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! 

Welcome to the The 2026 Employee Experience Conference.  

In this fast-paced forum, you'll get to know your fellow peers, their biggest internal communications challenges, and a few fun facts. 

Discover a real-world blueprint for transforming employee engagement at scale. This session highlights how culture campaigns, staff storytelling, cross-department partnerships, and student-led initiatives can amplify employee voice, foster belonging, and turn one-off events into organization-wide culture change. Walk away with practical strategies you can apply immediately. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Practical tools and frameworks to activate employee voice and strengthen belonging 

• Strategies to scale engagement initiatives across departments and teams 

• Approaches to turn events and campaigns into sustainable culture change 

Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV) is transforming the way its global workforce connects by launching a modern intranet and integrating AI tools designed to simplify work, personalize information, and elevate the employee experience across every location. In this session, HGV reveals how they’re building a digital workplace that keeps pace with evolving expectations, while strengthening clarity, culture, and connection. 

You will:  

• Discover what a future-ready intranet looks like and how to build one that employees actually use 

• Learn practical ways AI can streamline communication, support frontline teams, and improve consistency across locations 

• Understand how to modernize the employee experience without overwhelming teams or disrupting daily operations 

• Gain insight into HGV’s rollout playbook, adoption strategies, and lessons learned along the way 

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. 

With decades of experience, this session highlights how thoughtful engagement events and recognition programs bring employees together—whether in-office or remote. Attendees will discover practical ideas to boost connection, celebrate contributions, and keep teams motivated through interactive experiences like scavenger hunts, awards, and creative recognition initiatives. 

Attendees will discover:  

• Easy-to-implement engagement events that energize teams 

• Recognition strategies that resonate and reinforce culture 

• Ways to keep remote employees connected and included 

Unlock the power of AI-driven platforms to turn communication into a catalyst for culture, clarity, and connection. In this session, you’ll see how modern tools—like Microsoft Copilot, Viva, and Teams—simplify the flow of information and deliver personalized experiences that employees love, leaders trust, and business outcomes reflect. 

What You’ll Take Away: 

• A proven playbook to unify communications and automate the employee journey with Copilot, Viva, and Teams—at scale. 

• Personalization that performs—how to deliver targeted messages, nudges, and resources while measuring sentiment and impact in real time. 

• Rollout essentials—templates, governance tips, and KPIs to launch quickly, drive adoption, and show ROI fast. 

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

**Everyone is financially responsible for their own lunch. 

Transform the new-hire experience by mapping first-day journeys, identifying quick wins, and creating actionable ideas to make onboarding more engaging and memorable. 

Attendees will learn how to look beyond polished soundbites to find the off-beat, emotional, and meaningful moments employees experience every day. Through real-world examples and time-tested storytelling techniques, this session shows how authentic employee stories can strengthen connection, build pride, and create a shared sense of purpose across teams.

• Find compelling employee stories in unexpected places and roles
• Use journalistic storytelling techniques to create emotional connection and credibility
• Elevate everyday employee experiences into narratives that reinforce mission and values
• Embed authentic storytelling into internal communications and culture efforts

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. 

Flexibility, connection, performance—can you really have it all? Hear how top organizations are creating people-first cultures that thrive no matter where employees work. Discover actionable strategies to balance remote freedom with meaningful engagement. 

Don't stop the conversation! 

 Join us at the Swan & Dolphin hotel bar to network, 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 Orlando 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. 

Learn how to turn post-change “aftershocks” into opportunities for trust, culture, and connection with proven communication strategies. Walk away ready to lead your teams through uncertainty with clarity and confidence. 

What You’ll Learn: 

• Cut through noise with clear, purpose-driven messaging 

• Build real engagement with active listening and feedback loops 

• Shape a resilient, connected culture after change 

This case study explores how one organization transformed its engagement survey into a listening and action system that raised overall engagement from 67% to 80% in one year, with 92% participation across frontline, operations, and corporate teams—moving from below-average engagement results to top-quartile rankings and earning external recognition as a top employer.

The session focuses on how transparent communication, team-level accountability, and direct engagement with employee feedback on inclusion and culture strengthened trust and drove measurable improvement.

Attendees will leave with practical tools for:

• Moving from employee feedback to clear priorities
• Accountable action
• Results employees can actually see.

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. 

Turn recognition from concept to practice—brainstorm and design simple, meaningful ways to celebrate contributions that strengthen culture and boost engagement. 

Keeping employees informed, aligned, and inspired is harder than ever. This panel explores modern communication strategies that cut through the noise, strengthen collaboration, and ensure your workforce stays connected—no matter the platform.