Bill Kutik doesn’t really ask me for much, so when he suggested that I let you all know about the upcoming 2010 HR Technology Conference and Exposition, it was kind of a no brainer. Why is that? I covered last year’s HR Tech event here and concluded that it was “a rousing success”. This year my expectations are even higher, and here’s why September 29th to October 1st in Chicago should now be on your calendar.
Kutik and fellow co-chair David Shadovitz have really stepped things up for 2010 and some of the individuals that I most admire in the industry will be active and vocal participants for this year’s festivities. And there’s something for everyone, including:
- Naomi Bloom and Jim Holincheck going mano y mano in “The Great Technology Debate”
- Lexy Martin unveiling her 13th Annual CedarCrestone HR Systems Survey
- Phil Fersht and Lowell Williams showing off their big brains in “The Great Service Delivery Debate”
- Laurie Ruettimann as the Pied Piper of new media in her “Twitterversity” tutorial
- Kris Dunn introducing you to some of the freshest voices in the market via his “Blogger Insight Panel”
- Jason Averbook and Gerry Crispin returning to moderate their respective (and respected) panels on talent management and job boards
And if you’re really not into great content, you can network your way to success on the expo floor, at the tweetup, over dinners, coffee meetings and the like. This is the one event that players in our industry do not miss, period.
Finally, I’d ask you to come so you can ridicule and humiliate me personally. Last year I was openly critical of the “Shootout” that HR Tech is famous for. In a very tactical and creative move, HR Technology has silenced yours truly by getting me personally involved. This year’s Shootout is now plural as my good friends Steve Boese, Mike Krupa and I will each be moderating (and judging) head-to-head battles between some of the industry’s top service providers. Let’s see if I do any better. 
Oh… one last important note. Because Bill loves me and I love you, he’s offered you a discount on conference registration. Simply click here now and enter promotion code “INFLEXION10″ (note that this is case sensitive) for $500 off the onsite price. I may even let you buy me a drink with your savings.
(Checking my notes)…. okay, let’s review. Great show. Great content. Great people. The great Stelzner. Great discount. Well, that about sums it up. If you have thoughts about this show, the schedule, what I should wear or how death feuding vendors should be judged, please share your comments below. I’ll look forward to seeing you there.
One Comment
Thanks, Mark, the only item I would add to your list is that two vendors are simply paired in a Shootout breakout session — which you, Steve and Mike have agreed to judge — but will not actually be competing against each other. Instead they will be evaluated against some absolutes of UI, integration, navigation, etc. Not against each other. A kindler, gentler Shootout? I doubt it.