I’m on my way home after two days of glorious HR craziness. Couple of notes:
- Celebrities make huge coin at these corporate events. So far, the celebrity SHRM list includes: Stedman Graham, Sidney Poitier, Maroon 5, Erik Estrada (no I’m not kidding), and Lionel Richie. Anyone I’m missing? Celebs don’t make money on iTunes and concert tours and writing books and doing television shows: they make money by showing up on a vendor-sponsored party bus with fifty corporate dudes who have never met a celebrity in their lives. Amazing. God Bless America!
- The party culture of HR is weird. Get a group of middle-aged women together and offer them free drinks, and any sort of boundaries that existed around compliance, business-appropriate behavior, and workplace harassment concerns disappear. I know we’re here to par-tay, but it makes me wonder if we’re ever really here to par-tay? When does work end and fun begin when you’re at a conference?
I love HR people who smoke, too. Lots of them do, and I’m not judging because I could care less, but it’s so funny to me. Let’s put you in charge of an employee wellness plan. Everyone has to quit smoking except you, because you can’t quit smoking while you’re dealing with cranky & irritable colleagues.
Boy, I’m beat. It’s a gorgeous Chicago day and I’m refusing to sit in a conference hall when I can run to see the Jeff Koons exhibit.
1) I am totes available for corporate events, FYI. I will be awesome.
2) The conferences I have attended were related to technology for blind people (long story) and it seemed our main goal was to get so drunk you couldn’t see. At the time (I was 20… no wait, I was drinking so of course I was over the legal drinking age) I think my boss was actually trying to pimp me out to sell product. Whatever, 20 year old college students aren’t good for much else.
Have fun today.
Sounds fun, but corporate events in Software Engineering, those were the days…
I went to the red carpet launch party for and Microsoft hold their conferences in Vegas, where we drank too much & went to a strip club with our main competitor.
I’ve yet to attend a Project Management event in my new life, but I’ve a feeling it would be relatively dull, meticulously planned, but possibly run for a couple of days longer than expected.
Sorry - Messed up link again!
@lexy You & me both. We can do a roadshow.
@neil I can’t imagine project management as anything but ENGAGING and EXCITING. Whoo hoo!
I’ve heard that SHRM in New Orleans (where this thing will be held next year) is really wild and will make SHRM Chicago look more like SHRM Salt Lake City. Take free drinks and middle-aged women, and add Bourbon Street and flashing for beads. You get the picture ….
Just catching up with your blog and the rest of the real world after SHRM. You did a great job covering the key issues….cross-dressing fairies in booth, how hotels affect hair, and starbucks lines.
The highlight of my SHRM experience was the Wine/Cheese/Chocolate bar at my hotel (Eno at Intercontinental Hotel).
Thw low-point was missing Stedman visiting CPP’s booth by less than 3 minutes. How does one miss Stedman for crissakes!!!!! Such a dissappointment.
BTW, where’s the love for CPP? No shout outs for our flashy luggage tag thingy and walking billboard t-shirts?! I mean, it’s not a fairy with a beard…but it’s something.
@John You need a Workforce booth and an appearance by Green Day. Kris said he would coordinate.
@Breanne Were those iPod shirts yours? I just saw the I’M GONNA WIN A FREE IPOD shirt and thought, “No you’re not.” Did you get to visit the fairy? He was totes sweaty.
I am married to an HR professional. She has her SPHR and is an associate director of HR at a local college. I hear lots of stories about what she does and how she serves her peeps. I am a little confused, though, about just how did Erik Estrada fit into your meeting with other HR professionals…
Just wondering…
We have the booth — you must have missed it — but maybe Buckwheat Zydeco would be better than Green Day for SHRM New Orleans…
@Paul I have no idea how he fits in… but I’ll find out!
@John I did miss it. Sorry. I was overwhelmed by the flashing lights @ the Monster booth. Also, we’ll have to negotiate on the music. While Buckwheat Zydeco is appropriately themed for New Orleans, they aren’t edgy enough for me.
Eric Estrada serves people with his Eric Estradaness. Totally engaging.