4 Memorable Moments from Engage Sydney 2022
Can you believe it? Engage Sydney 2022 is over for another year! Whether you joined us in Sydney or weren’t able to make it, we don’t want you to miss out, so here are four of the most memorable moments from the conference. If you missed it, you can catch up the highlights from the opening keynote session presented by Jeff Neumann, Bullhorn’s VP of Product Marketing here.
Meet the Moment
The major theme at Engage Sydney 2022 was Meet the Moment. Recruitment agencies face a tremendous opportunity today to grow their business as the demand for talent reaches new highs. To take advantage of this opportunity, agencies must strive towards delivering a high-touch experience using technology throughout the recruiting process.
The theme featured throughout the day but in particular during the opening keynote session where Jeff Neumann said, “The time is now to think through your strategies, think through your approaches of how you’re going to engage talent both internal and external. We have the ability to change the way we engage our teams, our talent, and our clients to help you grow and accelerate your business. This is what meeting the moment is all about”.
The panel on Attracting & Retaining Recruiters in a Flexibility-First Workforce highlighted the importance of internal employees and how they can help your agency meet the moment. All the panelists agreed its never been more important to retain internal talent. “For me, retention planning across your business isn’t [about] making it hard to leave, it’s making it great to stay,” Adam Forster explained.
This image features (from left to right): Andrea McDonald, Director at u&u. Recruitment Partners, Adam Forster, Managing Director at Ambition, Imogen Storie, Co-Founder & Director at MAYDAY Recruitment and Lauren Thom, Global Account Director – Enterprise at Bullhorn during the panel on Attracting & Retaining Recruiters in a Flexibility-First Workforce.
It’s Time to Invest in Digital Transformation
A key message that was featured in all the sessions in the Technology break-out track was that now is the time to invest in digital transformation. During the session, Make Better Business Decisions with the Help of Analytics, Joe McGuire, Bullhorn’s Sales & Strategy Director, Analytics highlighted that over the past two years we’ve had the emergence of remote workforces, hybrid workforces, the four day work-week and much more flexibility for staff. “The desire for easier access to data and information has really changed”, said Joe. Agencies must digitise their processes by getting all their data into one single source of truth, to deal with these new work models and deliver better customer service, reduce mistakes while redeploying talent faster.
The good news is, according to the 2022 GRID results, the APAC region has been phenomenal at adopting digital transformation, with 89 percent of respondents saying they have a digital transformation strategy or a plan in place to implement one. Hugh Catterall, Global Account Specialist, Enterprise at Bullhorn, noted this trend during the session – Everything You Didn’t Know You Could Do with Automation – when he said, “Within APAC, we’ve seen a huge uptake in automation compared to the rest of the globe”.
Networking with Marketplace Partners
Bullhorn’s marketplace of over 100 pre-integrated technology partners gives recruitment agencies the tools they need to build a unique, future-proof solution. It offers Bullhorn customers; choice as to who you partner with, confidence as each partner in the program is vetted to ensure they are fit for purpose, and ultimately the ability for customisation to suit the needs of their specific business.
After a two year hiatus, it was fantastic to see attendees at Engage interacting face-to-face with our Marketplace partners, including our platinum partners, CloudCall and Recruiter Insider. During the session breaks the exhibition area was full to the brim with people learning about and discussing the recruitment-specific technology available to support their business. Did you get to try a CloudCall melting moment? These delicious cookies were a highlight for many in attendance.
Closing Keynote with Dylan Alcott AO
Not many people can lay claim to being a Paralympic gold medallist and world champion whilst still being in their teenage years. Australian of the Year, Dylan Alcott AO, is one of the rare people who can.
To end the day at Engage Sydney, Dylan joined us to deliver an inspiring story about how he was able to beat the odds and achieve more than the doctors ever thought possible. Dylan detailed how he was able to meet the moment on multiple occasions to become a three-time Paralympic Gold Medallist, and four-time Paralympic Medallist in two sports, wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball. He shared his views on disability awareness, education, and encouraged attendees to change their perceptions of people with disabilities.
Thanks to everyone who helped make Engage Sydney great! Over the next few weeks, we’ll be digging deeper into the key takeaways from our fabulous lineup of Engage speakers.
If you’re interested in tickets for Engage 2023, please register your interest here.