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Name: Bright Conference 2026 - Chicago
Start: 2026-04-28
End: 2026-04-29
Location: Chicago

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.

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

8:00 am

Registration + Breakfast

9:00 am

Keynote

Opening Keynote: Forrester

Comms

10:30 am

Masterclass

The Manager's Burden: Beyond Just Comms: Internal Comms and Content Strategy for Manager Engagement

Ops

10:30 am

Masterclass

From Paper to Digital: Leading operational change in your workforce

10:30 am

Masterclass

Data-Driven EX: Using analytics to improve adoption and employee experience

10:30 am

Masterclass

The Guardrails of Growth: Governance Lessons from the DoorDash Digital HQ

11:45 am

Roundtable

Moderation VS Company Culture

Comms

11:45 am

Roundtable

Signal vs. Noise: Managing Notification Overload

Ops

11:45 am

Roundtable

Workflows Automation & interoperability

11:45 am

Roundtable

IT as Business Accelerator

11:45 am

Roundtable

Rewards & Recognition for performance

Comms

11:45 am

Roundtable

Turning Employees into Creators

Ops

11:45 am

Roundtable

Increasing Productivity by Digitizing the Daily: Checklists, Audits, Inspections, and Forms

11:45 am

Roundtable

Tool Consolidation: One-Stop-Shop, Micro-Apps & APIs

11:45 am

Roundtable

Reducing burnout & turnover through connection

Comms

11:45 am

Roundtable

Creating a Dynamic Workplace Experience

12:30 pm

Lunch + Networking

Comms

1:30 pm

Workshop

Designing a Scalable Content & Governance Model Across 70+ Sites (how to design a content calendar that drives engagement all year)

Ops

1:30 pm

Workshop

Workflow Architect: Driving productivity for operational excellence

1:30 pm

Workshop

Launch Success: Strategies for high-impact platform rollouts that increase Adoption: Designing Your Employee Listening Strategy

1:30 pm

Workshop

AI in the Employee Experience: From Use Case to Business Case

2:45 pm

Experience

Demo Lab

2:45 pm

Experience

Meet The Product Experts

2:45 pm

Networking

Comms

3:40 pm

Panel

Giving Your Internal Communications Strategy a Voice: Brand, Culture & Employee Engagement

Ops

3:40 pm

Panel

Architecting the Unified Employee Hub: Change Management, AI, & Digital Transformation

4:40 pm

Day 1 Closing Remarks

5:00 pm

Experience

Networking + Demo Quest + Meet Sponsors

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

CMS/C&C + Channels Roadmap Vision

10:25 am

11:20 am

Product Deep Dive

Work & Automation Roadmap Vision

10:25 am

11:20 am

Product Deep Dive

Learning & Employee Listening Roadmap Vision

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

The Digital Water Cooler: Fostering Community in a Distributed World Engaging Employees Through Moments That Matter

2:15 pm

3:15 pm

Panel

From HQ to Frontline: Operational Alignment at Scale

3:15 pm

4:15 pm

Roundtable

Reducing burnout & turnover through connection

3:15 pm

4:15 pm

Roundtable

Creating a Dynamic Workplace Experience

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

Moderation Vs Company Culture

3:15 pm

4:15 pm

Roundtable

Signal vs. Noise - managing notification overload

3:15 pm

4:15 pm

Roundtable

Workflows Automation & interoperability

3:15 pm

4:15 pm

Roundtable

IT as Business Accelerator

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

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

Tamara Palmer

Internal Communications Manager,

Flagger Force

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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Partners & SPONSORS

Two communities. One connected workforce.

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

Expert-Led Sessions

Personalized Tracks

Next-Level Networking

Be Energized

Four tracks. One future of work.

Communicate for Impact

Empower your workforce

Streamline the stack

Operational excellence

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

Inside a Day at Bright Conference

Stay with other guests and speakers

See you in Chicago.

Supporting the Future of Employee Experience