‘It's really [about] taking that human data and transforming it into something that leadership can use in order to support their employee engagement and culture’
Applauz, a Montreal-based employee recognition and rewards platform, will make its first appearance at HRFest Canada 2026 when the HR event takes over Rebel in Toronto on Nov. 10 and 11. The company is seeking candid conversations about engagement, culture and artificial intelligence (AI).
Sandro Mezzacappa, vice-president of product and marketing at Applauz, said the company will run booth 30, across from the festival's Mixology Lab.
"It's our first time that we're going, so I'm hoping that we're going to meet some great people within the industry, within the HR space," Mezzacappa said in an interview.
The festival is expected to draw more than 750 HR professionals and more than 120 speakers, according to organizers. Programming is spread across five stages, as outlined in our breakdown of the five HRFest Canada 2026 stages.
"I'm hoping we have conversations with people that are honest and that are upfront about the struggles and challenges they have with engagement, with culture, given that AI is now a factor that people are worried about," he said.
For HR leaders mapping out their two days – our guide to planning your day across HRFest Canada's five stages lays out the options – Mezzacappa's pitch is simple: bring one problem.
"So I'd love for people to come and have a clinic where we can talk to them a little bit about some of the challenges that they have," he said.
"Think about the one question that keeps you up at night in HR and come see us at booth 30."
Why recognition platforms face a participation gap
Applauz builds software that tracks and analyzes recognition and engagement across a workforce.
"It's really [about] taking that human data and transforming it into something that leadership can use in order to support their employee engagement and culture," Mezzacappa said.
The company's State of Employee Recognition 2026 report drew on Applauz platform data from 2024 and 2025. It found that while 86% of employees on the platform log in, only 42% ever send recognition.
"So there's a gap. And this is not only on one platform," Mezzacappa said. "This is across the industry where people, you know, kind of position the software as a way to solve things, but it takes an effort on all fronts in order for this to happen."
He said employers struggle less with launching a recognition program than with sustaining it. "And I think that's where people struggle, you know, and that's where we think of ourselves as an embedded consultant in employee engagement," he said.
AI job fears put employee engagement in focus
Statistics Canada reported in June 2026 that 19.2% of Canadian businesses used AI to produce goods or deliver services over the previous 12 months.
"And I think this is a struggle in HR as well, is like, how are we going to introduce this wave of new tools in this era without having people worry for their jobs?" Mezzacappa said.
A Growclass and Angus Reid survey found 62% of HR workers are concerned AI could replace their roles within five years, as detailed in our report on Canadian HR professionals' AI adoption and job security worries.
Mezzacappa argues that recognition becomes more valuable during this period of disruption. "And employee engagement is that link that they can keep to the person so that they feel safe and that they feel like they can continue to be loyal to the company that they work for because they're not going to be replaced in a year or two from now," he said.
