The right event, the right city, the right time
SAP SuccessFactors operates most of its large-scale industry events out of Las Vegas, and the decision to partner on a flagship HCM event in Toronto represents a deliberate shift toward meeting the Canadian human resources (HR) community on its own terms, says Pegoraro.
The city is a meaningful choice. The Toronto area is home to a significant concentration of existing SAP customers and represents a base of practitioners who have actively engaged with the company, according to Pegoraro. “This was a great opportunity to showcase [SAP SuccessFactors] in the Toronto area, especially where we have a huge customer hub,” he says. “We have so many customers that are reference customers in the region where the event will be.”
What underpins all of it, though, is that the Canadian HR community is among the most engaged Pegoraro has encountered anywhere in North America – not just willing to show up, but hungry to connect and learn. “We’re always seeing great numbers with our events in Canada, and people want to learn more,” he says. “They want to fill the room – we’re always down to a waitlist with our Canadian events.”
Agentic AI and the shift to strategic HR
SAP SuccessFactors’ presence at HRFest Canada arrives at a pivotal moment for its platform strategy. The company’s 2026 HCM product releases expand suite-wide agentic AI across SuccessFactors – deploying connected agents across recruiting, payroll, learning, and talent development. At the centre of that shift is Joule, SAP’s backbone AI agent, which is evolving from a responsive assistant into an active participant in HR workflows, according to Pegoraro.
“The biggest benefit to HR practitioners would be to have these agents do the more general work in our SuccessFactors platform to allow leadership and HRIS admins to really focus more on the strategic areas,” he says.