Talent Pool Forum 2026: Program and Project Defenses

Practical program of the Talent Pool Forum: roles, project defenses, dialogue with leadership, feedback, and decisions after the event.

The Talent Pool Forum brings together program participants, managers, and HR around the transition from learning to the next development step. There, they can defend projects, align expectations, and agree on practice after the event. The forum itself does not create a talent pool and does not replace HR procedures.

At Aventura, we start such a project with the outcome of each block. First, we define the decisions that are acceptable on the main stage. Then we build tracks, routes, the technical scenario, and the recording of agreements. This way, the program does not turn into a series of leadership presentations.

What does the Talent Pool Forum solve?

The forum creates a common checkpoint for the development program. Participants show the progress of their work, discuss real tasks, and receive a clear next step. HR sees where the program needs a new module, managers get acquainted with the projects, and participants understand the boundaries of decisions. The result is a set of documented actions, not an impression from the stage.

Кадровый резерв шире одного события. CIPD описывает succession planning как поиск и development людей для будущих лидерских и критичных для бизнеса ролей. OPM включает в управление талантами планирование преемственности, оценку, development, удержание и обмен знаниями. Форум поддерживает этот цикл, но не подменяет его.

До разработки сценария мы просим HR сформулировать одно предложение: «After the forum каждый участник должен...». Рабочий ответ заканчивается наблюдаемым действием. Например: получить комментарии к проекту, выбрать практику, согласовать встречу с наставником или зафиксировать план доработки.

The phrase “feel part of the company’s future” is too vague for staging. It can be kept in communication, but the director’s script requires a concrete result. For similar business formats, we use the mechanics organizing forums and seminars: each block has an entry, a participant action, and an exit.

Форум полезен в четырёх ситуациях:

1. The training module has ended, and participants need to apply their knowledge to business tasks.
2. Project teams are ready to present an interim result.
3. Leadership needs a substantive dialogue with the talent pool without public appointments.
4. HR wants to synchronize participant development across functions or branches.

If the task is to open vacancies to all employees, a better fit is internal job fair. The forum works with an already selected group and its development.

An acceptable promise to participants

Участие в форуме не означает назначение на должность. Проектная защита показывает ход мышления, работу с ограничениями и взаимодействие с командой. Готовность человека к конкретной роли определяет работодатель в своей кадровой процедуре. В приглашении и на открытии это правило звучит одинаково, без двусмысленных обещаний.

Эту границу важно произнести в приглашении, на открытии и перед обратной связью. Иначе эмоциональная фраза руководителя может прозвучать как обещание повышения. CIPD отмечает, что психологический контракт складывается из повседневных действий и заявлений работодателя и из того, как сотрудник их понимает.

Безопасная формула звучит так: программа даёт доступ к развитию, практике и рассмотрению на будущие роли при наличии потребности и прохождении принятых процедур. Она не называет срок повышения и не закрепляет должность за участником.

На общей сцене допустимы:

• appreciation for completed work;
• comment on the project’s content;
• invitation to refine the project;
• offer to discuss practical experience or mentoring;
• outlining the overall timeline for next steps.

В закрытый контур уходят индивидуальная кадровая оценка, сравнительный рейтинг людей, решение о преемнике, чувствительные данные и разговор о конкретной вакансии. Протокол общей части не должен становиться теневым кадровым приказом.

Who participates and what are they responsible for?

У форума есть как минимум пять владельцев решений. HR отвечает за рамку программы и правила работы с участниками. Руководители формулируют задачи и дают содержательную обратную связь. Владельцы проектов подтверждают факты. Событийная команда собирает программу и площадку. Сам участник отвечает за подготовку проекта и вопросы комиссии.

Мы не объединяем кадровую комиссию и сценическое жюри автоматически. Если люди на сцене оценивают только качество проекта, это так и называется. Если компания использует результат в кадровой оценке, HR заранее описывает критерии, состав комиссии, доступ к данным и порядок обратной связи.

For a large event, it is convenient to separate the program and the organization of the event. The program owner decides what is discussed and what outcome is acceptable. The event owner is responsible for the schedule and navigation. They also link registration, room operations, and technical support. Such a forum often requires a full scope of conference organization, not just renting a venue and a host.

Forum program architecture

Программа строится от действий участников. Общую рамку задаёт пленарная часть, а предметную работу переносят в треки. Затем команды защищают projects и обсуждают их с руководством. Завершает маршрут закрытый разбор с зафиксированным следующим действием. Участник заранее знает, где слушает, где работает и где получает решение.

