Day 1

Day One: Where Process Makes Progress

7:30 am - 8:30 am Breakfast for All Attendees

8:30 am - 8:45 am Welcome Remarks & Icebreaker

John Ward, Portfolio Director, ProcureCon

8:45 am - 8:55 am Chairperson's Remarks

8:55 am - 9:20 am Keynote: The Contingent Workforce Reality Check: What's Actually Changed And What Hasn't

As contingent programs mature, leaders are under pressure to deliver more value with fewer resources while managing growing complexity. This keynote cuts through the hype to examine what has truly shifted in workforce strategy, technology expectations, and stakeholder demands, and where old assumptions are quietly holding programs back.


Actionable Takeaways:

    1. Identify the three outdated assumptions most mature programs are still operating under
    2. Reframe program success metrics beyond cost and fill rate
    3. Prioritize the next 12–18 months of program focus based on real enterprise constraints 

    9:20 am - 9:40 am Keynote Presentation: From Tools to Outcomes: Why Most Workforce Tech Still Under-Delivers

    Despite heavy investment, many enterprise programs struggle to extract real value from their technology stack. This session explores why tools often fail to translate into outcomes, and what buyers must demand differently moving forward.


    Learn How To:

      1. Create outcome-based success criteria for workforce technology
      2. Spot early warning signs of underperforming platforms
      3. Build accountability into vendor relationships without increasing friction 

      9:40 am - 10:10 am Panel Discussion Remix: Breaking the Bottleneck - Accelerating Contingent Hiring Without Compromise

      Enterprise contingent workforce programs are under constant pressure to move faster without increasing risk or losing visibility. This panel brings together experienced leaders to discuss how they are recalibrating processes, governance, and decision rights to enable speed while maintaining the controls the business demands. Panelists will share where they are reinvesting time and resources before joining attendees for small group discussions on how to simplify programs without sacrificing control.

      Actionable Takeaways

        • Identify which approval steps truly protect the business and which ones slow hiring without reducing risk
        • Define clear decision ownership across procurement, HR, legal, and the business to prevent delays and confusion
        • Apply practical guardrails that allow faster hiring while preserving compliance, visibility, and spend control 

        10:10 am - 10:40 am Morning Networking Break

        10:40 am - 11:10 am BUSINESS MEETINGS

        11:15 am - 11:45 am BUSINESS MEETINGS

        11:45 am - 12:45 pm Networking Lunch For All Attendees

        10:40 am - 11:10 am Presentation: The Hidden Cost of Slow Hiring: How MSPs Help Enterprises Restore Speed

        Slow contingent hiring is rarely caused by one system or one policy. It is typically the result of fragmented ownership, over engineered workflows, and misaligned incentives across the hiring ecosystem. In this session, an experienced MSP shares how they help enterprises diagnose where hiring stalls, realign decision ownership, and redesign operating models to improve speed while delivering better outcomes for the business.

        Actionable Takeaways

          • Understand how MSPs identify hidden bottlenecks across sourcing, approvals, and onboarding
          • Learn how leading MSPs simplify hiring workflows and decision rights across stakeholders
          • See how MSP benchmarks and operating models accelerate measurable improvements in time to hire 

          11:15 am - 11:45 am THINK TANK: Unlocking the Full Value of Your VMS - What the Platform Can Do Today and How to Use It Better

          In 2026, leading VMS platforms are capable of far more than basic requisition management, yet many enterprise programs still use only a fraction of their functionality. This think tank focuses on what modern VMS solutions can actually support today when configured and governed effectively, and how buyers are leveraging the platform to improve hiring speed, visibility, compliance, and stakeholder adoption. Participants will exchange practical approaches for maximizing value from their existing VMS investment without adding unnecessary complexity.


          Actionable Takeaways

            • Identify high-impact VMS capabilities that are commonly underutilized in mature programs
            • Learn how to configure workflows and approvals to better support speed and usability
            • Develop a practical optimization checklist to extract more value from the VMS already in place 

            11:45 am - 12:45 pm Private Lunch

            12:45 pm - 1:30 pm Primary Roundtables

            Table 1: If You Had to Cut 30 Percent of Your Process Tomorrow, What Would Go?

            Moderated By:
            Table 2: Outcome-Based or Time-Based: What Actually Works in SOW Engagements
            Moderated By:

            Table 3: What Technology Should Enable And What It Should Stay Out Of
            Moderated By:  

            1:30 pm - 1:40 pm Afternoon Chairperson's Remark's

            1:45 pm - 2:15 pm BUSINESS MEETINGS

            2:20 pm - 2:50 pm BUSINESS MEETINGS

            1:45 pm - 2:15 pm Interactive Workshop: Compliance Mastery: Staying Ahead of Regulatory Change

            Staying compliant is critical in a world of evolving labor laws, worker classification challenges, and increased scrutiny. This workshop arms suppliers with the knowledge and tools needed to mitigate compliance risk and strengthen trust with clients through policy expertise and rigorous operational discipline.


