Future-Ready People — Process & Manual

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What this is

Future-Ready People is a programme Topco runs around its events. It introduces delegates to the right people, gives leaders a benchmarked score for their people strategy, and turns that score into a 30-minute planning session with a Topco rep.

Delegates answer a pre-event questionnaire and two short surveys, all on the CRM's own forms; the answers land in the CRM against their contact; the Delight manager, Research manager and sales reps each work from their own page.

Position it as research, not sales: Topco's Future-Ready People Index — add your voice and get the results first. Everyone who completes it receives the benchmark report; everyone who opts in gets a planning session.

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One programme, any event

The programme works for every Topco event. Future of HR 2026 (14–15 October) is the first and the current focus.

• Every page under Marketing › Future-Ready People has an Event picker at the top right. Answers, speakers and sponsors, and results are kept separately for each event.
• The page opens on the event in focus: the earliest event that hasn't yet finished its three weeks of follow-up. Right now that is Future of HR 2026.
• The wording follows the event: its name and dates in the messages, the year ahead in the survey (“2027 benchmark report” for a 2026 event), and the budget-timing choices counted from the event's month.
• The timeline dates are worked out from the event's dates.
• Sales › Planning sessions lists sessions from all events together, with the event shown under each client.

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The process at a glance

What happens, when, and who owns it. The CRM shows these with the actual dates for the event you pick; the Future of HR 2026 dates are shown here.

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The questions and forms

Three public forms on the CRM. Anyone with a link can answer without logging in. The links, with copy buttons and live counts, are on Marketing › Future-Ready People › Process and links.

The pre-event questionnaire

All questions are required. Every answer is also written as a note on the person's CRM contact, so a rep can open a conversation with their challenge.

Before and at the event

Switching it on for an event

Nothing has to be built for a new event; these steps make it ready.

1. Pick the event in the CRM and copy its links

   Open Marketing › Future-Ready People, choose the event in the picker, and copy the questionnaire link for the WhatsApp invitation and download the QR codes.

2. Optional: switch on the profile questions in Topco Matchmaking

   In the Matchmaking staff admin, open the event and tick Ask delegates their industry and who they'd most like to meet. Delegates then see a Meet the right people block on My profile. This is on for Future of HR 2026.

3. Add the speakers and sponsors to introduce

   On the Matchmaking tab, add at least one speaker and one sponsor “For everyone”, plus any who suit a particular challenge or industry.

Before and at the event

Matchmaking introductions

Marketing › Future-Ready People › Matchmaking shows one row per delegate who answered, the challenge totals, and each delegate's three introductions with the message ready to send.

1. Check the challenge totals

   Copy the totals and share them with sponsors and the programme team. The top 3 challenges are named for the breakaway tables. Totals by industry and by who delegates want to meet are alongside.

2. Remind people who haven't answered

   The Reminders list shows registered delegates with no answer. Each row opens WhatsApp with a personal reminder ready to send.

3. Enter the meeting point

   Type where delegates should meet during the morning break. It is filled into every message.

4. Send the introductions on day 1 at 7:30

   For each delegate, use Open in WhatsApp (or Copy message), send it, then click Mark sent.

How people are matched

• Only delegates who answered Yes to being introduced are matched, and only to others who also said yes.
• Two peers: matched first on challenge, then industry, then company size. Never someone from their own company.
• One speaker or sponsor: a sponsor if they asked to meet solution providers, otherwise a speaker; one added for their challenge is preferred, then their industry, then “For everyone”.
• A delegate who only answered on their Matchmaking profile has no challenge or company size, so they are matched on industry.
• Introductions are spread around, so the same two people aren't suggested to everyone.

Before and at the event

Sending on WhatsApp

The CRM writes the messages; a person sends them. Nothing is sent automatically.

Use an announcement-only group (a WhatsApp Community announcement group, or a WhatsApp Business broadcast) where only Topco can post. In an open group every delegate sees everyone's number and replies, which creates POPIA risk and noise. Send a link rather than a WhatsApp poll: polls show who voted and can't capture detail.

