In today’s hot HR climate, there are thousands of conferences to choose from. Some conferences are solely focused on trends and technology. Other conferences are industry-specific like the HR Healthcare Conference or the Leap HR Manufacturing Conference. Which one will benefit you and your team the most?
The Top Human Resources Conferences for 2020
SHRM Talent Conference & Exposition 2020
Companies that really soar know how to find the top talent right from the start. This conference is all about modern hiring and how to find the hottest talent, even in today’s competitive rapid-pace hiring atmosphere.
June 28 – July 1, 2020
San Diego Convention Center
$1,195 – $2,465
2020 SHRM Employment Law & Legislative Conference
While HR law and legislation doesn’t seem like an exciting topic, this area of HR changes constantly. Companies that really want to thrive should look into this conference which will explore compliance issues, regulations, and everything about employee law that you must know.
March 16-18, 2020
$1225 – $1550
Talent Connect 2020
This event is hosted yearly by none other than LinkedIn, the hippest social media platform in hiring. 2019’s event speakers included Michelle Obama and Gary Vaynerchuck, so we’re willing to bet 2020’s lineup will be just as exciting.
October 14–16, 2020
Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
$ TBD
Health & Benefits Leadership Conference
This conference is solely focused on employee benefits and how to provide a best in class experience for your employees. Learn how to create benefits packages that will keep employees satisfied and supported.
April 15 – 17
Aria Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Price: From $995
2020 People Analytics & Workforce Planning Conference
At this HR conference, you’ll learn how to integrate your people strategy with your business strategy. Learn cutting-edge strategies to optimize your people analytics across the talent lifecycle.
March 23-25, 2020
JW Marriott Miami Turnberry 19999 W Country Club Dr
$1795 – $1995
Greenhouse Open 2020
This event is a celebration of the art of hiring to truly grow a company in a sustainable way. Last year’s speakers included the HR leaders at Unilever and Hubspot. 2020’s event will be a must-attend HR conference.
Details TBD
HR Vision Amsterdam
For an international perspective, HR Vision Amsterdam is a robust event featuring speakers from across the globe. Learn about the “brave new world of work” at this event with breakout sessions focused on HR technology and trends.
May 2020
Amsterdam
$ TBD
Culture Summit
Culture Summit is all about employee culture, which is more important than ever before. Learn about best practices and trends to cultivate a culture of inclusivity, teamwork, and positive performance.
Summer 2020
San Francisco
$ TBD
Unleash 2020
This conference is all about the revolution of work and human resources. The conference will include an emphasis on trends, technology, and artificial intelligence in HR. This event is a must-attend for anyone interested in the future of work.
May 12 – 13 2020
MGM GRAND LAS VEGAS
$ TBD
Onboard
Another international conference, Onboard in London is uniquely focused on onboarding. Learn exactly how to onboard new employees in today’s rapidly changing employment landscape.
Summer 2020
London
$TBD
HR Conferences: A Professional Highlight
When you work in the human resources industry, the opportunity to attend a live HR conference is often a professional highlight. Human resources conferences combine what HR pros really enjoy: connection, interaction, and sessions about championing people in the workplace. Plus, most HR conferences are hosted in different cities across the country, and traveling is a welcome perk.
But sometimes a professional conference experience can fall flat. Maybe the content of the breakout sessions isn’t useful for your business or industry. It’s possible a conference can be too large, making genuine networking impossible.
To really make a conference experience worthwhile to you and your employer, it’s important to prepare.
Establish Your HR Conference Goal
This may sound a little bit “Business 101”, but when you attend a conference, you need a goal or objective. Managers and leaders characteristically ask for a business case to approve the budget for employees to attend a conference. So it’s useful to know early on what your purpose will be when you attend a conference.
For example, your organization may need to upgrade its payroll technology in the next year. Attending a conference would be a viable way to meet different payroll technology vendors and learn about the key trends in HR software.
Another conference goal could be to improve and optimize leadership ability. If you are a hiring professional ready to move from an individual contributor role to a manager role, a conference is full of training on leading teams and effective management styles.
Whether your conference goal is trend-focused or personal development- based, understanding your end game will help you to gain approval to attend. When you return from the HR conference, you will be able to concisely summarize how the experience contributed to your goal and furthered your development. It’s very common for managers to ask for this type of summary.
Choose the Right HR Conference
Once you’ve established your goal, it will be much easier to choose the right HR conference to attend.
To find the right HR conference for your goals, dig in. Do your research online with Google and also leverage networks like LinkedIn to see which conferences top HR thought leaders will be attending. If you’ve identified a conference with potential, reach out to a previous year’s attendees to hear their impression of the event.
If you’re unsure which conference is the right one try these two techniques.
Keynote Speaker Research
First, research the keynote speakers. See if they have any existing talks available on YouTube. Are they inspiring or valuable? Do they have online content that is aligned with what you would like to learn?
Session Research
Second, review the breakout session titles. Do they seem too high level or basic? Or do they seem like rich sessions that will truly further your HR knowledge and skills?
Network in Advance
The “networking opportunity” at conferences is a common benefit. But what if you’re not naturally social, and don’t thrive during in-person networking? This is where the pre-introduction technique can come in handy. Essentially, you identify people in advance that you’d like to connect with at the conference and send them an email introducing yourself. In the email alert them that you’re looking forward to the conference and that you’d like the opportunity to meet with them.
Flattery goes a long way. Conference speakers and presenters want people to be engaged and interested in their sessions. Reaching out with an eager message will create a connection long before you even arrive at the live event.
Another tip – invite HR thought leaders to coffee. Even if one accepts your invite, you have the opportunity to make a professional connection that could pay dividends later and impress your boss.
Research and Create a Session Wishlist
Once you’ve been approved for an upcoming HR conference, you need a plan of action. The schedule of events and breakout sessions will be available in advance.
Using a spreadsheet list all the sessions you find intriguing. Also list their corresponding days and times. Once you have this visual, you can prioritize which sessions you’ll attend each day. This will help minimize overwhelm and allow you to focus on the content of the presentations.
Be Present and Enjoy Your HR Conference
If you take the steps outlined above, you will arrive at your human resources event perfectly prepared. The best learning happens when you’re able to be fully present in a situation. The more you focus on your conference goals, advanced networking, and organization, the more enjoyable and impactful the experience will be.
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