Are you thinking about registering for #SHRM19 in Las Vegas? Maybe you already have and you are looking for some tips from a first-time attendee. I will provide you with a few helpful tips that made my first #SHRM conference a major success!
Plan on planning to make last minute changes
It is great and all to have a plan on which sessions you may want to attend but remember that you are attending a conference with 18,000-20,000 other people and the sessions do fill up quickly! I made several last minute changes but was just as happy as there are many great sessions running at the same time.
Wear comfortable shoes and dress comfortably
This year, I participated in the 3rd Annual SHRM Foundation step challenge. I averaged around 20K steps each day during the conference so comfortable shoes and clothing is a must! The conference center was typically on the cooler side but the weather in Chicago was in the 90’s.
Take time to get out and enjoy the city and networking
Whether you are in a city that you know very well or are in a totally new place, take some time to enjoy the restaurants and shops around the conference center. These provide great opportunities to continue networking even after the general sessions have ended. Some amazing relationships will come out of these moments so enjoy them!
Stay organized by taking high-level notes from each session
The amount of content packed into the 3-day conference can be overwhelming. The presentations are available for attendees but most are developed in a way that makes the content hard to understand without hearing the presenter speak. I would recommend recording quotes from the presentation and record the slide number next to them so you can go back and dig into the content later.
Purchase the eLearning Library from SHRM
As I mentioned in my last point, the presentations are often useless without the presenter speaking along with it. Thankfully, SHRM provides the majority of presentations to you in their eLearning Library! For only $199 attendees can purchase a 1-Year Subscription to view past presentations which include prior year annual conferences as well as the Top 10 presentations from the Talent Management conference.
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