Connect Live Chicago: Building the future of talent with our customers at the core

Last stop: Chicago! We took on the windy city to close out our 2023 Connect Live Tour, bringing together more than 600 members of our valued customer and partner community to tackle the most pressing talent trends head-on and relish in thoughtful conversations and peer inspiration.

Crossing state lines and countries, each of our 2023 Connect Live events throughout Los Angeles, London, Paris and now, Chicago, have served up unique opportunities to learn, connect and collaborate on solutions that will shape the future of talent experience.

Our grand finale was chock-full of insights from renowned thought leaders, product experts, and our very own customer community. If you weren’t able to make the last leg of our tour, here’s what you missed.

Cornerstone CEO Himanshu Palsule set the tone at the start of Connect Live Chicago as he took the stage for his opening keynote to discuss Cornerstone’s vision for the future, and how we will achieve that in lockstep with our customers. He dove deep into today’s most pressing market trends and research surrounding the world of work today — from the persistent skills gap and need for upskilling to the impact that AI will have on the future. He shared inspiring stories from our customers who are maximizing their learning and development efforts and gave an exclusive look at Cornerstone’s AI-inspired innovations.

Himanshu left attendees with one word to always remember: believe. Believe in the investments we are making to create the best products. Believe in the amazing work that our customers do in learning and development every single day. Believe that when we work together, we are a force to be reckoned with in changing what learning means.

Himanshu was joined by Cornerstone Chief Customer Officer Toya Del Valle and Chief Product Officer Karthik Suri who echoed the overarching theme felt across the event — customer centricity. Speaking to Cornerstone’s continued commitment to a healthy customer obsession, Toya and Karthik shared more on our dedication to customer service and support and our visionary product roadmap, showcasing how each exciting new innovation is thoughtfully designed to help every customer deliver engaging experiences for their people.

In a seemingly perfect transition from our keynote discussion centered on customer centricity, our customers were the ones to take center stage next in a thought-provoking customer insights panel.

The room was filled with listeners looking to hear more as we asked each HR and learning leader about the trends that are shaping their industries and driving their strategies. We learned more about the ways in which they have partnered with Cornerstone to deliver the art of the possible for their organizations, and engaging experiences for their people at work. It was an exceptional moment of peer inspiration for all that could attend.

Our hope throughout every Connect Live event is that we create a truly immersive experience for our customers, where insights and inspiration are abundant and actionable strategies are shared.

Well, each of our breakout sessions did just that. With our customer’s individual needs in mind, we hosted more than 15 unique sessions spanning nearly every relevant industry topic. Whether it was discussing the role of AI across the L&D space, creating personalized and skill-based content experiences, unleashing learner engagement or maximizing your learning experience impact, there was truly a session for everyone.

Attendees and Cornerstars alike left each session feeling more equipped with the tips and insights they need to make a real impact on their talent strategy, no matter where they are in their personal journey.

It’s no secret that today’s employees need a comprehensive talent management program to achieve their full potential, and organizations need a way to gauge the effectiveness and maturity of their current talent strategy. So you can imagine the excitement when Global VP of Innovation Mike Bollinger hosted his Talent Health Index workshop, where he shared key findings from Cornerstone’s Global Talent Health Index report and unveiled a new model for building a holistic talent program.

Mike provided customers will thoughtful insights on how organizations' talent programs stack up today and what high-performing organizations are doing differently. He shared practical steps to improving programs and ensuring people are getting the growth and development opportunities they need to thrive.

Attendees even had the opportunity to assess the maturity of their own organization’s talent strategies, too, through a free self-assessment. If you’re curious about how your own talent program stacks up, take the self-assessment here.

It’s been an amazing journey embarking on this 2023 Connect Live Tour. We unveiled cutting-edge innovations and groundbreaking customer success initiatives. We shared our perspectives and our insights on what lies ahead. But most importantly, we listened — to our customers and our partners. We heard what learning strategies are working, what matters most to them and their people and where we can continue to be strong partners in their talent journeys.

As we bid farewell to this 2023 series, our excitement and motivation for what is still to come has only grown. We’re committed to the future and are eager to continue seeking out the moments that create a real impact for our customers and their people — working together to find the right solutions that drive their organizations forward and empower their success.

Our ambitions are limitless, and they fuel our passion to help our customers succeed. We hope you were able to experience just a small part of that through our Connect Live events. There is still so much more to come!

Get in touch with a Cornerstone expert to explore how you can tailor our solutions to your organization's needs.