Пример однодневной архитектуры без жёсткой привязки ко времени:

1. Start and rules. The forum goal, decision boundaries, working with questions and data.
2. Business context. Executives explain the tasks without repeating the corporate presentation.
3. Role tracks. Participants work through management situations, a function, or a project task.
4. Project defenses. Teams present using a unified framework and receive a decision on their work.
5. Dialogue with leadership. Prepared questions about priorities, barriers, and ways to participate.
6. Private feedback. The participant receives comments and the next developmental step.
7. Overall finale. The company records the follow-up process without publishing a ranking of people.

Не все блоки обязаны проходить в одном зале. Общая сцена подходит для контекста и общих правил. Секции нужны для предметной работы. Небольшие комнаты полезны для индивидуальной обратной связи. Онлайн-кабинет хранит материалы, вопросы и статусы после события.

Количество треков зависит от состава группы и площадки. Мы не делим людей только ради параллельности. У каждого потока должна быть своя задача, ведущий и способ вернуть вывод в общую программу.

How to structure project defenses?

Защита оценивает качество работы с задачей. Every team needs the same framework. It includes the problem, verified facts, constraints, and a proposed solution. The team separately names the risks, the request to management, and the next action. The panel sees the criteria and decision options in advance, so it discusses the content according to common rules.

OPM defines action learning as an approach in which people and teams develop and present solutions to real organizational problems. Therefore, it is better to tie the learning project to the actual task owner. The owner confirms the facts and can continue the work after the forum.

The defense passport can be assembled from seven fields:

1. What problem does the team solve and for whom?
2. What facts have already been verified?
3. What constraints cannot be ignored?
4. What does the team propose?
5. How will the hypothesis be tested?
6. What resource or decision is needed from the owner?
7. What will the team do after the forum?

The panel also has a single sheet. We suggest evaluating the connection to the task, the verification of facts, feasibility, risk management, clarity of the request, and quality of answers. The company sets the weight of the criteria. Scores do not have to appear on screen.

The decision after the presentation should be clearer than applause. Practical options: accept for further development, return for revision, schedule hypothesis testing, or stop the work with an explanation. The detailed mechanics of preparing the demo can be taken from the article about corporate project demo day, but at the forum the result also includes the participant's next step.

The defense is rehearsed not for a memorized speech. The team checks timing, visibility of materials, transitions between participants, the demo, and answers to difficult questions. The project owner confirms the factual data before the presentation.

How to give a participant private feedback?

Individual feedback is separated from awards and the overall finale. The participant should understand who is speaking, on what basis, and what will happen next. A development conversation should not become a public comparison of people. For this, HR selects a closed channel, the composition of experts, and the format for recording the agreement in advance.

The feedback working card contains four fields:

• observable action or response from the participant;
• a strength in the context of the task;
• an area for practice without personal diagnosis;
• next step, owner, and contact date.

The phrase “you lack leadership” is too general. It is more useful to name the situation: “When asked about risks, the team listed barriers but did not assign an owner for the solution.” Then the participant understands which action to practice.

Feedback can be delivered in a short private meeting, in the participant’s office, or through HR after comments have been consolidated. The channel depends on the company’s HR policy. The forum scenario records only the moment of delivery, privacy, and the expected status.

The mentor helps the participant work through the feedback and put it into practice. They should not answer on the reserve candidate's behalf during the defense. For a separate mentoring track, a program of a corporate Mentor's Day would be useful.

Open conversation with leadership

Dialogue with leadership works when questions are collected, grouped, and cleared for open discussion. The manager knows the topics but does not read prepared answers. The moderator maintains the boundary between general principles and individual HR decisions. A sensitive question gets a dedicated recipient instead of a random answer from the stage.

We collect questions before the forum and keep a channel for the room. This reveals recurring topics, sensitive wording, and questions that require a separate answer. Selection does not mean removing inconvenient topics. It helps route a question to the right owner and avoid disclosing personal data.

The program can include three levels of conversation:

1. Strategy. Which tasks and roles will be important for the company.
2. Practice. Where reserve candidates can gain experience through projects, rotations, or temporary leadership.
3. Process. How status is reviewed, who gives feedback, and where to turn after the forum.

OPM cites rotation as an option for a development practice. In a Russian company, HR and legal counsel determine the permissible format of a temporary assignment. From the stage, you can announce the principle and process, but you cannot appoint a person without the required procedure.

If there is no answer yet, the manager names the owner and the response deadline. A card appears in the minutes: question, responsible person, next step, and response channel. This is more honest than a hasty promise.

Branches, hybrid, and accessibility

A remote participant should have an equivalent opportunity to participate, not just a link to the broadcast. They need a way to ask a question, present a project, view materials, and receive feedback. For branches, time zones, connectivity, equipment, and local coordinators are checked in advance. The rules for project defense and access to final materials must be the same.

Hybrid event is useful when some managers or teams cannot attend. Voting, group work, defenses, and the handover of materials require separate scenarios and tests for in-person and remote participants.

