Best HR events, conferences and webinars for your 2026/7 calendar

Whether you’re expanding your business and want to place your time and support into a critical human resources team, or whether you are in the HR space already and want to expand your network of connections and knowledge, then these events are critical to build into your road map for 2026 and 2027.

This selection of varied conferences, webinars and summits are designed to bring together the top minds in the industry, to share ideas and work towards a better future for the industry. Spread across the world, these events represent those important calendar moments that could give you an advantage in your field.

While you build your HR team or expand within your chosen industry, it’s important to keep on track with other areas of your enterprise. That’s where Wise Business comes in. With low-transparent fees* and mid-market exchange rates, Wise allows you to send money all over the world, supporting your growth at reasonable costs.

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1. RecFest

Date: 2nd July, 2026
Location: Knebworth, United Kingdom
Price: £149

Recruiting is one of the most critical parts of running a successful HR department. RecFest, short for Recruiting Festival, is a one-of-a-kind event that champions quality talent and unique recruiting methods. With talent acquisition professionals, resourcing leaders and product demos all in one place, this is the future of conferencing.

Over 4000 attendees, over 100 speakers and over 100 exhibitors promise to turn Knebworth into a resource unto itself. With a deeper focus and a bigger impact, RecFest is entrenched in practical results. The famous afterparty is also a perfect way to make those key connections.

With a VIP hosted buyer experience and standard tickets available, head to the official RecFest website to get involved and find out more about the agenda.¹

2. HR Analytics Summit

Date: 3rd September, 2026
Location: London, United Kingdom
Price: £249

The HR Analytics Summit is one of Europe’s most fast-moving HR conferences, which brings together HR leaders with talent and most importantly, data analysts, who help influence workplace decision-making.

The summit explores practical solutions, with genuine workplace examples and case studies to prompt those powerful conversations around HR transformation and the employee experience. From Sky and McDonald’s to NBCUniversal, representatives from major brands will be contributing here.

Although ticket prices start at £249, there are alternative options available, so visit the official HR Analytics Summit website.²

3. Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo

Date: 6th - 8th October, 2026
Location: London, United Kingdom
Price: €4,400

Gartner, the leading advisory and research firm, is holding its annual HR Symposium, which also features a wider expo component. The event is organised into eight different tracks, from A to H, which help to shape your experience.

These feature leadership and strategy seminars, coverage of talent management, an overview of the latest technology available and a conversation dedicated to employee culture. The theme of the year is ‘Power New Possibilities: Lead the Transformation of Work,’ with a particular eye towards the change that AI is set to bring on.

Early bird special tickets are available at the official Gartner website, alongside opportunities for group discounts.³

4. UNLEASH World

Date: 22nd - 23rd October, 2026
Location: Paris, France
Price: €2,795

Although UNLEASH America is another useful event to attend for those across the pond, UNLEASH World is a global summit hosted by the technology-centric company. It aims to act as a showcase for the next breakthrough wave of HR tech.

With AI at the heart of the event, UNLEASH World is designed for those that believe in the power of people and tech working together. With a firm track record of notable exhibitors and speakers, UNLEASH World is committed to interactive experiences that land.

Prices start at €2,795 for the most basic ticket, but UNLEASH World’s website offers a range of other exclusive passes.⁴

5. CIPD Festival of Work

Date: 9th-10th June, 2027
Location: London, United Kingdom
Price: Free/TBC

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development hosts the Festival of Work every year, a feel-good and forward-facing event designed to inspire new ways of getting the most out of the people you invest in. The festival is about strategic insights, meaningful connections and immersive, practical experiences.

Over 12,500 attendees attended the event, 210 exhibitors, 130 speakers and 140+ festival activities. It hosted big names like Richard Osman and Professor Alice Roberts, with 7 stages, each dedicated to a different theme. 2027 is sure to be a good one too.

