Enjoy complimentary coffee, tea and continental breakfast as you meet your fellow attendees.
Sign-in, pick up your materials and enjoy a continental breakfast before we start the day.
Be sure to stop by and visit your sponsors! 

Cultivating a thriving culture begins with trust — the cornerstone of credibility, resilience, and employee engagement. This session explores how trust fuels sustainable brand alignment by moving beyond posters and campaigns to create systems that employees truly believe in. Attendees will learn how to apply the Trust Equation (believability, dependability, emotional closeness, and selflessness) to their communication strategies while navigating the challenges of organizational change. The session also highlights the evolving role of Learning & Development as a co-owned driver of culture, innovation, and growth. Using the practical “Top 10 Wins” framework, participants will gain strategies to anticipate needs, secure buy-in, and build a future-ready workforce where authenticity, psychological safety, and continuous learning are at the center. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Understand how trust underpins internal brand alignment and long-term employee engagement. 

• Apply the Trust Equation to strengthen credibility and consistency in HR and corporate communications. 

• Explore how Learning & Development can partner with communications to reinforce culture and alignment. 

• Gain actionable strategies through the “Top 10 Wins” framework to drive sustainable success. 

In a world of constant change, Corporate Communications becomes the signal through the noise; translating complexity into clear, human-centered stories that guide focus, strengthen connection, and build resilience. This session explores how intentional messaging, empathy-led storytelling, and thoughtful AI narratives can reduce burnout while helping employees stay grounded, engaged, and aligned to what matters most. 

You’ll Learn: 

• How to turn overwhelming change into clear, purposeful narratives that drive focus and alignment 

• Ways to use message discipline to protect attention, improve decision-making, and prevent burnout 

• How to shape AI storytelling and human-centered communication to build trust, connection, and resilience 

Enjoy complimentary coffee, tea, and other refreshments as you network with your peers. 

Be sure to fill out your evaluation forms! 

Many organizations invest heavily in internal brand campaigns—posters, toolkits, launch videos—only to watch momentum fade once the campaign ends. This case study explores how one organization shifted from episodic brand efforts to a sustainable internal brand system embedded into everyday work.

Attendees will learn how the team aligned HR, internal communications, and leadership around a shared brand narrative; translated brand values into clear employee behaviors; and operationalized the brand across onboarding, change communications, and manager toolkits. The session will highlight what worked, what didn’t, and how the organization moved from surface-level awareness to consistent brand expression at scale.

Participants will walk away with practical frameworks for reinforcing brand alignment over time—without relying on constant rebrands, splashy launches, or poster refreshes.

Explore how a forward-thinking organization is reimagining HR and benefits communication for 2026 and beyond. This session will showcase practical innovations: AI-driven personalization, data-informed messaging, and emerging digital platforms, that are transforming how employees connect with benefits and career resources.

Key Takeaways:

• Identify macro trends redefining employee engagement and total rewards.
• Learn how to use technology and analytics to personalize communication at scale.
• Gain a roadmap for preparing HR messaging for the next wave of workplace change.

Reservations have been made at a number of local restaurants.
Don't miss this opportunity to have lunch with your peers at a local Chicago hot spot!
 

**Everyone is financially responsible for their own lunch. 

Bring your toughest HR and benefits communication problems to the room and leave with actionable solutions. Guided by our session chair, participants will share real challenges—from engaging frontline employees to leveraging AI responsibly—then crowdsource strategies and best practices with peers.

HR problems are everywhere. Compelling stories about those problems? Much harder to find. This session transforms attendees from passive listeners into active storytellers by demonstrating live how any HR challenge becomes a data-driven narrative. 

Kam will first walk through the SCQR framework (Situation, Complication, Question, Resolution) using NORC's Mental Health Awareness Month campaign—showing how rising healthcare costs became one of their most impactful benefits campaigns. Then comes the real magic: through interactive polling, the audience collectively builds their own HR story in real-time. 

Session Takeaways: 

• Master the SCQR framework for data-driven HR storytelling 

• Experience live transformation of metrics into meaningful narratives 

• Build actionable communication strategies using real audience data 

• Leave with templates and worksheets for immediate implementation 

Recharge with coffee, light snacks, and great company. This informal networking break gives you the perfect opportunity to connect with peers, exchange ideas, and spark collaborations before heading back into the sessions. 

Total rewards are no longer limited to health plans and retirement packages. Today’s employees expect a complete value proposition that reflects their whole experience—career growth, flexibility, well-being, recognition, and purpose. This panel brings together HR and communications leaders who are redefining the conversation to capture the full employee value equation. 

Don't stop the conversation! 

Join us at the Fairmont lobby bar for complementary drinks as you network with your peers. Participate in raffles & sign-up for dinner with your peers! 

Want to keep the conversation going? Join a group of attendees for dinner at a local Chicago hot spot.
 

Sign-up at the registration desk or during the networking reception to join a group at tonight's dine-around. Reservations have been made.
 

**Dutch treat. 

Enjoy complimentary coffee, tea and continental breakfast as you network with fellow attendees on this final day. 

Together we will recap yesterday's top takeaways and set the stage for this final day of learning. 

As organizations navigate constant transformation, HR communicators are increasingly expected to influence outcomes without a clear change strategy. This session explores how change management concepts can elevate HR communications, from understanding readiness and resistance to designing messages that clarify expectations and support behavior change over time.

Attendees will learn practical ways to incorporate change thinking into communication planning and execution, positioning them as true partners in transformation.

This is a behind‑the‑scenes case study of how Denver International Airport (DEN) brings its unique culture and operational practices to life. It highlights how people‑first engagement, inclusive decision‑making, and intentional communication fuel the airport’s role as the region’s economic engine and sustain the heartbeat that keeps DEN moving.  

Attendees will gain practical insights into translating human‑centered values into daily operational excellence. 

Enjoy complimentary coffee, tea, and other refreshments as you network with your peers. 

Be sure to stop by and visit your sponsors and be sure to fill out your evaluation forms. 

As employee expectations shift and workplaces grow more complex, the connection between HR and internal communications has never been more critical. In this candid fireside chat, Jennifer Benz, Chief Growth Officer at Segal Benz, joins conference chair Preston Lewis to explore how organizations can better align people strategy and communication strategy to drive clarity, trust, and engagement. 

Drawing on decades of experience in HR, benefits, and employee engagement, Jennifer will share practical insight on modernizing total rewards communications, elevating shared ownership between HR and comms, and keeping the human element front and center amid rapid change. 

This session also includes an interactive audience Q&A, giving attendees the opportunity to ask their most pressing questions and engage directly in the conversation. Expect a forward-looking discussion packed with real-world perspective on how integrated HR and communications leadership can shape stronger cultures and measurable impact. 

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how HR and communications teams connect with employees—from content creation and personalization to analytics and engagement strategy. But what’s actually working in practice? In this panel, HR and comms leaders share their early experiments, wins, and lessons learned as they integrate AI into everyday workflows. Gain real-world insight into what tools and approaches are proving most effective, and what to watch out for as the technology continues to evolve.