PEOs thrive on relationships, and the 2025 NAPEO Annual Conference highlights the importance of showing up in person to connect, learn, and lead. At the same time, technology enablement is transforming how PEOs deliver value, from compliance and automation to growth and data-driven insights.
What’s Inside
I believe that the phrase “showing up” holds more weight than ever in the PEO industry. In his article, 2025 Annual Conference: The Value of Showing Up, David Feinberg reminds us that despite everything being virtual, showing up in person still matters. It is about community, learning, energy, and tangible investment in the PEO industry.
I agree wholeheartedly. Beyond physical presence, in 2025 the real differentiation for PEOs will be how effectively they show up for their clients through technology. With NAPEO’s Annual Conference & Marketplace on the horizon, now is the moment to talk about how tech enablement is reshaping the field and how PEO leaders can lead that charge.
In the competitive PEO landscape, expectations are higher than ever. Clients demand speed, accuracy, compliance, personalized service, and scalability. Doing all that manually or via fragmented systems is no longer viable. Technology is the core infrastructure for growth, retention, and risk mitigation.
When a PEO shows up with modern systems such as: automated workflows, AI-driven insights, and seamless integrations; it signals to clients that you are future ready. It also frees your teams to focus on value-added work such as consulting, strategy, and relationship building rather than manual tasks.
Here are the key trends I expect to dominate conversations on the show floor and in the sessions:
AI and Automation
The agenda includes sessions on AI not just in theory but in practice. How do PEOs use AI today for HR service delivery, operations, marketing, and back-office tasks? What are the risks to be managed?
Compliance and Regulatory Risk
The regulatory landscape across states and the federal level continues to shift. PEOs need real-time compliance tools, policy tracking, and audit readiness built into their systems.
Growth, Scaling, and M&A
Many PEOs are evaluating expansion, consolidation, or strategic partnerships. Tech is often central to scaling operations, integrating acquisitions, and maintaining service standards during periods of rapid change.
Data, Benchmarking, and Predictive Analytics
Accessing high quality data, benchmarking performance metrics, and projecting trends is no longer optional. PEOs that lean into analytics can make smarter decisions and anticipate challenges before they arise.
Leadership, People, and Connection
Trust, culture, talent retention, and leadership are core to long term success. Events like NAPEO matter because they renew relationships, reinforce community, and allow emerging leaders to learn face to face.
Each of these trends interlocks. Tech enablement underpins compliance, scaling, data, and even client relationships.
PEOs have always been a relationship business. Clients trust us with their people, their benefits, their regulatory exposure. Showing up in person helps build that trust. But the other side of presence is consistency, reliability, and responsiveness.
A PEO can show up for a client by being responsive to questions, transparent about compliance, proactive in insights, and adaptive to change. Technology is how you scale that capacity. When your systems are robust, you show up not just for one client but for hundreds without compromising quality.
At NAPEO 2025 we get to live both aspects: the in-person connection and the technology conversations that will carry us forward.
Traveling to Austin? Please stop by Booth #610 to talk about how we are helping PEOs show up for their clients through scalable recruiting and onboarding solutions, automation, real-time analytics, and seamless integrations.
Let’s share stories, explore opportunities, and build together.
HiringThing is a modern recruiting and employee onboarding platform as a service that creates seamless talent experiences. Our white label solutions and open API enable HR technology and service providers to offer hiring and onboarding to their clients. Approachable and adaptable, the platform empowers anyone, anywhere to build their dream team.