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Written by Jennifer McClure

Recommended Human Resources Conferences To Attend in 2015

Recently, one of my contacts who is planning her 2015 schedule sent me a question asking for my recommendations for the top 2 – 3 conferences to attend in the US for HR professionals.

I am doing my planning for 2015 and wanted to reach out to you and get your thoughts on something if you don’t mind. One of my plans for next year is to attend more conferences in the US; ideally I’d like to attend events where there is a lot of networking, collaborating and great speakers.

Since there are so many events happening all the time, it’s hard for me to assess which ones are best. Do you have any recommendations for the top 2-3 conferences in the US for HR professionals – other than the annual SHRM conference in Las Vegas?

I shared my recommendations with her directly, but I thought I’d also share them with you – and get your recommendations too!

My Top 5 HR Conference Recommendations

1. 2015 SHRM Annual Conference (Las Vegas, NV)

I’m assuming my contact asked for recommendations other than the SHRM annual conference because it’s an obvious choice – and it is. If you’re an HR, talent acquisition or learning and development professional, you should definitely make plans to attend #shrm15. The sheer size (12,000 – 15,000 attendees) typically means there are numerous networking opportunities, the chance to visit and connect with vendors who provide every conceivable product or service in the industry, and a wide variety of speakers on topics ranging from compliance issues, to talent management, to personal growth, and strategic leadership.

I’ve attended the SHRM Annual Conference each of the last five years, and I’ve spoken at the last three. I wouldn’t miss it!

2. LinkedIn Talent Connect 2015 (Anaheim, CA)

If your organization uses LinkedIn (i.e. you have some level of paid LinkedIn Talent Solutions) as part of your recruiting and employer branding strategies, then I’d definitely recommend attending Talent Connect. At Talent Connect, you’ll find a high concentration of recruiting, sourcing and employer brand leaders, as well as quite a few HR professionals. The quality of attendees, great networking, informative content – and fun – makes it a must-attend event. In 2015, the main Talent Connect conference will be held in California, but there are also similar events in Sydney and London.

I’ve attended and spoken at four of the five Talent Connect conferences and it remains my personal favorite.

3. The Conference Board conferences (various)

To interact with senior-level leaders, typically from Fortune 500 companies, I’d recommend any of The Conference Board’s events. Their conferences are typically focused on specific aspects of human resources or talent management and are relatively small (maybe 100 – 300 attendees), but the content and caliber of attendees is great. While there is typically not much scheduled networking, there are plenty of opportunities to connect and learn from other attendees.

I’ve been a speaker or blogger at several of The Conference Board’s conferences in the past (Talent Management, Leadership Development, Employer Branding and Executive Coaching) and have always enjoyed their programming mix, which includes plenty of case studies shared by senior-level practitioners.

4. State or Regional SHRM Conferences

When I asked my network for recommendations, many enthusiastically put in a vote for their own state’s annual SHRM conference – and with good reason. (Specific shout outs were given for HR Florida, HR Southwest, ILSHRM, HR Indiana, HR West, OHSHRM, Strategic HR New England and WISHRM). State and regional conferences are a great place to network with peers and make good connections, and also offer a variety of content typically targeted at HR Generalists of all levels.

In 2014, I spoke at nine different state or regional SHRM-affiliated events, so I’m obviously a Fan. When I speak at a state SHRM conference, I try to attend as much of the programming as I can, because the networking and learning opportunities are often on par with many of the larger national events.

5. DisruptHR

As one of the organizers of the first Disrupt HR held in Cincinnati, OH back in December 2013, I’d be remiss if I didn’t recommend these events. Disrupt HR events are different than traditional conferences and are run by passionate local volunteer organizers. The team at BlackbookHR came up with the concept and assists each organizer by providing a framework for speaker submissions and sharing videos of the presentations online. To date, Disrupt HR events have been held in Cincinnati, Denver and Cleveland, with more planned for 2015.

I’ve given 2 talks at previous DisruptHR events (see my Awesomeness Is Not Accidental talk here) and love the format – 5 minute talks, 20 slides auto-advancing in 15 second intervals – content and energy. The attendees are typically an interesting mix of HR and recruiting practitioners, business leaders/owners and community leaders.

Recommendations From My Network

A quick poll of my Facebook network included many of the events listed above, as well as the following:

– Achievers Customer Experience Conference (2015 San Francisco, CA)

– Association for Training & Development International Conference (2015 Orlando, FL)

– Dreamforce (2015 San Francisco, CA)

– Equifax Workforce Solutions Forum (2015 New Orleans, LA)

– Great Place to Work® Annual Conference (2015 Dallas, TX)

– Halogen Customer Conference (2014 Washington, DC / 2015 TBA)

– HRevolution (2014 Dallas, TX) / 2015 TBA)

– HR Summit and Expo (2014 Dubai / 2015 TBA)

– Human Capital Institute Events (various)

– National SHRM Conferences (various)

– Ultimate Software Connections Conference (2015 Las Vegas, NV)

Question: What are your top recommendations for conferences or events for human resources leaders – US or global? Please share them with me in the Comments!

