Jul 28, 2026

HCI Announces SPARK TALENT 2026, Bringing Talent Leaders Together to Build the Future-Ready Workforce

Talent development, leadership, AI, and workforce transformation take center stage October 6–8 in Disney Springs, Florida 

BRENTWOOD, Tenn., July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Human Capital Institute (HCI) has announced SPARK TALENT 2026, taking place October 6–8, 2026, at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista – Disney Springs Area in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Designed for leaders across talent management, learning and development, leadership development, organizational development and HR, the conference will explore how organizations can build future-ready capabilities, strengthen leadership pipelines, accelerate workforce development and connect talent strategy directly to business performance. 

Today's organizations face unprecedented pressure to continuously develop talent while navigating AI, evolving skill requirements, organizational transformation and increasing expectations for measurable business impact. Yet for many companies, knowing what needs to change is far easier than building the leadership capability, skills and culture required to make that transformation successful. 

"Talent development has become a business imperative that directly influences organizational performance, innovation, and resilience," said Stacey Bailey, Vice President of Product at HCI. "We designed SPARK TALENT as a collaborative working session where HR and talent leaders work alongside their peers to develop practical frameworks, exchange ideas, and leave with actionable strategies they can immediately apply to strengthen leadership capability, workforce skills, and internal mobility while driving measurable business outcomes." 

Unlike traditional conferences centered on presentations, SPARK TALENT emphasizes active participation through workshops, collaborative discussions and peer learning that help attendees translate new ideas into practical action. 

Throughout the three-day event, attendees will participate in hands-on workshops and collaborative discussions focused on topics including: 

  • AI-powered talent development and coaching
  • Leadership development and succession planning
  • Workforce capability and skills strategies
  • Measuring learning impact and business outcomes
  • Manager effectiveness and organizational change
  • Internal mobility and career growth 

Featured speakers from organizations including LinkedIn, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, Yelp, Marriott International, Fanatics Betting & Gaming, Royal Caribbean Group, American Express Global Business Travel and AMC Theatres will share practical lessons from their own organizations on leading through uncertainty, applying AI to talent development, building future-ready leadership pipelines and strengthening organizational capability. 

"Leaders today cannot operate with the same playbook they have always used. It's not fit for purpose in a world that is constantly changing and adapting," says conference speaker Alison Parrin from The Google School for Leaders. "Instead, leaders need new practices that help them navigate complex contexts more effectively. These practices can help cut through the noise and deliver impact in new ways." 

Beyond the conference sessions, SPARK TALENT is designed to foster meaningful professional relationships. With a smaller, curated audience, highly interactive session formats and a relaxed resort setting just steps from Disney Springs, attendees have opportunities for authentic conversations, collaborative problem solving and peer learning that extend well beyond the classroom. 

Building high-performing cultures requires more than developing individual leaders. Throughout the conference, speakers will explore how leadership behaviors, organizational culture and accountability combine to drive long-term business performance. "Why be good when you can be great? The organizations that win long-term have leaders who build a culture of clear strategy, lived values, and mutual accountability for great performance - that combo's the differentiator, especially as everything else keeps changing," adds conference speaker Kaylee Chun from Netflix. 

Together, these sessions are designed to equip attendees with practical strategies they can implement immediately to strengthen leadership, develop talent and drive measurable organizational results. 

SPARK TALENT 2026 also brings together solution providers helping organizations solve today's talent challenges. Sponsors including Go1 and The Myers-Briggs Company will showcase innovative solutions to learning, leadership development and workforce capability, giving attendees opportunities to explore practical solutions alongside the conference's educational programming. 

Registration is now open and attendees can earn recertification credits through HRCI, SHRM, HCI and ATD by attending SPARK TALENT. Additional information, the complete agenda and speaker lineup are available at https://www.hci.org/spark-talent-conference-2026.