What Does Leadership Require Now?
Guide the Conversation at the 2026 HBA Annual Conference.
Leadership Strategy Labs are interactive working sessions designed to help conference attendees apply leadership concepts directly to their roles. Guided by a facilitator and supported by experienced industry leaders, each lab combines structured reflection, table discussion, and real-world perspective.
These are not panels. Participants actively engage, work through their own leadership context, and leave with practical actions they can apply immediately.
Attendees may follow a curated leadership pathway aligned to their role or leadership goals, creating a connected experience across all three conference days, or select individual labs based on the topics most relevant to them.
Leadership Pathways
Strategic Enterprise Leader
For leaders shaping strategy, navigating complexity, and making high-impact decisions across systems, stakeholders, and outcomes. (Geared toward VP level and higher)
Functional Leader
For leaders responsible for driving results through people, systems, workflows, and AI-enabled environments.
Emerging Leader
For professionals preparing for expanded responsibility, increasing visibility, and accelerating leadership growth.
Culture and Talent Architect
For leaders focused on workforce performance, engagement, capability building, and the future of talent development.
Transformation Leader
For leaders guiding teams and organizations through disruption, change, and evolving business environments.
Leadership Strategy Lab Facilitators
HBA will select five facilitators, one for each Leadership Strategy Lab pathway. Facilitators will guide participants through all three sessions within their assigned track, helping create a cohesive and connected learning journey across the conference experience.
Facilitators are not traditional presenters. This role is designed for leaders who can guide conversation, encourage participation, manage room dynamics, and help participants translate discussion into meaningful leadership action within a highly interactive environment.
Leadership Strategy Lab Industry Experts
HBA is also seeking experienced industry leaders to serve as industry experts within the Leadership Strategy Labs. Industry experts contribute practical perspective, lived experience, and real-world insight that helps deepen discussion and connect leadership concepts to organizational realities.
Industry experts are not panelists. Their role is to support conversation, share experience that advances discussion, and help participants think through complex leadership challenges in practice.
The Experience
Each Leadership Strategy Lab includes:
- A dedicated facilitator guiding the learning experience
- Industry experts sharing practical insight and lived experience
- Interactive table discussions and reflection exercises
- Opportunities to apply concepts directly to participants’ own leadership contexts
- Action-oriented takeaways designed for immediate application
Call for Thought Leaders
We are now accepting applications for facilitators and industry experts through Friday, 26 June 2026.
Selected facilitators and industry experts will participate in conference preparation activities leading up to the Annual Conference, including coordination sessions, alignment discussions, and preparation related to participant engagement and session flow.
Applications should reflect practical leadership experience, a willingness to contribute within a highly interactive environment, and the ability to support meaningful participant discussion and learning.
Additional details regarding pathways, expectations, session topics, and application questions will be included within the application portal.
Important Dates
Applications Open: Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Applications Close: Friday, 26 June 2026
Review Period: 27 June to 23 July 2026
Selection Notifications: Friday, 24 July 2026
Confirmation Deadline: Friday, 31 July 2026
Conference Preparation Period: August through November 2026