Even though we are still in the midst of summer, it’s never too early to start thinking about how you’re going to wrap up your personal development for the year. And one conference that has made its way on to my “must attend” list is the HR Technology Conference, this year scheduled for October 7th-10th at Mandalay Bay in fabulous Las Vegas.
HR Tech is a fairly new addition to my annual conference schedule, one that I had actually never even heard of before a few years ago, and certainly not one that I had really thought about attending initially. You see, I am, for all intents and purposes, a trench HR practitioner who in my day to day job does not have any direct responsibility for any “systems” work. If you are like me, you may be thinking that it’s not worth your time and money when there are other options for personal development. But you see, that’s where my thinking was flawed, and where my eyes have recently been opened. As HR practitioners, we should absolutely care about what’s happening at HRTech. And one glance at this year’s agenda and you’ll see that it’s so much more that a conference for “systems” folks. The truth is, technology touches every one of us in some way. Dabble in recruiting? There’s technology to help you there. Learning & development? There are solutions to make you more effective there. Wellness? Employee engagement? Recognition & rewards? No matter what your focus is, there are likely ways that technology can make you more effective and more efficient at what you do.
But it’s not just a place to go and demo systems. Sure you can do that if that’s what you’d like to do. But more than that, it’s a chance to learn from leaders in the space about what’s next; a chance to hear how real companies have used real solutions to solve their problems. A chance to listen to and interact with true visionaries with amazing ideas about what the future of the workplace might look like and how technology can enhance it.
And this year’s conference is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever before. Three keynotes and several general sessions, including two versions of the “Awesome New Technologies for HR” – one for startups, and one for more established players. Concurrent sessions in TEN different tracks, including the new “Ideas and Innovators” track as well as the usual Recruiting, Talent Management, HCM & Workforce Planning among others. The Expert Discussions track where you can participate as part of a small group and interact directly with some of the more influential leaders in HR technology. And of course, the world class Expo Hall with 300 exhibitors covering every imaginable technology there for you to discover and demo.
There really is something for everyone. Technology has infiltrated every part of our lives, and it’s becoming more and more prevalent in the workplace. Why not give yourself an edge by being aware of how it can help you, by learning about the trends, by learning to think critically about how it could improve not only your own performance in your job, but the overall performance of your HR department, and your company?
And as an added bonus, as a reader of this blog you can use event registration code WHR14 for a $500 discount off the standard rate of $1945. Register HERE.
See you in Vegas in October!
About the Author: Jennifer Payne, SPHR has over 16 years of HR experience in employee relations, talent acquisition, and learning & development, and currently works in talent management in the retail grocery industry. She is one of the co-founders of Women of HR, and is currently the Editor of the site. You can connect with her on Twitter as @JennyJensHR and on LinkedIn.
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2 Comments
Very Blog!
Very informative, as much as it’s a pick up concept in any HR department, organization that have embraced technology so far so good of a shot. Well it’s definitely done more good. Well do share the link for some of us who cannot make it to the conference. Thank you