This past week was the Ohio HR Conference. It was phenomenal in each and every way !! This was my 14th year as either an attendee or SHRM volunteer at the event. There are so many aspects of the conference that resonate with people ranging from the great programming and professional development opportunities, the gigantic themed resort at Kalahari or the social times together.
I’m fortunate to have several of the speakers as friends, and I made sure to ask them what resonated with them. More often than not, they said that they felt truly welcomed and a part of the fabric of the Conference. (Side note – we invite the speakers to stay all week with us at OHSHRM and let them attend sessions, social gatherings, etc. just like the attendees) Now, we have speakers who don’t do this as well, but the ones that do notice the vibe.
Growing up in the 80’s as a young adult, I was a HUGE Cheers fan. Every episode of the sitcom was great because the cast of characters wanted to see each other and share their lives and experiences. Even the theme song captured the “culture” of their beloved Boston pub . . . “Sometimes you want to go Where everybody knows your name, And they’re always glad you came; You want to be where you can see, Our troubles are all the same; You want to be where everybody knows your name.” Theme by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo.
HR people long for that camaraderie just as everyone else. It’s great to have a culture that promotes that because the hope is that those HR pros can continue that effort in their organizations !!
You see, sometimes the best “professional development” is to remind us that we need to recharge our batteries and be welcomed. This coming week, make sure to be welcoming yourself and show employees the value of being welcomed each and every day !!
What an amazing conference! I can only compare this to other Ohio Conferences, but another attendee stated this was better than the national conference – she could earn more HRCI credits. My spouse said our Ohio HR conferences were more fun than her professional conferences. Great theme, great speakers, great fun. This one had it all.
The conference committee deserves big cudos for this one. The Ohio SHRM conferences are always good but this one was exceptional. Some of the speakers were really good and the friends I got to reconnect with were the best! Thanks for putting together such a great conference. Can’t wait ’til next year!
I did not make OHSHRM this year, but I was there last year. I can attest to what you say. You do have a great vibe, a feeling that everyone is welcome.
Congrats to you and the entire volunteer staff. There is no doubt that you guys pulled off another amazing conference – and dare I say …. hit a homerun!
Being involved with the conference committe for 12 years and culminating this year as Chair, I couldn’t agree with you (my roomie) more!
As manager of the conference committee team, I can say that from our veterans to our rookies, they hit it out of the park! Having a strong “bench coach” made my job easier and I took a few pages out of his play book to make 2012 a “World Series” event.
Glad to contribute to the vibe and let’s keep it going!