Presented by the Twin Cities Compensation Network
Headwaters Rewards Conference 2026 — Ignite
Inaugural Year · 2026
An expert-led day for compensation and benefits professionals. Real work, real lessons, real peers.
Why Headwaters
A conference built where the work actually happens.
Headwaters: Ignite is the inaugural conference of the Twin Cities Compensation Network, a community of compensation and benefits experts that has been meeting in Minneapolis since 1986.
Every session is led by a working expert. No vendor pitches dressed up as content. No theory disconnected from the realities of running a program. Real work, shared by the people doing it.
Built for HR business partners, total rewards leaders, comp analysts, and benefits managers who want a day with peers who get it.
What a Day Looks Like
Four tracks. One full day.
A shared opening and closing, four parallel tracks of expert-led sessions in between, plus lunch and a closing reception.
Conference Tracks
Each track features 6 curated sessions—including a dedicated sponsor spotlight—all lasting 45 minutes.
Who Should Attend
Built for the people running real programs.
HR Business Partners
Build practical total rewards fluency for partnering with your business leaders.
Total Rewards Leaders
Strategic content on program design, governance, and the harder calls.
Comp Analysts
Design and analysis techniques from people running real programs in real organizations.
Benefits Managers
Benefits strategy, vendor management, and the employee experience side of the work.
Speakers
The lineup forms over the summer.
The session lineup is built from expert-led submissions. Featured speakers will be announced as they are confirmed.
Want to be one of them?
If you have run a real program, made a hard call, or learned something the hard way, your peers want to hear it.
Submit a SessionTwo ways to take part.
Whether you have a story to tell or a day to invest in your craft, there is a path.