Before and at the event

The pulse survey

Ten statements, two per section, rated 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), then three short questions and the opt-in. Target: about 30% of delegates (150+ of 500 at Future of HR).

1. Download the QR code

   On Process and links, the QR codes card has a code for each form for the event picked. Click Download PNG under the pulse survey and put it on the MC's slide and any printed cards. Test it on a phone, on venue Wi-Fi and on mobile data, a week before.

2. Confirm the MC slot

   3 minutes after the opening keynote on day 1, repeated after lunch.

3. Watch responses come in

   Scorecard results shows the count and how many asked for a session.

When someone submits, they immediately see their own Inside and Outside scores and their five section scores. Anyone who answers Yes to the planning session appears in Sales › Planning sessions.

After the event

Planning sessions

Sales › Planning sessions lists everyone who asked for a session, across all events. Reps see their own sessions and any not yet assigned; sales managers and Marketing see all.

1. Assign a rep and book a time

   Open the session, pick the rep and the date and time. Book within 5 working days of the event.

2. Send the invitation

   Copy invitation email or Open in email gives the follow-up email, already filled in with the event, the rep's name and the person's own scorecard link. Add the two time options before sending.

3. Send the full scorecard 2 days before

   Use Copy scorecard link — it is that person's own link, so their answers attach to their contact. Tick Scorecard sent.

4. Run the session

   Follow the rep guide below.

5. Record the CRM entry the same day

   Fill in section 3 of the session and save.

After the event

Scoring and profiles

Five sections, A to E. On the full scorecard each section has 10 statements and totals out of 50; on the pulse each has 2 and totals out of 10.

• Inside score = A + B + C: how future-ready the organisation really is.
• Outside score = C + D + E: how well the market knows it.

Culture counts in both, because it is the bridge between what you do and what you say. A score averaging 3.5 or more counts as high: 105 of 150 on the full scorecard, 21 of 30 on the pulse.

After the event

Rep guide: the 30 minutes

The rep reviews the client's scores, recommends 2–3 things, and leaves with a forecast number. The rep never presents the full product list.

Before the session

• Check the completed scorecard and note the profile.
• Pull the client's last 4 years of Topco spend from the company record.
• Pick 2–3 recommendations from the profile.
• Print or share the one-page Topco calendar for the year ahead.

Running order

1. Open (2 min)

   “Thanks for completing the scorecard. I'll show you how you compare, and then we can talk about what would help most next year.”

2. Scores (8 min)

   Walk through the Inside and Outside scores and the profile. Ask: “Does that feel right to you? What surprised you?”

3. Their priorities (8 min)

   “What's the biggest investment you've made in your people this year?” “What are your top priorities for next year?” “What's already in your calendar: Women's Month, results season, graduate intake?”

4. Recommend (5 min)

   Present 2–3 options that match their profile. Link each one to their lowest-scoring section.

5. Budget and decision (5 min)

   “When is your budget finalised, and whose budget does this sit in?” “Who else needs to be involved to say yes?” “Realistically, what would you expect to invest with us next year, and in which quarter?” “What would need to be true for that to happen?”

6. Close (2 min)

   Agree the next step, with a date and names.

After the event

The CRM entry

Recorded the same day, in section 3 of the planning session.

Forecast categories are evidence-based:

• Commit: the decision-maker confirmed the amount and timing.
• Likely: the need and budget exist but aren't confirmed.
• Possible: there has been a conversation only.

After the event

The benchmark report

Scorecard results holds the numbers the report is built from, for the event picked.

• Average score per section, and average Inside and Outside, for the pulse and the full scorecard.
• How many respondents fall into each of the four profiles.
• Top people priorities for the year ahead, when budgets are finalised, and who else is involved in decisions.
• Every respondent with their scores. Download spreadsheet gives the full list for Excel or Google Sheets.

The report itself is written by the Research manager and sent to all respondents about two weeks after the event.

Reference

Good to know

How the programme behaves, and what it deliberately doesn't do.

Reference

Troubleshooting

Reference

Support

This manual covers running the programme day to day. For changes to the questions, scoring, profiles or message wording, speak to whoever manages the CRM and Matchmaking builds.