Alright all you eager SHRM-inators, as you get ready for the conference, here are few tips to get you off on the right track:
- Dress for Success- You never know who you will meet. New Orleans is smoking hot but the conference center is brutally cold and has multiple floors. It may warm up with over 15,000 people in attandance but just in case you get cold like I do, you may want to bring a sweater or a blazer. If possible wear your comfortable shoes, there will be a lot of walking and you don't want to get halfway through the day and need to throw in the towel because of your feet. You can estimate walking five to ten miles a day between different classes and dinners. Bring a back up pair of flats just incase. Also, bring your Fitbit fitness tracker so you can track your steps and enter into any wellness step contest they might offer.
- Meet and Eat- Whether you sign up at the meet and eat booth with Lasenda Barrois and the team or your are catching some dinner after the conference. Get out and enjoy this beautiful city. SHRM strategically selects these cities so we can get out and connect with each other, so take a walk around the town with a newly introduced peer, make a connection and swap HR war stories. Also text 556-78 to recieve texts from Workology on the latest SHRM networking events.
- Don't be Caught Dead- Charge up your cell phones before you come, if possible. You don't want to pull out your phone right when the speaker says something transformative and your phone dies. So worst case your phone did die, then SHRM team placed a charging station behind the information desk.
- Leave Room for Takeaways- With hundreds some time thousands of presentation and vendors. Leave room and weight in your luggage to bring around three to five pounds worth of marketing and goodies for your teams. You don't want have to have collected all this great information for your organization and then get stuck with a $50 over weight fee for your baggage to bring it home.
- Capture the Moment- There are plenty of photo props and backdrops at this conference for you to grab a new friend or strike an exciting pose and capture the moment. If you see me, lets totally take a selfie. I will even take a picture of you if you need one, just ask!
- Find Your Tribe- There will be thousands of the top HR professionals in the world walking by you each day. You may want to have a few business cards made so you can share your contact information with the people you meet in the line at the vendor fair or between speaking events. Take a moment to connect and build a tribe of people, speakers and like-minded individuals with whom you can connect, long after this years conference ends.
- Energize Not Exhaust- With so many great options between seminars and podcasts, it is hard to choose. Remember that you are here to reenergize yourself with new ideas and creative tools, so try not to over exhaust yourself and then not be able to think clearly. Plan time in to relax and reflect so you can truly begin seeing how the information your receive will make a difference for you and those around you.
I hope to see you there, enjoy!
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