Illustration of a bright yellow lightbulb with rays radiating above an open blue book.

Solutions for today.
Inspirations for tomorrow.
Built for every team.

April 28-29, 2026 | Chicago

Join us for a two-day conference packed with insights, meaningful connections, and can’t-miss moments for the connected workforce era.

Register today
Join the community that's shaping what’s next

Connect with industry leaders designing connected employee experiences for teams everywhere work happens.

What is Bright?

Two communities. One connected workforce.

Beekeeper and LumApps are bringing their customer communities together to create a space for frontline and employee experience leaders.

Bright Conference reflects how work actually happens today: across desk and frontline teams, powered by connected communication, operations, and digital workplace experiences.

By bringing together customers from both platforms, the Bright Conference offers a 360° view of how organizations are aligning IT, HR, Communications, and Operations to deliver impact at scale.
WHY ATTEND

Unmissable insights and inspiration for leaders shaping the modern employee experience.

Across two days, learn from industry leaders, analysts, and customer peers. See how other organizations are building connected workforce experiences across Communications, Operations, IT, and HR.

Expect practical takeaways you can apply across your workforce, from desk to frontline.

Expert-Led Sessions

Hear from the most visionary voices in EX through keynotes, case studies, workshops, and panels that deliver forward-thinking solutions.

Personalized Tracks

Tailor your experience with sessions for your role (Practitioner, Executive, IT, etc.) and interests, featuring interactive discussions that deliver practical insights from peers and experts.

Next-Level Networking

Forge connections with + 100 EX leaders and like-minded professionals during structured sessions and casual gatherings.

Be Energized

Leave not just with ideas but with the tools, connections, and motivation to create change that lasts.
How you'll learn

Four tracks. One future of work.

Each track blends thought leadership with customer-led sessions and practical formats.

Communicate for Impact

Design communication strategies that scale: reaching desk and frontline employees with relevance, consistency, and measurable impact.

Empower your workforce

Create experiences that support growth, engagement, and retention across every role, from corporate teams to the frontline.

Streamline the stack

Align systems, governance, and integrations to reduce complexity and support how work actually gets done.