Attendance is normally free, and those who cannot make it to the event should check out the CIPD Festival of Work site for on-demand digital content.⁵

6. HiBob Webinar Series

Date: Ongoing
Location: Online
Price: Free

HiBob already has a respectable back-catalogue of webinars centered on the HR industry, but with more events on the way, industry veterans should keep up to date with everything this series is producing as a range of experts are brought on board to tackle the tough topics.

Upcoming webinars like ‘Beyond AI,’ ‘The New Talent Imperative’ and ‘Pay Transparency as a Catalyst for Business Growth,’ all offer alternative looks at an industry that so often parrots itself. These webinars are about breaking conventions and questioning the status quo.

Head to HiBob’s website for its rich array of past webinars and to register for upcoming events.⁶

7. HR Tech Europe

Date: 21st - 22nd April, 2027
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Price: TBC

Technology is transforming HR across the world and this European expo is designed to drive forward progression and HR success through cutting-edge breakthroughs.

Huge solution providers were on-hand to give demonstrations of their latest systems, while expert speakers theorised as to where the future of HR was heading. HR Tech Asia equally offers an astounding range of innovative exhibitors, for those looking for opportunities further afield.

Head on over to the HR Tech Europe website to get a showcase of what 2026’s event had to offer and to keep an eye on 2027’s proceedings.⁷

8. Engage Employee Summit

Date: 19th-20th May, 2027
Location: London, United Kingdom
Price: Free

So many HR conferences are built around leaders and their relationship with talent. Engage does things differently. This is an employee summit, where the talents are the stars. Fresh ideas and great contacts are just around the corner.

Engage Employee Summit features 250+ speakers, 3,000+ attendees, and sponsors from across the globe. Most importantly though, there are over 800 meetings organised, which provide those integral lines of communication so employees and leaders can be equally heard on matters of support, guidance and employee culture.

Registration for the event is free. While 2026’s version of Engage has passed, keep an eye on the official Engage Summit website for details around 2027’s version.⁸

9. CIPD Webinar Series

Date: Ongoing
Location: Online
Price: Free

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development might host the Festival of Work, but it is also on the front lines of the HR world by hosting year-round webinars on some of the most pressing topics facing the industry today.

Previous webinars to look out for include ‘Navigating a new era of employee relations,’ and ‘Parental and paternity leave – preparing for day-one rights,’ while the recent ‘Equality action plans’ was can’t-miss. Each webinar is hosted by leading practitioners.

While some are member exclusive, there are a range of free webinars available on the CIPD website. Keep an eye on the site for the latest sessions.⁹

10. SHRM Annual Conference & Expo

Date: 27th-30th June, 2027
Location: TBC
Price: TBC

The Society for Human Resource Management or SHRM hosts an annual conference and expo, which compliments its year-round program of networking events, webinars and other relevant conferences. This particular conference is focused on the future of HR and positive leadership.

This year it saw major speakers like Oprah Winfrey and Simon Sinek leading proceedings, SHRM is holding nothing back in delivering for the 20,000+ attending the event across the week. 375+ sessions, 400+ speakers and 9 optional content tracks structure the educational event, which can be customised to individual attendees.

While tickets are largely sold out for this year’s event, head to the official SHRM website for more information.¹⁰

Wise Business goes hand-in-hand with HR

Regardless of if you’re a veteran of the HR space or wish to introduce a talented HR department to your business, this is a sector that will continue to demand your attention. However, that’s not the only way to properly regulate or keep tabs on your business.

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Sources Used:

1. RecFest UK - Event Overview
2. HR Analytics Summit - Event Overview
3. Gartner - HR Symposium/Xpo
4. UNLEASH World - Exhibition information
5. CIPD - Festival of Work
6. HiBob - Webinars
7. HR Tech - Europe expo
8. Engage Employee - UK Summit
9. CIPD - Webinars
10. SHRM - 2026 Annual Conference & Expo

Sources Last Checked: 19/06/2026