Recently, I have been hosting, speaking at, or attending several conferences. Most of them involve human resource professionals. I’ve heard several comments like, “I wish they had put more practioners and less consultants and vendors on the stage.” Trust me, the meeting organizers have tried. Also trust me when I say, “you may have gotten a better education because the show organizers didn’t succeed at that mission.” read more »

Guest Post by Amy Cohen, Director of Marketing

We all hear that change is good and while I usually agree, I must admit that changing our live customer event to a virtual event was not one I was originally on board with. To say we have the greatest customers is an understatement. Which is why the entire Aquire team looks forward each year to hosting the Aquire User Conference. The event is filled with great sessions, workshops, networking and product training, but more importantly it’s the energy and the buzz you get from being around people that love your product as much as you do that makes it such a special event. read more »

The return trip home from the IHRIM conference gave me time to reflect on the last few days. I visit, and we exhibit at, a lot of conferences and tradeshows. IHRIM is, and really always has been, a unique experience. The energy and community between the attendees is wonderful and contagious. Even though the economy is tough, these professionals know they need to invest in themselves and their businesses. read more »

Unfortunately, I found last week’s SAPHR 2009 conference content uninspiring. The sessions were redundant, covered by so many other shows, including last year’s SAPHR show.

It’s a shame, because those people who did have to fight for their travel budget deserved a lot more. It makes you wonder what will happen to their budgeting for next year. Many people were frustrated. read more »

When you are planning your visit to a conference please think about some of the following tips. These are provided by Marc Ramos, networker extraordinaire, who presents a “How to Network at OHUG” (Oracle HR User Group) to a standing room only crowd each year.

• Do your planning: Who do you want to meet?
• Don’t “Work a Room”…”work” can be tedious, laborious, and sometimes painfully awkward – just socialize instead.
• Leverage a “Wing-Man/Wing-Woman”…think Maverick/Goose (Top-Gun). Network with a partner so that you can feel more comfortable when you walk up to a group.
• Diversity: talk to others who are VERY different than yourself. Age, Race, Gender, Role…you’ll be pleasantly surprised with your findings.
• Be humble/generous: the greatest networkers in the world are Shoe-Shine professionals at the airport. They have a ton of information to share and make you feel like the most important person in their world during your time with them.
• SMILE…this incredibly simple act invites conversation. read more »