I am speaking at the HR Technology Conference & Expo because Bill Kutik is making me do it.
For those of you who don’t know Bill, he is considered the leading independent analyst of the HR technology marketplace with specialties in HCM, Recruiting, Talent Management and social networking. This is according to his official biography, which also lists him as a graduate of Harvard. La-dee-dah. He’s no Old Spice guy, though.
Apparently, HR Tech is an important show for the HR industry, which includes HR professionals who don’t know anything about technology but have influence, power, and budget. I think the keyword is budget, but that’s because I’m cynical.
Bill asked me to speak and I hesitated. What the heck do I know about technology? I’m just a chumpy HR chick with her SPHR. When I finally agreed to speak at the conference, I asked Bill how I could reach some of those HR professionals who are scared of technology and social media. He suggested that I teach a class called Twitterversity.
Yup, that’s right. I bet we win an award for that clever name.
I’m only doing it because I have fond memories of the 2009 HR Tech Conference. Those memories involve me, a dark bar in Chicago, and free drinks. You can’t beat that kind of fun.
So if you want to come and see me or some of the other awesome people at HR Tech, don’t pay full price. Click on this link and type in PunkRock10 as a discount code. I don’t make any money from the sale of your ticket — which just goes to show that HR still lacks strategic vision — but I hope to see you there.
PS — Buy me a drink in a dark bar and talk to me about Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult and we’ll have a great time in 2010, too!
PS2 — Kutik just wrote, “Thanks, Laurie, you’re one tough gal. And that was one tough Striped Bass. But you failed to tell folks that the discount is $500 off our on-site rate of $1,695 or just $1,195. In short, big bucks. Was “Twitterversity” your idea or mine? I can’t remember, but you’re the one who will be teaching newbies how to do it in a hands-on training class. Does Twitter have the bandwidth?” What does this guy want from me? Bill, here is my vein. Take my blood. Go for it.
PS 3 — Seriously, folks, I love this guy and the conference is great.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks, Laurie, you’re one tough gal. And that was one tough Striped Bass. But you failed to tell folks that the discount is $500 off our on-site rate of $1,695 or just $1,195. In short, big bucks. Was “Twitterversity” your idea or mine? I can’t remember, but you’re the one who will be teaching newbies how to do it in a hands-on training class. Does Twitter have the bandwidth?
Good god, man! That name was your idea. I told you, “I’ll just show up and do what you tell me to do.”
You congratulated me on my common sense and good manners.
xo
PS – That margarita machine better make another appearance on the expo floor, Bill. I don’t remember the vendor, but make it so.
I have no doubt this will be a great conference, one I have attended a while ago..full disclosure, I was given a comp’ed pass by a vendor. Kind of funny that I don’t hear the uproar about the cost (more than SHRM) about this that you heard from many about the cost of SHRM. It is beyond my ability to pay for both this and SHRM in a year and for me SHRM has much more value (a personal opinion).
Just a thought.
This event is geared towards buyers & consumers of technology. That’s not the general SHRM crowd, I don’t think. Most of your attendees at SHRM are director-level and below. Last year, I met a tremendous amount of VPs of HR and several AVPs of HRIT. I don’t recall meeting HR Generalists, although I hung out on the expo floor with my peeps & a margarita machine. I only went to two sessions.
My point? I think it’s a slightly different audience with different budgets and different spending goals.
I agree with Laurie. Few reasons which come to my mind based on our interaction with HR professionals – recruiters & managers.
1. Most of them are not really motivated, treats their job as 9-to-5. Effective candidate management require ‘going extra mile’ attitude.
2. They are not trained as head-hunters, so don’t understand the efforts required to attract top talent. Don’t have the discipline required for effective communication/collaboration with candidates and hiring managers.
3. External communication is regarded as a potential for some liabilities for the company. Hence they resort to ‘don’t communicate by email or phone’ and remain cautious.
4. Hiring managers don’t have much influence on candidate search process. These professionals directly reports to head of HR, those who are trying to fight many other issues and candidate search, management & talent retention is not their priority.
One more voice on the HR Technology Conference. In my opinion, this is the best event on the calendar for anyone interested in buying, selling, or learning about HR-related technology. If you fall into any of these camps, do your darndest to get yourself to Chicago. All of the major players attend and Bill has put together — again — a top-notch agenda. And, just like the good old days, there are parties every night for networking.
Hi Laurie -
I am the Program Chairperson for 1st Annual HR Technology in the Federal Workplace™ Conference; produced by LRP Publications, Inc. This conference will take place April 4-6, 2011 at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington DC. I am interested in speakers and topics of interest. Please contact me if you are interested.
This conference, which is brought to you by the producers of cyber FEDS® will provide cutting-edge advice and strategies in the crucial areas of Recruiting, Talent and Performance Management, and Gov 2.0 over two jam-packed days, followed by a post-conference session on HR and social media. You’ll gain access to numerous breakout workshops that deal specifically with the issues facing workers in the federal sector. You can go to: http://www.fedhrtechnologyconference.com/rfp.html for more information.
This year we have refined our audience to specifically target federal agency employees who have human resources, social media, or information technology as one of their duties.