If there are things that come with Spring, they are flowers blooming, new grads to hire, and industry conferences. This year, the ERE Recruiting Conference in Las Vegas, NV from April 6th-8th will be different than some of its competitors though. For the talent acquisition professional, here is how you can make the most of your three days in Las Vegas with ERE.
1. Come With An Agenda.
A sure-fire way to get the most out of the ERE Recruiting Conference is to come with a list of issues you want to solve. It is easy to get sucked into the world of technology, presentation, glamour, and everything else Las Vegas can distract you with, that by the end of the Conference, you might not be able to reflect on any tangible takeaways.
However, one solution for this is writing down a list of the real problems you are having and then speaking with people who will answer those issues directly. This is where brainstorming, new ideas, and even strategy audits will be born!
Another good thing about this is that the Conference is structured to deliver real world solutions to attendees. On this specific issue, Todd Raphael, ERE Media Editor-in-Chief, says, ”A lot of conferences you go to and you walk out and you think ‘I don’t know – what do I take away from this’ or ‘that sounded nice, but I wonder if it would work in the real world’.”
He continues, ”Well I went through phone calls with every speaker we have, multiple phone calls, and tried to make sure that each of their presentations include what was the problem, what did you do about the problem and then what was the result, so when you walk out of a session, you can go ‘oh acceptance rates went up and they did X – maybe that would work in my company.”’
This direct approach the presenters use will allow you to review your list and actually add solutions, ideas, or other questions. This will always be a key to getting the most from industry conferences. That way, on the flight home, you can point to exactly the main takeaways from the ERE Recruiting Conference and know exactly where to get started Monday morning.
2. Sign Up for a One-on-One with an ERE presenter.
One thing that really makes this conference different from other conferences is the accessibility and interactivity of presenters. Mr. Raphael describes the unique opportunity:
Speakers give us some times they are available and we send out an email to attendees and ask them who they want to meet with and put their names on a calendar and say ‘ok great – you wanted to meet with Kim and now you are meeting with Kim over breakfast for a half hour’ and then they can talk about whatever they want to talk about. At the last conference for example, we had a senior executive at GE speaking and someone met with her and they wanted to talk about being a female executive in a huge company and that was great – wasn’t about recruiting really – but it was great. That’s what they wanted to talk about – it’s up to them.
3. Don’t Carry Too Much.
One of the best aspects of ERE is that it is not just a series of long, boring PowerPoint presentations. There are lunch sessions. There are round table discussions. There are vendors to speak with (RealMatch will be there too at Booth #322). So you want to make sure you can get around quickly, shake people’s hands, and be comfortable having a ten minute standing conversation in a loud room. These ‘unscripted’ moments are often some of the most valuable for practical idea and solution exchange between attendees at these conferences, so you definitely want to be able to maximize these opportunities and not literally be weighed down by your bags and bags of swag and notebook freebies.
4. Bring extra money!
Why? As you know, Las Vegas is the capital of legalized gambling, so you might as well bring some small cash that you may not miss if it doesn’t come home with you. After all, when you are not in a session, you might want to play the slots just one time.
In The End, It’s All About Focus
You have to recognize why you are going. If it is to network, focus on that. If it is to find a better way to fill hard-to-fill jobs, focus on that. If time-to-hire is what you need to improve upon, make that the thesis of your trip. If recruiting budget is an issue, identify ways to reduce cost. Most of us have one, if not all, of those issues, so definitely aim to come home with some solutions.
And, if you feel inclined, visit RealMatch and learn about our AppMatch service at Booth #322, which can help you hire faster, smarter, and for less. Plus, we have a surprise-awesome giveaway planned, which you definitely, so either walk, skip, or rumba your way over to Booth #322.
Still need to register? Use code: ERE16RM20 when you register and save 20%!