Sustainable Work Festival

A festival focused on work, not just the environment

When we talk about "sustainability," we almost always think of emissions, waste, or energy. The Sustainable Work Festival, however, shifts the focus to the dimension that occupies the "S" in ESG reports: the social aspect, covering people, skills, and the well-being of the workforce. It is an annual event held in Rome, in the capital city of the Lazio Region, which has quickly carved out a recognizable space in the Italian calendar of human resources events.

The event is promoted by the publication HR Link in collaboration with Digital Horizon, the company founded by Professor Francesco Delzio, and is supported by the AIDP (Italian Association for Personnel Management). Not to be confused with the much larger Labour Festival of the Labour Consultants held in May, this event has a deliberately different, intimate, and seminar-like approach.

The Venue: Hotel Quirinale on Via Nazionale

The festival has chosen the Sala Verdi at the Hotel Quirinale as its home, a historic 19th-century hotel overlooking Via Nazionale, just a short walk from the Opera House and the Repubblica metro station. Its location in the heart of Rome's historic center allows attendees to walk from Termini Station in just over ten minutes—a significant detail for an event that brings participants from all over Italy together for a single day.

The Format: Less talk from the stage, more work at the tables

The formula has remained the same since the first editions and is the true hallmark of the event. Plenary speeches are brief, often ten or fifteen minutes, serving only to set the stage; the heart of the day consists of workshops, also known as solution matching sessions, where around a hundred professionals sit at tables to engage in direct discussion.

• HR directors and managers from Italian and multinational companies
• Industry specialists, consultants, and HR solution providers
• University professors, foundations, and research centers
• Representatives of institutions and social partners

At the end of the day, the results from the tables are presented in the plenary session as proposals, which have been collected and shared with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies over the years.

Recurring Themes

The program changes from year to year but revolves around key issues affecting the world of work in Italy:

• Artificial Intelligence and Employment: how jobs are changing, how to reduce algorithmic bias, and what remains irreducibly human
• Generation Z and Motivation: attracting and retaining younger talent without relying on work-life balance slogans
• Skills and Training: upskilling, reskilling, corporate academies, and the shortage of STEM profiles
• Longennials and Aging: managing long careers and workers over 60
• Welfare, Well-being, and Bargaining: from corporate wellbeing to the renewal of collective agreements
• Employee Participation: involving workers in company results and strategic choices

Past Speakers

Previous editions have featured prominent figures from the Italian economic and trade union debate: Nando Pagnoncelli, President of IPSOS Italy; Francesco Delzio; Lara Ponti for Confindustria; Giorgio Graziani and Mattia Pirulli for CISL; Massimo Temussi for the Ministry of Labour; Ciro Cafiero for AIDP, as well as researchers from the Italian Institute of Technology. There is also a lighter side: in 2024, the writer and actor Dario Vergassola participated as a "special observer" of the day.

Target Audience

This is not a public festival for a general audience; it is designed for professionals who manage people within companies. Access is restricted and free for HR and sustainability managers, while a paid ticket is required for industry specialists and service providers. Applications are submitted online via the form on the official website, with limited spots to ensure the quality of the discussions at the tables.