This Year's SHRM Show: Big Crowds in the Big EasyFor four days in late June, the center of the Human Resource universe could be found in the Crescent City. New Orleans, Louisiana was the home for the 56th Annual Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Conference and Exposition. More than 12,000 attendees traveled to the Big Easy for the conference, which featured guest speakers, seminars, networking events, and the mammoth HR Management Marketplace – featuring a whopping 1,200 exhibit booths and 800 companies showing off their newest and most innovative products and services.Many of our HR Marketer members exhibited at SHRM and agreed that it was yet again the most comprehensive showcase encompassing all disciplines of human resources. Attendee traffic was significant and consistent, most of who were mid-level HR professionals with manager or director titles. A few vendors did express mixed feelings about the exhibit hall layout, booth location, the duration of break times and the lunch hours, but the consensus was that a cadre of sales leads were collected and a variety of partnership opportunities were discussed. Rachel Berger, Senior Marketing Communications Manager at Webhire, summed it up nicely: "As a market leader, SHRM is a show you have to be at, otherwise your absence speaks louder than your presence, so in that sense, it's worth it to attend." But the exhibit hall was only one of several main attractions filling the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, which to some conventioneers seemed to stretch forever along the banks of the Mississippi River. High-profile speakers delivered many of the headline moments for the conference, kicking off with Queen Noor of Jordan’s presentation on Sunday, June 27, followed by author Marcus Buckingham and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts CEO Scott Livengood. Only scheduled guest “Magic” Johnson of L.A. Lakers fame abruptly cancelled his Monday appearance, though actor and director Christopher Reeve more than ably suited up to pinch-hit, leaving a standing-room-only crowd visibly inspired. SHRM took advantage of the large media attendance to issue a round of press announcements, including its 2004 Health Care Survey and 2004 Benefits Survey. SHRM also joined the Great Places to Work Institute in announcing the winners of the "Top 50 Best Small and Medium Companies to Work for in America." The first-of-its-kind national rankings list the top 25 small companies (50-250 employees) and the top 25 medium companies (251-999 employees). Ensuring an unforgettable New Orleans experience was a concert by the classic rock band The Doobie Brothers, and after-hours parties in the famed French Quarter sponsored by HR.com, Webhire, Kronos, Pearson Reid London House and others. The 2005 SHRM Conference is scheduled for June 19-22 in San Diego, California. For more information, log onto www.shrm.org. |