I had the pleasure of attending the HR Tech Festival at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre over the last 2 days. I haven’t seen the official numbers, but it looked considerably larger than last year, with high-profile guest speakers and a wide variety of exhibitors and attendees. Well done to HRM Asia for a well-organised and well-attended event.

After a good night’s rest, I thought reflecting on my top 3 observations would be good.

1. Many new names entering HR Tech landscape. Walking the events space amongst the established names, I could see many new companies offering a variety of innovative platforms. It was great to make the connections, learn more about their niche, and I hope to meet again after the event to hear more about their offering. I can sense we are on the verge of a new wave of innovation, and the landscape could be different again next year. 
2. Hiring for skills was a hot topic and appeared in several keynote addresses and conversations at our booth and lunch tables. There seemed to be broad acceptance of a skills-based hiring strategy, and many see a ‘skills-first’ mentality as a critical strategy to reach diverse talent pools. However, the execution of the strategy was another story. Listening to HR Leaders’ stories, it seems that ‘skills-based’ hiring can be many things, with some measures being very tactical and straightforward to deploy. However, for skills-based hiring to be fully realised, it required broader company-wide support and execution. We will watch this space. 
3. How great our Marketing Team is: We received many comments about how impressive and welcoming the AMS event space was, and I could see the AMS Singapore team having some great conversations about the world of work. We are very conscious that our ‘swag’ and giveaways are sustainable and can be well used over and over. Once again, well played, Alyssa Tan and the AMS Marketing Team. 

That’s a wrap for another year. I’m glad I attended, and thanks to everyone who visited the AMS booth. Feel free to reach out for those that didn’t get the chance; we would be more than happy to connect.