6 Reasons to Attend the 2018 SHRM Talent Conference – #SHRMTalent

sign, wall art, recruiting, talent, join us, graffiti, recruiting, talent acquisition, SHRM Talent

I know there’s a lot of conversation right now about the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Conference taking place June 17-20, 2018 in Chicago. I’m excited to be attending this year.

But I want to talk about a conference that happens before SHRM Annual. It’s the SHRM Talent Conference & Expo. This year’s event will be taking place April 16-18, 2018 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. As the name implies, SHRM Talent is focused on talent acquisition, development, and management. It’s a smaller event, so the sessions are more interactive and the opportunities for networking are terrific.

I’ve had the opportunity to attend SHRM Talent for a few years now, so I thought I would share a few reasons that you might want to check this event out.

Size. SHRM Talent is the right size. I’ve mentioned this already, so I won’t belabor the point. But for people who have attended SHRM Annual with its 20,000+ attendees and said, “never again”, consider this event. It’s in a hotel (not a convention center). It’s big enough for great learning and networking but small enough to see everything.

Seminars. There are seminars on the front/back. If you’ve been trying to decide between going to a formal workshop and attending a conference, SHRM Talent allows you to do both. The seminars being offered include:

Recertification credits. The conference is preapproved for SHRM-SCP and SHRM-CP recertification credits. And your certification portal will automatically be credited, so you don’t have to spend your time worrying about codes and paperwork.

SMART Stage. If you love short presentation formats like DisruptHR and TEDtalks, the conference offers something similar on the SMART Stage. One of the sessions that caught my eye is Joey V. Price’s “Building Your Business Brand and Creating a Social Army”. And I’m going to be talking about “Four Ways to Measure Your Social Recruiting Strategy”.

Location. It’s in Vegas. I believe that conference locations are important. Attending a learning event doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun too. I love using conferences to work and recharge at the same time.

Expo! If your organization is looking for something new in the talent space, here’s the opportunity to check out HR companies, have conversations, learn something at a couple of demos, etc. The professionals in the expo hall are super knowledgeable.

According to The Conference Board’s C-Suite Challenge 2018, the number one concern facing organizations is attracting and retaining talent. That means recruiting and retention should be priority numero uno for human resources departments. Conferences are great places to learn new things. They’re also good places to remember the basics. Sometimes we need to get out of the office to be reminded.

So, I’m not saying don’t go to SHRM Annual. Frankly, I’m going to both. SHRM Annual has a different purpose and vibe. If you haven’t been to SHRM Talent, this might be the year to check it out. Because talent is going to remain a top priority for businesses for a very long time.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby after speaking at the SHRM Annual Conference in Washington, DC

23
Exit mobile version