Live from SHRM 09 – Day 1
Well, the Society for Human Resources Management’s Annual conference in New Orleans has officially started. There’s something very exciting about being a part of the largest gathering of human resources professionals in the world.
Yesterday was all of the obligatory opening day events…here’s the rundown (just in case you missed it).
Session Soundbite
The opening general session with Jack Welch was “OK.” I thought he talked about ten minutes too long. I will say that he had some great soundbites – which I tried to tweet as many as I could during the session yesterday.
But the comment that really struck me was when Claire Shipman said that ABC News runs their organization by fear. I’m sure she meant to say that they are a highly competitive culture where employees must demonstrate their value daily…just goes to show you that even news celebrities can be human too.
Expo Highlight
It was the grand opening of the expo last night and the exhibitors were out with their finest. While it is a noticeably smaller attendance here at SHRM, the exhibitors were friendly and they pulled out all the stops…
Swag of the Day
While I did manage to get mousepads from Silkroad Technology and my own SHRMWow! From Benefitfocus. The star at the grand opening of the expo was Careerbuilder. They had the chefs from Top Chef, hand sanitizer AND personal motorized fans for the hot New Orleans weather.
Foodie Spotlight
Had dinner with the one and only Laurie Ruettimann at Rambla which is located in the International Hotel. It’s a tapas restaurant. The bacon wrapped dates were awesome. If you decide that you want something a little different from the traditional Cajun fare…I’d recommend it.
I also stopped at the Carousel Bar for a nightcap. It’s a cozy place with a revolving bar in the Hotel Montelone. Met The Red Recruiter and Smart Brief on Workforce.
You Made My Day Award
Goes to Franny Oxford (aka @FrannyO on Twitter)…it was great hanging out with her!
Duh! Moment
I was walking around the expo and visited the TSA booth (Transportation Security Administration). They’re at the conference to recruit for managers and promote what they do (which is provide security at airports.)
I thought it was hilarious when they asked me if I was familiar with the TSA. I’m thinking “um . . . that’s how I got here.”
They did have cool hand sanitizer though. And, it will go through the metal detector.
So day one was full of the usual suspects – high powered keynote and fun in the expo. Monday will be filled with educational sessions…can’t wait to share more!
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