W3C recommends asking participants in advance about their accessibility requirements and checking the venue, materials, and digital environment. For a forum, this means:

• a barrier-free route from the entrance to the hall, stage, and restrooms;
• a seat with a good view without isolating the participant;
• microphones for questions from the audience;
• accessible electronic materials;
• subtitles or a text alternative for videos;
• slides shared in advance;
• a private way to communicate special requirements.

A participant is not obliged to publicly explain their diagnosis. The coordinator receives only the data necessary for organizing the event. The list of recipients and the retention period are determined by the personal data operator.

For participant registration, a single account or a form with different routes is useful. We take a detailed look at this framework in the article about event participant registration.

What to prepare before the technical rehearsal?

До репетиции должны быть готовы сценарий, материалы и распределение ролей. Dance groups также утверждает маршруты и резервные решения. На площадке проверяют исполнение программы: выходы и микрофоны, экраны и связь между залами, тайминг и действия при сбое. Contents кадровых решений к этому моменту уже согласовано владельцами программы.

Минимальный пакет включает:

1. An episode-by-episode script with those responsible.
2. A list of speakers, panels, and backups.
3. Defense briefs and file versions.
4. A layout of the halls, registration, and available routes.
5. A plan for switching between in-person and remote participation.
6. Rules for photos, video, and publication of materials.
7. A safety plan and contacts of those responsible.
8. Contingency for microphone, screen, connection, or speaker failure.

HSE советует соотносить детализацию плана безопасности с масштабом и риском события и использовать оценку рисков. Для внутреннего форума всё равно нужны ответственный, порядок оповещения, эвакуационные пути и действия при ухудшении самочувствия. Эти решения принимает площадка и компания совместно с профильными службами.

We run a technical rehearsal of transitions between the main hall, breakout sessions, and defenses. A useful format is described in the article about technical rehearsal of the event. During the rehearsal, the participant is not evaluated and their project is not rewritten at the last moment.

Съёмка требует отдельного регламента. Статья 152.1 Гражданского кодекса регулирует использование изображения гражданина, а закон о персональных данных разделяет обработку и распространение данных. Формы согласий и правовое основание проверяют юрист и ответственный за персональные данные. Событийная команда исполняет утверждённые правила: отмечает зоны, передаёт запреты фотографу и проверяет подписи до публикации.

Forum budget and brief

На смету сильнее всего влияют число потоков, длительность и площадка. Трансляцию и материалы считают отдельно: четыре параллельные защиты потребуют больше модераторов, координаторов и техники, чем программа в одном зале. Состав участников также влияет на регистрацию, навигацию и объём работы с материалами.

To prepare the first estimate, we need answers to ten questions:

1. How many participants, executives, mentors, and guests are expected?
2. How many cities and time zones will be connected?
3. What should a participant receive after the forum?
4. How many projects and parallel tracks are planned?
5. Who makes the decision on the project, and who gives feedback to the person?
6. What data cannot be shown in the hall, in the recording, or in materials?
7. Do you need a live stream, recording, or only closed viewing?
8. What accessibility requirements are already known?
9. What spaces and equipment does the company have?
10. Who approves the program, HR wording, and content publication?

After the brief, we assemble the program architecture and technical specification. Then we check the venue, routes, team composition, and backup. The entire event can be run as a business event with a dedicated program owner on the HR side.

We do not quote a universal price before we have these answers. The most significant factors are often the number of halls, the complexity of the broadcast, content preparation, and multiple teams working on one schedule.

Next step after the forum

The forum ends only after the agreements are handed over to the owners. Every project, issue, and development step must have a status. HR defines the personnel process, the task owner decides the project's fate, and the participant receives a clear follow-up channel. The general record and individual data are separated by access level.

A single register may contain:

• a topic or project;
• the type of decision;
• the response owner;
• the next step;
• the status date;
• the access level;
• a link to approved materials.

Not all fields are available to all participants. The overall summary reports what happened with the program as a whole. Individual comments and personnel data remain in a closed environment.

After the period set by the company, HR returns to the decisions. A project may move to review, a participant to practice or mentoring, and an issue to a separate owner. If there is no continuation, this also needs to be communicated with a reason within the permitted scope.

We continue the practice of organizing business events, moderation, and venue work in Aventura's Telegram channel. The link will open in a new tab.

Sources

• CIPD: Succession planning factsheet
• CIPD: The psychological contract
• U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Talent Management
• U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Career Development
• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative: Making Events Accessible
• Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Article 152.1: Protection of a Citizen's Image
• 152-FZ, Article 3: concepts of processing and dissemination
• 152-FZ, Article 9: consent to the processing of personal data
• 152-FZ, Article 10.1: dissemination of personal data
• HSE: Event safety - Getting started