The Bullhorn Engage 2025 event, held at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on 6th March, was a well-organised and successful event with over 500 attendees, vendors, who all provided positive feedback. Geared toward the recruitment agency sector, with a focus on Bullhorn customers and prospects, the event centered around key insights for utilising tech stacks, particularly AI integration.
The day opened with a keynote address by Jeff Neumann and Nathan Green from Bullhorn, entitled Re-Imagining Recruitment. Surprisingly, what could have been a dull sales pitch was an engaging and informative presentation, complete with a live demo, that offered valuable insights into the product.
The two main keynote speakers were Matt Church, who spoke on modern leadership in his talk Thoughts about tomorrow you can talk about today, and Kath Koshel, who shared her inspiring story of resilience in overcoming a physical injury during her sporting career. Both speakers were good, but the unexpected highlight was the opening keynote.
Some of the other session highlights included panel presentations on Preparing for the next wave of Growth in Recruitment with Sue Healy from Talent Quarter and Matthew Dickason from Hays who shared some insight into what they feel the biggest risks are for recruitment agencies now. Also a marketing panel discussing the future of Recruitment Marketing gave one of my key takeaways for the days which was – don’t tell marketing what you want, tell them the problem and let them come up with a solution. Perhaps your clients don’t need
another pen or fridge magnet.
Ross Clennett’s presentation on ‘The Surprising Truth about the Australian Labour Market’ was received positively from the crowd who are looking for answers from the stats that show we should be doing better than we are. I think this presentation gave comfort to many owners in the room who are trying to forecast the next 12 months.
Networking opportunities were aplenty, particularly at the end of day drinks, which offered pre-mixed cocktails and delicious finger food. There was a good vibe from the delegates and vendors and it was nice to be out in the fresh air “on the deck” overlooking the track after being inside all day.
As a Bullhorn customer the exhibitor space was full of marketplace and industry partners for you to connect with and find out about their latest products in a relaxed atmosphere. The merch was abundant and you could have easily filled an extra carry-on bag if you visited each stand. Even if you are not a customer, the day was packed full of insights and valuable opportunities to connect and take the pulse of the industry.
The only sombre moment of the day was an unfortunate incident during the final keynote presentation, when a delegate appeared to have a seizure. As medical assistance arrived, we were gently ushered out of the room, leaving the event without a formal close. It was an unexpected and quiet ending to what had been an energising day, but above all, our thoughts were with the individual affected. We were relieved to hear he was okay, though details were limited, and we sincerely hope he has made a full and speedy recovery.
Bullhorn should be proud of a well run, well supported industry event that is essentially a full day sales pitch (which you actually pay to attend). However they have made THAT happen is a stroke of genius – one thing I know for sure, we are all looking forward to the next one!
Adele Last
Adele is a well know recruitment industry professional. Founder of Career Lasso & factional CEO/GM and weekly podcaster on Recruitment News Australia which drops each Tuesday morning at 8am. Listen where you get your podcast from or visit the site www.recruitmentnewsaustralia.com.au