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Unbridled Talent LLC is a consulting and advisory firm providing services to clients in the areas of leadership development, executive communication skills and talent strategy. Jennifer McClure offers keynotes, workshops and training that inspire and teach business leaders to be more effective in their careers and as leaders of their organization’s most valuable resource – people. Contact us to schedule an event or to discuss our strategic consulting and advisory services.

Categories: Blog
Posted on October 28, 2014

Written by Jennifer McClure

Employer Brand Strategies Increasing In Importance [INFOGRAPHIC]

Next week, I’m looking forward to attending The Conference Board’s Extending Your Brand to Employees Conference in NYC.

For the last 2 years, this has been one of my favorite events to attend to meet Employer Brand, Human Resources and Recruiting professionals and to learn best practices in the recruiting and employment processes from several of today’s leading companies, such as IBM, FedEx, 3M, Mayo Clinic, Cisco, Pfizer and more.

At the conference, I’m especially looking forward to hearing from Steve Cadigan, Vice President of Talent at LinkedIn, as well as the pre-conference workshop led by folks form LinkedIn on “Bringing Your Brand to Life With LinkedIn”. (You can probably tell I’m a LinkedIn Fan Girl.)

If you’d like to share in what I learn from the conference, I’ll be tweeting (hashtag #tcbeyb) and sharing updates on this blog as well as Unbridled Talent’s Facebook Page. If you’ll be in NYC next week (or can get there) and you’d like to register for the conference, enter code “JM1” at checkout for a $500 discount!

—–

To highlight the increasing importance of Employer Brand Strategies, the folks at Bernard Hodes Group recently published a proprietary research report on The Growing Value of Employer Brands, and published a cool summary Infographic, which I’ve shared below.

Some highlights from the report include:

  • The responsibility for Employer Branding efforts lies most often with Human Resources (51%)
  • The most popular external resource for communicating Employer Brand is a company’s Career Site (78%)
  • For employees, the largest factor in considering an employer as attractive is Compensation (64%), while only 25% of employers share that opinion (Can you say disconnect?)
  • Employer Brand ROI expectations for employers include an increase in applicant quality (89%) and increase employee engagement (61%)

The Growing Value of Employer Brands – Bernard Hodes Group

The Growing Value of Employer Brands – Bernard Hodes Group

To obtain a copy of the Hodes’ proprietary research report, head over HERE.

Categories: Blog, Employment Branding
Posted on June 15, 2012

Written by Jennifer McClure

The Conference Board’s Senior HR Executive Conference [Discount Code]

As I’ve said before, I love attending events put on by the folks at The Conference Board. Their conferences and events always feature top-notch quality speakers from leading companies, great content and some great networking opportunities!

The good news is that I have the opportunity to attend another Conference Board event this year – The Senior HR Executive Conference – on November 15th and 16th in New York City – and the even better news is that I’ve got a Discount Code for you if you’d like to attend too.

Enter the Discount Code “JM1” when registering and you’ll save $500 off of the registration price!

The Senior HR Executive Conference will be held at the New York Marriott Dowtown and the focus of the conference is – “The Future of Work: Growth, Innovation & People.

Details from the conference website and scheduled speakers include:

In spite of the recent negative economic news, growth and innovation remain critically important.  In fact, now more than ever, companies must continue to focus growth through innovation to remain competitive. At the heart of that agenda is the workforce, getting the right people in place, the right culture to grow and innovate. The 2011 Senior HR Executive Conference is a must attend event for all HR professionals. This year the conference has been extended with specialized breakout sessions on each day to add breadth and depth to the event, featuring:

  • Expanded content – two full days of sessions which include two afternoons of tracked, highly interactive sessions, focusing on Management & Process, Issues & Strategies and Talent & Leadership
  • Insights from world-class companies on developing a workforce that is productive, innovative and engaged
  • Keynote sessions and CHRO panels focused on innovation and talent, leadership, global growth and the future of the organization
  • Facilitated, interactive, improvisational workshops on how to think different, lead and collaborate

Confirmed Speakers Include:

Archana Singh, Corporate Vice President, AMD
Steve Hinden, Vice President, Executive Compensation, American Express
Shirley Gaufin, Chief Human Resources Officer, Black & Veatch
Lynne Oldham, Head of Human Resources, North America, BNP Paribas
Richard Stephens, Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Administration, The Boeing Company
Rosalyn Taylor O’Neale, Vice President, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Campbell Soup Company
Bill Adams, Senior Faculty, Center for Creative Leadership
Brenda Dennis, Strategy and Planning, Cisco
Tana Cashion, Vice President, Human Resources, Devon Energy Corporation
Nadia Owens, Vice President, Total Rewards, DIAGEO
Judith Edge, Corporate Vice President, Human Resources, FedEx Corporation
Glenn Gilkey, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Fluor Corporation
Nicholas Garbis, Strategic Workforce Planning Leader, GE Energy Global Strategy and Planning
Jared Lucas, Director, Human Resources, LinkedIn
Tanya Srepel, Vice President, Human Resources, Strategies and Global Initiatives, General Mills
Caroline Stockdale, Senior Vice President and CHRO, Medtronic Inc.
Patricia Milligan, President, Human Capital, Mercer
Brian Kelly, Partner, Mercer
Monique Matheson, Vice President, Human Resources, North America, Nike
Johnna Torsone, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Pitney Bowes
Paul Salvatore, Co-chair of the Labor and Employment Law Department, Proskauer
Susan Schmitt, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Rockwell Automation
Pamela Culpepper, Senior Vice President, Global Diversity and Inclusion Officer,PepsiCo
Jennifer Mann, Vice President, Human Resources, SAS

