Bradesco Seguros' Innovation Festival: Putting people at the heart of change
Patrice Bernard, author of the French-language blog C'est pas mon idée and a member of the Qorus Awards Selection Committee, explains why innovation festivals deserve a comeback, using Bradesco Seguros as an example of how hands-on experiences can help employees embrace change.
Patrice Bernard, author of the French-language blog C'est pas mon idée and a member of the Qorus Awards Selection Committee, explains why innovation festivals deserve a comeback, using Bradesco Seguros as an example of how hands-on experiences can help employees embrace change.
A few years ago, when the relentless pace of digital transformation was setting the agenda and new entrants were threatening established empires, the innovation festival regularly organized by Bradesco Seguros might have seemed unremarkable. Today, it stands out as an exception, earning recognition from Qorus in its insurance awards.
The latest edition took place a year ago, adopting a new format better suited to its objectives. Rather than limiting the program to conferences and other passive presentations, the event invited participants, both employees and external attendees, to immerse themselves in a series of hands-on experiences designed to give them a deeper understanding of the capabilities of solutions, particularly technology-driven ones, that are transforming the company's business operations.
Over three days, the program followed a logical progression, moving from emerging skills to assessing the expected impact on professional and personal lives, while also exploring early signals of disruptive change. The goal was to help participants understand the need to adapt to the changes they are experiencing, sometimes with a sense of helplessness, and to recognize the qualities they must cultivate to preserve the value of the human contribution to their work.
To that end, the event brought together Bradesco Seguros employees with a diverse range of external participants, including representatives of business partners (among them insurance brokers) and InsurTech startups. It offered this varied audience a multifaceted program featuring traditional presentations, startup pitches, interactive activities, and the announcement of the company's internal Innovation of the Year award. Everything was designed to encourage dialogue and foster a collaborative mindset—both of which are essential to navigating the transformations currently underway.
After enjoying a surge in popularity in the wake of the digital revolution, innovation-focused events of this kind—some of which, admittedly, lacked a clear focus—now seem to have fallen out of fashion. And yet today's environment, marked by radical change (the sudden proliferation of artificial intelligence across virtually every field is merely its most visible manifestation) and the uncertainty it creates, is an ideal reason to bring this approach back into the spotlight.
At least two arguments support reviving the concept. First, companies have a responsibility to support their employees through the changes they are expected to navigate. They cannot leave people in the dark when introducing new tools and methods. Otherwise, they risk allowing misconceptions and unfounded fears to take hold, ultimately leading to disengagement and lower productivity. A concerted effort to put things into perspective, including demystifying new technologies, is essential.
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