SPARK Talent 2026 is officially here, and it could not have started any better. Attendees from all across the country have found their places in sunny Orlando, Florida for the latest and greatest HR insights from the profession’s top leaders. But the true magic comes from sharing the space, HR leaders and professionals all gathering to build connections and help another out.
Let’s take a look at some of the magical insights we’ve seen in just Day 1 of SPARK Talent, and who’s been leading the conversations.
Scaling with Fanatics
Taking the stage first is Ericka Portis, Director of Performance at Fanatics Betting & Gaming, who we had the chance with earlier to get a little preview of what her presentation would bring. Even then, we still had our pencils and paper out ready to take down everything she said, and her wisdom did not dissapoint.
Portis led the group through what has almost become a forgotten worry in the age of AI: overgrowth. Expanding your business by too much, too fast, leads to more problems than progress, the height of which is capibility debt.
Thankfully, Portis took our HR professionals step-by-step through the process of preventing capability debt, mitigating its impact, and how you can build incrementally, and keep your business strong the whole way through.
Yelp Reviews AI
We’ve all let yelp reviews guide our selection of restaurants and event spaces, so it’s no surprise to want them chiming in on how to use AI. Helene Tracey, Senior Director of Talent Development at Yelp, gave a five-star presentation discussing the pieces most businesses are missing when it comes to AI adoption, and how a stronger framework can be built.
Bluepoint Building Capability
Day one’s sessions ended off on a strong, familiar face, as Joan Peterson, VP and Leadership Coach for Bluepoint Leadership, joined the stage and gave our HR attendees something to think about; what if HR’s greatest strength isn’t solving problems, but creating an environment in which professionals can more easily solve their own?