So, are you thinking about going to the 2012 SHRM Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia? Yeah, me, too.

I was able to attend back in 2010 due to the boundless generosity of my friend Eric Winegardner. However, at that time I was working in a 6-person HR department as the low man on the totem pole. Nobody cared what I thought. Nobody wanted to hear my ideas. So when I returned from the event, my enthusiasm and fervor was quickly extinguished.

While I enjoyed the experience, I didn’t get a lot out of the event in the form of takeaways.

If I can attend this year, that’s going to change drastically.

My hopes for the 2012 SHRM Annual Conference

First of all, it’s right next door in Atlanta, Georgia. That alone makes it more appealing!

Seriously, though. I work in a small company. I have some support from the Operations Team, but the main body of HR duties is mine. And while I love it, sometimes it gets a little overwhelming. I realize that I can’t be great at everything. I can’t have all the answers to every benefits, employment law, and recruiting question someone throws at me. And I certainly don’t have time to look into the “nice to haves” like online performance review software, leadership development strategies, and internal culture training. However, learning opportunities like the SHRM conference affords don’t come along every day.

I’m working to see if there’s money in the budget to attend the 2012 SHRM Annual Conference. Even if there isn’t, I’m going to try to make it happen one way or another.

Is anyone else already planning to attend? I’d love to meet you if so!

I spent some time on the phone with my good friend Trish McFarlane the other day discussing HRevolution 2012. This event is going to be fantastic. Then I heard the phrase “don’t be a fan, be a player” today, and I knew the two topics were related.

You see, HRevolution isn’t your average, ordinary event.

There’s a reason we talk about “participants” when we discuss HRev. Why? Because they are expected to participate. We want people to come and share ideas, ask questions, and walk away with more than they came with.

The differences between this event and the traditional conference are many, but that is one that I keep coming back to as the main sticking point when comparing the two.

Give it a chance

If your employer pays for you to attend conferences during the year, this is one you need to seriously consider. You will walk out the door fired up and ready to take on whatever is thrown at you. Not sure if it’s right for you? Email me and we can discuss your individual position and how it might be applicable (or not) to what you need. The positive side is that it’s not going to cost you a thousand dollars to attend this event. We have done our best to keep costs low so that anyone can attend, no matter what career level they may be.

There’s a reason we have so many people who have attended every single HRevolution event. They believe in it, and you can, too.

Sponsors welcome

If you are a vendor in the HR space and would be interested in sponsoring, please reach out and I can get you the information you’ll need to make it happen.

Wow. I was only able to stay for half of the Hire Minds event presented by Snagajob, but it was a fantastic experience. I took notes throughout the day and shared sound bytes on Twitter when I could, but the Live Tweeting Paradox was in effect (okay, I just made that up, but it really does make sense). Usually when I attend an event I will share ideas that I’m learning on Twitter; however, when an event is particularly engaging or learning intensive, I have to stop tweeting and focus on the session. Ironically, some of the best sessions I’ve ever seen are the ones where I’ve shared the least on social media!

Anyway, in the next week or so I’m going to post on some big ideas I learned at the event. I met a great lady, Buzz, who also has her own comments on the event to share.

Later this week look for posts covering…

• How to reduce employee turnover by 64%
• How to pay managers to mentor new leaders
• How to keep recruiters busy if you start promoting internally
• What gardening has to do with management
• Why competing for candidates on pay is a losing game

In short, the Hire Minds event was phenomenal. If you work for an hourly employer, you should 1) look at Snagajob’s offerings for employers as a way to find and screen qualified candidates and 2) talk with the good folks at Snagajob about how you can get into the event if you’re interested. It’s a small affair (~75-100 companies represented there), but there is amazing content focused specifically on the hourly employer segment.

Have you thought about attending HRev Las Vegas in October but didn’t know if it would be worth it?

Wonder no more.

At this link you will find the agenda for HRevolution Las Vegas, complete with speakers and session topics as well! A few snippets:

• Talent Anarchy Hacklab
• A Metric, a Trend, and an Analytic Walk Into a Bar
• Delivering Happiness
• Talent Communities and Company Culture
• Tools and Tech Jeopardy! Style

Snag your ticket now so you don’t miss out on these fantastic sessions and speakers!

Whew. I don’t travel that often, but the coming weeks are going to be quite busy. I hope to meet many of you at least once in this whirlwind, so check out the list below to see if we’ll be at any of the same events.

HR Florida-August 27-31

This is my first HR Florida excursion, but I’m really pumped to attend. From working with a few friends on the pre-conference Social Media Academy to having the time and topics to blog about throughout the duration of the conference, I am very excited about this experience.

Hire Minds-September 28-30

The good folks at Snagajob reached out to me about speaking on social media and I couldn’t turn them down. It sounds like an amazing event with a small, intimate group of incredibly talented individuals. I’m honored to attend!

HRevolution-October 2

I did a video a few days ago on HRevolution. If you want a ticket, it’s one of the cheapest events out there but has a consistently high rating from attendees. Definitely encourage you to check it out!

HR Technology-October 3-5

While I might not be able to stay for the entire event, I’m a geek/nerd at heart, so you know I’ll be in love with some HR technology. Working for a startup means that we’re always just one big proposal win away from needing something more powerful than Excel as an HRIS system. I’ll be looking for some ideas and hope to meet some great people for the first time there.

In the midst of that is work, family, and volunteer stuff, so it’s definitely going to be a wild month, give or take a few days. So, how about it? Anywhere you’d like to meet? Feel free to shoot me an email!

Will I see you at the next HRevolution? Las Vegas is right around the corner (October 2, 2011), and I hope to see you there. In the video below I discuss some of what makes HRevolution different from other events and why it’s so popular. If you’re ready to get your ticket, head over to the Eventbrite page and make it happen!

Email subscribers need to click through to see the video.

Last Wednesday I attended ALSHRM11, also known as the Alabama State SHRM Conference. There were some great sessions, and I have started chronicling the details over at RocketHR. If you’re curious about building a culture of integrity at work, managing the differences between generations, or being innovative in your HR role, then there will be some good content going up on the other blog in the next few weeks.

Feel free to subscribe for email updates over there so you don’t miss anything. I usually only post once a week over there so it’s really easy to keep up with!