Operational excellence

Enable execution across locations with better visibility, coordination, and consistency for frontline teams.
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Agenda at a glance
Day 1
Day 2
8:00 am
Registration + Breakfast
Nourish Hall
9:00 am
Keynote
Opening Keynote
Forum
9:30 am
Keynote
Keynote: Forrester - Transform Your Intranet Into A Connected Employee Hub: Key Trends Shaping The Market for 2026 and Beyond
Forum
Comms
10:30 am
Masterclass
The Manager's Burden: Beyond Just Comms: Internal Comms and Content Strategy for Manager Engagement
HDG Legacy
Forum
Ops
10:30 am
Masterclass
Scaling Culture: How to Grow Company Culture to Fuel Digital Transformation
Yamaha, Equinox
Hub 01
HR
10:30 am
Masterclass
AI in the Employee Experience: From Use Case to Business Case
PennyMac
Hub 02
IT
10:30 am
Masterclass
Structuring for Change: Building a Digital HQ for a Growing Global Workforce
DoorDash
Studio
HR
11:45 am
Roundtable
Will AI kill the intranet?
Nourish Hall
Comms
11:45 am
Roundtable
The Collaboration Gap: HR, Comms, IT – and the Cost of Misalignment
Studio
Ops
11:45 am
Roundtable
From Search to Solve: How to design AI Agents that turn your Intranet into an Action Hub
Nourish Hall
HR
11:45 am
Roundtable
Rewards & Recognition for performance
Nourish Hall
Comms
11:45 am
Roundtable
Turning Employees into Creators
Boardroom
Ops
11:45 am
Roundtable
Increasing Productivity by Digitizing the Daily: Checklists, Audits, Inspections, and Forms
Nourish Hall
IT
11:45 am
Roundtable
Tool Consolidation: One-Stop-Shop, Micro-Apps & APIs
Nourish Hall
HR
11:45 am
Roundtable
Reducing burnout & turnover through connection
Nourish Hall
Comms
11:45 am
Roundtable
Digital Signage and Space Management: A Roundtable on What’s Working (and What’s Next)
Nourish Hall
12:30 pm
Lunch + Networking
Nourish Hall
Comms
1:30 pm
Workshop
How to design a content calendar that drives engagement all year
Forum
Ops
1:30 pm
Workshop
Workflow Architect: Driving productivity for operational excellence
Hub 01
HR
1:30 pm
Workshop
Launch Success: Strategies for high-impact platform rollouts that increase Adoption: Designing Your Employee Listening Strategy
Hub 02
IT
1:30 pm
Workshop
Data-Driven EX: Using analytics to improve adoption and employee experience
Studio
2:45 pm
Experience
Demo Lab
Demo Area
2:45 pm
Experience
Meet The Product Experts
Connect Café
2:45 pm
Networking
Networking
Nourish Hall
Comms
3:40 pm
Panel
Giving Your Internal Communications Strategy a Voice: Brand, Culture & Employee Engagement
Forum
Ops
3:40 pm
Panel
From HQ to Frontline: Operational Alignment at Scale
Hub 01
4:40 pm
Day 1 Closing Remarks
Forum
5:00 pm
Experience
Networking + Demo Quest + Meet Sponsors
Nourish Hall
8:00 am
-
9:00 am
Breakfast
9:00 am
-
10:25 am
Product Keynote
LumApps 3.0 Vision + Roadmap
10:25 am
-
11:20 am
Product Deep Dive
Comms Persona Product Deep Dive
10:25 am
-
11:20 am
Product Deep Dive
Operations Persona Product Deep Dive
10:25 am
-
11:20 am
Product Deep Dive
HR Persona Product Deep Dive
10:25 am
-
11:20 am
Product Deep Dive
Agent Hub Roadmap Vision: Beyond the Search Box: The Next Era of Work Starts with AI Teammates.
11:20 am
-
12:05 pm
Workshop + Lab
Activation Lab + Tolls of Today
11:20 am
-
12:05 pm
Workshop + Lab
Talk about Product Vision + New Features
11:20 am
-
12:05 pm
Workshop + Lab
Meet your CSM
12:05 pm
-
1:15 pm
Lunch + Networking
1:15 pm
-
2:15 pm
Keynote
Day 2 Keynote: Mercer
2:15 pm
-
3:15 pm
Panel
Architecting the Unified Employee Hub: Change Management, AI, & Digital Transformation
2:15 pm
-
3:15 pm
Panel
The Digital Water Cooler: Fostering Community in a Distributed World Engaging Employees Through Moments That Matter
2:15 pm
-
3:15 pm
Panel
Improve the employee experience, success tactics from experts
3:15 pm
-
4:15 pm
Roundtable
Reducing burnout & turnover through connection
3:15 pm
-
4:15 pm
Roundtable
Digital Signage and Space Management: A Roundtable on What’s Working (and What’s Next)
3:15 pm
-
4:15 pm
Roundtable
Increasing Productivity by Digitizing the Daily: Checklists, Audits, Inspections, and Forms
3:15 pm
-
4:15 pm
Roundtable
Tool Consolidation - One-Stop-Shop, Micro-Apps & APIs
3:15 pm
-
4:15 pm
Roundtable
Will AI kill the Intranet?
3:15 pm
-
4:15 pm
Roundtable
Signal vs. Noise - managing notification overload
3:15 pm
-
4:15 pm
Roundtable
From Search to Solve: How to design AI Agents that turn your Intranet into an Action Hub
3:15 pm
-
4:15 pm
Roundtable
Rewards & Recognition for performance
3:15 pm
-
4:15 pm
Roundtable
Turning Employees into Creators
4:15 pm
-
5:00 pm
Customer Awards Ceremony
5:00 pm
-
6:00 pm
Bright Reception + Live Band
2026 SPEAKERS
Lindsay Bosley
Corporate Communications,
Caribou Coffee
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Steve Wilmes
Director of Development,
Catholic Charities
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Phillip Royer
VP People and Performance,
Clear
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Joe Crespin, SHRM CP
Director of Human Resources,
Defined Fitness
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Katharine Spanish
Director of Digital Transformation,
Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supply Inc.
Chicago
Sessions speakers
J.L. Delayen
Intranet and Digital Channels Manage,
DoorDash 
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Thomas Lockamy
People Services Manager,
Equinox Hotels
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Tamara Palmer
Internal Communications Manager,
Flagger Force
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Cheryl McKinnon
Principal Analyst at
Forrester Research
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Chelewa Springs
Regional Director of Operations,
HDG Legacy
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Mark Harvey
Vice President,
Internal Communications Tech, PennyMac
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Laura Kennedy
Director, Team Member Communications,
Life Time
Chicago
Paris
Sessions speakers
Daniel Sztutwojner
Chief Customer Officer,
LumApps
Chicago
Paris
Sessions speakers
Andy Larranaga
Craft Communications Specialist,
Mortenson
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Keenan Kibrick
Multimedia Content Manager,
National Veterinary Associates
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Reece Eberhardt
Data Analyst,
Publicis Sapient
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Shawn Marshall
Communications Manager,
Resorts World America
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Malia Goes
Director of Human Resources,
Senske Family of Companies
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Allison Arnett
Director of Communications,
TreeTop
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Kristin Webb
Manager of Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility,
Yamaha
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Travis Noland
Director of Public Relations & Communications at
Cherokee Nation
Chicago
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Deena Harvanek
Transformation Strategist,
Mercer
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Scott Turner
Partner,
Mercer
Chicago
Sessions speakers
Todd Lambrugo
Senior Principal,
Mercer
Chicago
Sessions speakers
WHAT YOU’LL TAKE AWAY

