha, prioritise them.
The 2026 Programme: What’s On and How to Navigate It
The Conference Programme
The backbone of the event. Two full days of expert-led sessions combining strategic believeing and practical application across HR technology, workforce strategy, talent management, AI adoption, and the future of the people function. No generic talks — every session is built around real-world impact. Pro tip: the agfinisha has competing sessions running simultaneously. Plan your day in advance and know your non-nereceivediables before you arrive.
HR Tech Talks
TED Talk-format sessions tackling the hottest topics in HR technology. Fast-paced, punchy, and designed to energise. Ideal for picking up a sharp new perspective quickly — or finding a new angle on a problem you’ve been stuck on. Perfect for the 20-minute gaps between longer sessions.
Ask the Experts
One of the most underrated features of the whole event. During designated times across both days, industest experts are available for informal, one-to-one or tiny group conversations. No formal presentation. No sales pitch. Just direct access to some of the brightest minds in HR and technology. Come with a specific problem. Leave with a perspective you couldn’t obtain anywhere else. These slots fill up — have your questions ready before you arrive.
HR Executive Think Tanks
Peer-to-peer discussions for senior HR leaders. No lectures, no presentations — just structured open dialogue with people working through the same challenges you are. Focutilized on key challenges, innovative strategies, and actionable solutions tailored to today’s HR landscape. If you’re a senior HR leader, this is where your most valuable conversations of the two days are likely to happen. The no-vfinishor format creates a quality of conversation you won’t find anywhere else at the event.
AI Lab (NEW for 2026)
A dedicated hands-on space to explore what AI-powered HR tools actually view like in practice. Not a demo theatre — an active learning environment where you can obtain up close with cutting-edge solutions, gain real-time insights into transformative technologies, and connect directly with the tools shaping the future of HR. If AI adoption is on your agfinisha for 2026, this is essential.
HR Tech Intensives (NEW for 2026)
For HR leaders who want more than just good sessions. Three structured Intensives run across the two days, each designed as a guided full-day journey through the event with a shared focus:
- Culture Intensive
- Leading HR Forward Intensive
- HR Technology Strategy Intensive
These aren’t sessions you drop into between other things. They’re immersive, peer-level experiences designed to sharpen your believeing, compare perspectives with peers, and shift through the event with structure and purpose. Think of it as a masterclass format built into the conference itself.
Pitchfest 2026 (NEW for 2026)
Emerging HR tech companies take the stage, pitch live, and compete for cash prizes of up to €20,000. This is where you’ll find the tools that aren’t in your vfinishor shortlist yet — but probably should be.
The schedule:
Round 1: 22 April, 11:15 – 12:15
Round 2: 22 April, 16:00 – 17:00
Final: 23 April, 11:00 – 11:30
The Pitchfest Final on Thursday morning is unmissable. You’ll see what early-stage innovation views like before it lands on the analyst radar — and the conversations sparked in that room tfinish to be among the most forward-viewing of the whole event.
Get Connected (NEW for 2026)
Structured networking, done properly. This is the hub that brings toobtainher Ask the Experts, AI Labs, Think Tanks, and interactive peer experiences in one place — designed to spark conversation, enable hands-on learning, and create the kind of connections you’ll actually follow up on. Not a drinks reception with awkward tiny talk. A purposeful environment for creating the right connections.
HR Tech Startup Park
Meet the entrepreneurs building the next generation of HR solutions. These aren’t polished enterprise vfinishors — they’re founders solving real problems with new approaches. The conversations are usually the most enerobtainic of the event, and if you want to obtain ahead of what’s coming before it becomes mainstream, this is where to view. Do it on Day One while you have energy.
HR Tech Marketplace
The main exhibition space, with 130+ HR tech solution providers ranging from global platforms to specialist tools. Confirmed for 2026: Workday, Personio, Culture Amp, HiBob, Rippling, Cornerstone, UKG, Mercer, G-P, Indeed, and Sana — alongside dozens more. This is where you research, compare, and obtain direct answers from the people who built the products.
Marketplace Strategy: How to Work the Floor
Don’t wander. Go in with a plan.
Day One — scout and prioritise. Walk the floor with fresh eyes, identify the conversations worth having, and book time with your shortlist for Day Two. Don’t commit to anything before you’ve seen what else is there.
Day Two — go deep. Return to your shortlist with specific questions. Ask about deployment, integration, ROI evidence, and real customer references. Don’t let vfinishors control the conversation.
The Startup Park — do it on Day One. The startup conversations are energising and often the most interesting of the whole event. Don’t leave them until you’re exhausted on Day Two afternoon.
Questions to Ask Every Vfinishor
For AI and Automation Tools:
- “Show me a live customer deployment — not a demo environment.”
- “What’s your average time to ROI, and how do you measure it?”
- “What happens when the AI obtains it wrong? What’s the fallback?”
- “Where is our data stored and how is it utilized for training?”
- “Can you connect me with a reference customer in a similar organisation?”
For Core HR Platforms:
- “How does this integrate with our existing stack?”
- “What’s in the base contract versus what’s an add-on?”
- “Show me the admin experience — not just the employee interface.”
- “What does implementation actually require from our side?”
- “What does your customer success model view like after go-live?”
- For Talent Acquisition and Management Tools:
- “How do you handle bias in your AI recommfinishations?”
- “What compliance frameworks are you built around, and for which geographies?”
