Top Reasons I Attend Conference Board Events

The Conference Board

I just returned from one of the highlight events of my year….the Senior HR Executive Conference.   Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing about things I saw and heard and how ideas I discovered there will influence my approach to practicing HR differently.  But before I do that, I thought I’d share some information on The Conference Board, talk about how they are changing and adapting to the times, and tell you why their conferences are so valuable to me.  I do this because there are so many conferences that HR practitioners “traditionally” go to and I think we should all be challenging ourselves to attend different events that can add new dimension to our thinking.

In existence since 1916, The Conference Board is a global, independent business membership and research association working in the public interest. They help their member companies by providing research and understanding around four key areas-  Economy, Markets & Value Creation; Human Capital; Corporate Leadership; High-Performing Organizations.  This enables the companies to have a trusted resource to provide the insight needed to make business decisions.  One criticsm I’ve heard over the years is that The Conference Board is so exclusive and holds their information too close.  I can’t speak for anyone else, but my personal experience has been quite the opposite with them.  Of course members receive greater benefit, but if you attend their events, you often walk away with research you would have never received elsewhere.  I’ve also found the four events I’ve attended to be very welcoming and inclusive.

You can join the conference board and take advantage of all the services they offer.  Or, if you are interested in “trying before you buy”, you can register for one of their outstanding conferences or leadership experiences and see first hand the level of quality information they provide.

The best event I’ve EVER attended was their Leadership Experience at Gettysburg.  I wrote about it and the impact of leadership intent, the tyranny of the inner circle, and the live episode of the HR Happy hour from Gettysburg.   This was so different and unique because it takes a topic, like the Civil War and brings it to life today from a business decision standpoint.  You walk the steps of those Civil War leaders.  It is the most surreal experience of my life.  Stay tuned because The Conference Board has some exciting news about the leadership experiences coming up in 2011.  In addition to the intense leadership experiences, here are some conferences to consider as you plan for 2011:

• Social Media Strategy for HR– (April 12- 13, New York City)  This one will be amazing!  I place this conference high on my list.
• Executive Compensation Conference (June 7- 8, New York City)
• Building an Ethical and High Performing Workplace through Effective Behaviors (May 24, New York City)
• Strategic Employee Communication Summit (March 3- 4, New York City)

So, as I plan for 2011, I will make several Conference Board events key to my learning.  Won’t you?  Sign up and be sure to tell them that Trish sent you!