Join executives from: AES, Allstate, Avnet, BNP Paribas, Central Intelligence Agency, Comcast, H.J. Heinz, Jostens, Nationwide Insurance, New York Life, Newmont Mining Corporation, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, The Cheesecake factory, Thomson Reuters,  U.S. Department of the Navy, and many more!

Download the full conference agenda HERE.

REGISTRATION DETAILS
To register (don’t forget your Discount Code of “JM1”), or for more information: visit www.conference-board.org/hrexecutive or call (212) 339-0345.

 

Note: I’ll be attending the Senior HR Executive Conference as a guest of The Conference Board in order to share with my network and clients some of my learnings from the event, but I’m not asked to say/write anything other than my personal insights. Just wanted you to know.

Categories: Blog, Human Resources
Posted on October 6, 2011

Written by Jennifer McClure

The Conference Board’s 2011 Future Leaders Conference (Discount Code)

If you’ve taken a look at my Speaking & Conference schedule for the next few months, you’ll see that I’ll be attending and/or speaking at several really great events. I’m excited about them all for a variety of reasons and each will provide its share of takeaways, new relationships and opportunities!

One upcoming event I’d like to highlight for you (and offer you a discount code) is the 2011 Future Leaders Conference in Chicago, Illinois September 14 – 15, 2011. The theme for the conference is – “Rethinking How We Attract, Identify, & Develop High Potential & Next Generation Leadership Talent” and this conference is put on by the good folks at The Conference Board.

At this conference, attendees will:

  • Explore best-in-class approaches to attract, identify, assess, and develop emerging leaders
  • Discuss leadership development strategies, methodologies, and tools used to meet the needs of high potential talent
  • Learn about unique challenges of next generation leadership development in emerging markets
  • Network with innovative leaders and discover new ideas to drive leadership development

Over the last couple of years, I’ve attended several Conference Board events and I can say with no hesitation that they are some of the highest quality, most well-run events around. Each of their conferences include great speakers (the majority of whom are practitioners) from leading companies sharing best practices and their experiences. The Future Leaders Conference will be no exception. Check out the lineup of some of the scheduled speakers:

Padma Thiruvengadam, former Vice President, Asia Pacific/Canada Operations – Oncology, Pfizer Inc.
Kirsten Aranda, Director – Talent Management, Boeing
Marc Wenzel, Vice President of Sales and Partnerships,ThinkWise Inc.
Melanie Tinto, Senior Director, Global Talent Management, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Maureen A Gillan-Myer, SVP Human Resources – Regional Head of Resourcing & Talent, HSBC North America
Bonnie Fetch, Director, People and Organizational Development, Human Services Division, Caterpillar Inc.
Tim Toterhi, Senior Director, Global Learning & Development, Quintiles
Brian Fishel, SVP Enterprise Leadership Development, Bank of America
Gary Ranker, Ph.D., The Global Senior Executive Coach
Donny Huang, Managing Partner, 4stones Cross Cultural Consulting Group
Susan B. Greer, Director, Leadership, Education and Delivery Services, IRS Human Capital Office
Sandy Mobley, Owner, The Learning Advantage
Carolon Donnally, Management and Program Analyst, Leadership, Education and Delivery Services, IRS Human Capital Office
Susan Rusconi, Head of Leadership Development, Adobe Systems, Inc.
Ronald J. Alsop, Editor, Workforce Management
John Seely-Brown, Independent Co-chair, Deloitte Center for the Edge, and Visiting scholar and advisor to the Provost, University of Southern California

This conference is a “must attend” for Human Resources Leaders, Leadership Development Professionals, Talent Management Professionals and Senior Business Leaders interested in developing high potential talent, as well as those responsible for global human resources and diversity, talent acquisition, learning and employee development, and succession planning.

For more information, or if you’d like to register and join me at The Future Leaders Conference in Chicago September 14th – 15th, visit The Conference Board’s website – www.conferenceboard.org/futureleaders  or call (212) 339-0345.

BONUS: Enter the discount code JM1 to receive $500 off of the conference registration price.

 

Note: I’ll be attending the Future Leaders Conference as a guest of The Conference Board in order to share with my network and clients some of my learnings from the event. But I’m not asked to say/write anything other than my personal insights. Just wanted you to know.

Categories: Blog, Leadership
Posted on August 4, 2011

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