              • Demystify key regulatory changes impacting the contingent workforce in 2026.
              • Strengthen your compliance protocols to reduce client liability and audit risks.
              • Collaborate with clients on proactive risk management and transparent oversight. 

              2:20 pm - 2:50 pm Interactive Workshop: Scaling Globally Through Partnerships Without Losing Control

              As enterprises expand contingent workforce programs across new regions, partnerships have become the fastest path to scale. This working group brings buyers together to examine how leading organizations are using MSPs, staffing firms, EORs, and regional specialists to enter new markets while maintaining governance, visibility, and consistency. Participants will collaborate on a practical framework for expanding globally without creating fragmentation or compliance risk.


              Actionable Takeaways

                • Define which capabilities should remain centralized and which can be owned by regional partners
                • Identify the most common partnership missteps that slow global expansion
                • Build a partner selection and governance model that scales across regions without adding complexity 

                2:50 pm - 3:20 pm Afternoon Networking Break

                3:20 pm - 3:40 pm Fireside Chat: Decision-Making Under Pressure: Leading When Information Is Imperfect

                Contingent leaders often make high-impact decisions without perfect data or consensus. This session explores leadership strategies for navigating ambiguity.


                Actionable Takeaways:

                  1. Build confidence in imperfect decision environments
                  2. Avoid analysis paralysis during critical moments
                  3. Communicate decisions clearly even amid uncertainty 

                  3:40 pm - 4:00 pm Presentation: AI That Actually Works - Where Automation Helps and Where It Hurts in Contingent Staffing

                  After years of pilots and experimentation, enterprise contingent workforce leaders are becoming far more selective about how and where AI is applied. This session focuses on real world use cases that are delivering measurable value today, as well as areas where automation introduces risk, bias, or operational friction. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for evaluating AI capabilities beyond marketing claims and determining where human oversight remains essential.


                  Actionable Takeaways

                    • Identify AI use cases in contingent staffing that consistently deliver speed, insight, or efficiency
                    • Recognize scenarios where automation creates unintended risk or undermines trust
                    • Apply a simple decision framework to determine when AI should assist, inform, or step aside 

                    4:00 pm - 4:30 pm Panel Discussion: The Partner Reset - What Buyers Expect Now and Why Expectations Have Shifted

                    As contingent workforce programs mature, enterprise buyers are reassessing what they truly need from MSPs, staffing firms, and technology partners. Expectations have shifted from implementation support and hand-holding to accountability, adaptability, and measurable outcomes. In this panel, enterprise leaders share how and why they are resetting partner relationships, what they expect today, and how partners can evolve to remain relevant and valuable.

                    Actionable Takeaways
                    • Identify how buyer expectations have changed across MSP, staffing, and technology partnerships
                    • Clarify what "strategic partnership" means in practice rather than in theory
                    • Apply practical steps to reset partner relationships without disrupting program stability 

                    4:35 pm - 5:05 pm BUSINESS MEETINGS

                    5:10 pm - 5:40 pm BUSINESS MEETINGS

                    4:35 pm - 5:05 pm Presentation: Why Great Talent Walks Away - What Staffing Firms See Before Buyers Do

                    Staffing firms are often the first to see when hiring processes, timelines, and communication begin costing enterprises access to top contingent talent. In this session, a staffing leader shares real patterns observed across enterprise programs, highlighting where delays, unclear expectations, and inconsistent engagement cause high-quality talent to disengage or accept competing offers. Attendees will gain a clearer view of how their program is experienced on the talent side and what changes make the biggest difference.


                    Actionable Takeaways

                      • Identify the most common points where top contingent talent disengages during the hiring process
                      • Understand how delays and inconsistent communication directly impact candidate acceptance and supplier engagement
                      • Apply practical 

                      5:10 pm - 5:40 pm Think Tank: Workshop Improving Candidate Experience: From Sourcing To Placement

                      Great candidate experience is now a differentiator and suppliers who get it right will win the talent wars. This energetic workshop focuses on elevating the end-to-end journey, from initial outreach to final placement, with authentic engagement, smoother onboarding, and consistent communication.

                        • Craft candidate journeys that inspire, engage, and convert top talent.
                        • Refine onboarding and support processes to reduce fallout and boost satisfaction.
                        • Listen to feedback to continuously personalize and optimize candidate interactions.  

                        5:40 pm - 6:40 pm Cocktail Reception

                        6:40 pm - 6:40 pm Conclusion of Day One