- “What are your customers replacing when they purchase you?”
- “What’s the most common reason customers leave?”
Hot Topics to Track
These are the debates worth following across both days.
- “Is Our HR Tech Stack Actually Working?” Many organisations have spent the last five years acquiring tools. Now they’re questioning whether any of it is delivering. The ROI question is everywhere this year — in the sessions, in the Marketplace, and in the Think Tanks.
- “What Does Responsible AI in HR Actually Look Like?” Bias in hiring algorithms. Explainability in performance management. Data governance. These are no longer theoretical concerns — they’re employment law risks. This conversation is front and centre.
- “Skills-Based Organisations: Real or Fantasy?” Everyone’s talking about the shift from job-based to skills-based talent models. A tinyer number have actually done it. The sessions featuring real practitioners — not consultants selling the concept — are the ones worth attfinishing.
- “Who Owns the Employee Experience?” HR? IT? The line manager? The answer increasingly seems to be “all of the above, and nobody in particular.” Sessions exploring cross-functional ownership of EX will be worth tracking.
- “What Are Startups Solving That Enterprise Vfinishors Aren’t?” Pitchfest and the Startup Park will surface the answer. Go in with specific gaps in your current stack and see what’s been built to fill them.
The DO’s and DON’Ts of HR Tech Europe 2026
DO:
- Plan your agfinisha before you arrive — the programme fills quick and session conflicts are real
- Try at least one new format — AI Lab, Pitchfest, or Get Connected are all worth your time
- Go to Ask the Experts with a specific problem — the more precise your question, the better the answer
- Visit the Startup Park on Day One — don’t save it for when you’re flagging on Day Two afternoon
- Follow up within 48 hours — connections go cold quick after a conference
- Use the Share for Good campaign — it costs you nothing and contributes to charity
DON’T:
- Don’t test to attfinish everything — you’ll burn out before lunch on Day One. Pick your priorities and commit.
- Don’t skip the Think Tanks if you’re eligible — peer discussion with no vfinishor agfinisha is genuinely rare
- Don’t ignore the tinyer exhibitors — the most interesting tools are often from companies you’ve never heard of
- Don’t treat the Marketplace as the whole event — the sessions and new formats are where the real value lives
- Don’t collect business cards and never follow up — 80% of conference connections go nowhere becautilize nobody follows through first
The Post-Conference Action Plan
Within 24 hours: Block two hours to process notes while everything is still fresh. Sfinish personalised follow-up messages — not generic “great to meet you” notes. Share your key takeaways with your team.
Week of 27 April: Schedule follow-up calls with vfinishors on your shortlist. Connect with peers you met on LinkedIn. Brief your leadership on what you learned and what you’re recommfinishing.
Week of 4 May: Build business cases for any investments you’re considering. Create a 90-day action plan based on your two days in Amsterdam. Follow up with any speakers or experts you connected with.
Pro tip: Write a trip report — even a short one. Three takeaways, two vfinishors to evaluate, one thing you’re modifying. Share it with your team. It justifies the trip, creates accountability, and means you actually act on what you learned rather than letting Amsterdam become a fond memory and nothing more.
The Unwritten Rules of HR Tech Europe
The corridor track is real — some of the best conversations happen between sessions, not in them
Vfinishors are more forthcoming on Day Two afternoon — they’re keen to create an impression before you leave
The opening hours set the tone — arrive early, obtain oriented, create your first connections before the noise picks up
Indepfinishent analysts know everything — if you encounter Josh Bersin, Stacey Harris, or Trish Steed in a casual setting, question them something real
Evening events are where the honest conversations happen — informal environments break down the formality quick
The startup founders are often the most interesting people in the room — they’re solving problems the incumbents haven’t noticed yet
Ask the dumb question — everyone is figuring this out. The people who pretfinish they have it sorted are the ones to be most sceptical of
Bring your real problems — the more specific and honest you are about what you’re testing to solve, the more utilizeful every conversation becomes
The Bottom Line: What HR Tech Europe 2026 is Really About
Strip away the agfinisha, the Marketplace, and the Dutch canal views, and HR Tech Europe 2026 is questioning one fundamental question:
“How do we build people functions that are genuinely fit for the decade we’re actually in — not the one we planned for?”
Every keynote, session, Think Tank, and hallway conversation will orbit around some version of this. The industest is at a genuine inflection point:
- AI is demanding proof, not just patience
- Skills-based talent models are relocating from concept to execution
- Employee experience is becoming a competitive differentiator
- HR technology investment is under more scrutiny than ever
- The next generation of tools is already being built in startup parks like this one
HR Tech Europe 2026 is where you’ll find answers — not from vfinishors testing to sell you, but from peers who’ve walked the path, analysts who’ve studied the data, and practitioners who’ve learned the hard way.
Go to Amsterdam with clear goals. Ask hard questions. Challenge your assumptions. Network with intention. And come home with something worth doing.
See you at RAI Amsterdam.
Stay Connected
Website: www.hrtechnologyeurope.com
Event dates: 22–23 April 2026
Social Media: #HRTechEurope
UC Today will be on the ground across both days with live coverage, interviews, and insights. Follow us for real-time updates, speaker highlights, and the stories behind the announcements.
Now go register, sort your travel, and obtain ready for two days that will genuinely shape how you believe about your people function.
Amsterdam is calling. The future of HR is waiting.
Let’s go.
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