What you’ll gain at Bright Conference 2026

Trends on how Communications, HR, IT, and Operations work better together

Practical strategies you can apply immediately across desk and frontline teams

Connections with peers to compare notes, solve challenges, and share what works

Learn from experts. Learn from each other.

Bright Conference combines multiple session formats to support different learning styles and priorities:

Keynotes from industry analysts and executive leaders

Customer-led sessions sharing programs, lessons learned, and results

Interactive workshops and master classes

Facilitated peer discussions and roundtables

Every session is designed to encourage dialogue, not passive listening.

THE EXPERIENCE

Inside a Day at Bright Conference

No two moments are the same — but here’s what you can generally expect at Bright:

Morning
Kick off the day with inspiring main stage talks — featuring thought leaders, bold ideas, and real stories about the future of work.
Afternoon
Dive into collaboration with interactive roundtables designed to spark conversations and share challenges with your peers.
All Day
Enjoy relaxed networking moments to connect, reflect, and recharge at your own pace.
Whether it’s your first time or you’re returning, Bright is designed to inspire, energize, and empower.

Register today
Where is Bright?

Bright Conference 2026 will be held at Convene, a modern, centrally located space designed for immersive, full-day experiences.

  • 311 W Monroe St, Chicago, IL
  • Easy access to public transit
  • Located in The Loop neighborhood in the heart of downtown Chicago

This venue offers 4 large rooms for our content tracks, comfortable lounges, meeting spaces and all the amenities needed for a full day of keynotes, workshops, and networking.

Stay with other guests and speakers

Our discounted room block for Bright is now fully booked.

We’ve secured a special discounted room block for Bright Conference attendees at The Allegro Royal Sonesta Hotel, located just minutes from the conference venue.

Hotel Details
With the Bright room block you’ll get:

  • Exclusive discounted nightly rate
  • 10% off food and beverage
  • Complimentary Wi-Fi
  • 2 bottles of water, replenished daily
  • A stay alongside Bright Speakers
  • Located in the heart of Chicago’s famous theater district.

Book through our exclusive room block to secure rooms for only $199/night

Book your stay
Register now

See you in Chicago.

Join us at Bright Conference. Be part of an in-person experience where industry leaders, innovators, and changemakers come together to explore, connect, and decide what’s next for the workforce.

Register today
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Partners & SPONSORS

Supporting the Future of Employee Experience