SHRM23 in Las Vegas was the largest SHRM conference EVER – close to 25,000 HR pros from around the world gathered for 4 days of learning and connecting. What a way to celebrate SHRM’s 75th birthday! It was fun to reflect on the whirlwind of a week that SHRM23 was. I’m excited to share with you what makes the annual conference special to me. It’s a combination of so many things. Here it goes!
I’m so grateful to have been part of the SHRM Blogger/Influencer team for my fifth annual conference in a row. This group is all passionate about learning, sharing and connecting and it’s so much fun to work together to put out blogs, LinkedIn content, Tweets and other posts to help the broader #HRCommunity prepare for the conference and get the most out of it while they are there. Thank you Benjamin Schmidt, Kennedy Barba and SHRM for the opportunity to participate on the #SHRM23Influencer team!
Sunday morning I co-presented conference orientation and I love this opportunity to help attendees get prepared for the next 4 days of fun. Orientation is a great time to make new friends and get a better understanding of what to expect during the conference. I remember attending my first annual conference in 2018, and orientation was so important to me and helpful, so I love being able to help my fellow #HRCommunity attendees prepare and get more comfortable. What’s particularly special to me, is being able to share my passion of connecting, posting and engaging intentionally, and how to do it during the conference! Afterwards, so many people approached the 3 of us to introduce themselves and ask questions. Many selfies were taken and new friends made! It’s really a dream come true to talk about what I love to bring HR Pros closer together. We need each other and are better together. Thank you Jeanne Morris and SHRM staff who afforded me the amazing opportunity to speak and share my passion at the conference this year!
SHRM always plans the best keynote speakers. Each day at the conference, there is a “general session,” which is essentially the key note of the day. No other sessions take place during the general session. My favorite this year was Mitch Albom, the author of Tuesdays with Morrie. I’m sure we all read this in our high school or college years. The theme of Mitch’s talk was giving is living, and he shared so many stories about how giving and helping others enriched his life so much, created new learning opportunities for him, and made life so much more rewarding. I naturally love to encourage and support others. This can be tiring at times of course, but Mitch really inspired me to always keep up this work. It really does make life better!
One of my favorite aspects of the annual conference is the expo hall where you can find vendors, solutions, HR Tech demonstrations and so much more. The folks working the booths are always helpful and engaging. It’s also a great place to grab some of the hand passed hors d’oeuvres, a beverage, and run into friends you haven’t seen in a while.
There are definitely some perks at the annual conference if you are SHRM certified and a volunteer leader! As a SHRM-CP, I enjoyed the certification lounge at the conference. It’s a great place to get your lunch and drink (rather than going into the expo hall with the masses to grab lunch!), get some SHRM certification swag, and network with your peers! My FAVORITE though, is the annual SHRM Certified Good Times Party! Each year, SHRM throws a party just for those who are SHRM certified, and this year it was at Drai’s Beachclub and Nightclub in the Cromwell. Food, drinks and dancing with friends! Such a blast!
As College Relations/Emerging Professionals Director for the BNHRA, and EPAC Member for SHRM, I get access to the volunteer leader lounge during the conference! Similar to the certification lounge, a great place to get snacks and drinks, SHRM merch, relax and network with fellow volunteer leaders. I love stopping in here each day because I always meet an online friend in person for the first time!
Another special aspect of the conference experience are the dinners and events that take place in the evenings! This year I was invited to attend the Four Corners Event (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah SHRM) and the HR Florida event at Hofbrauhaus! I would recommend checking with your local chapter/state and checking the SHRM online community board for events and meet ups happening for your region. A great way to continue the conversation and have some fun after a day of learning at sessions.
I wanted to close by sharing some of my favorite food in Vegas! I really enjoyed all of the places I ate this year. The Venetian Restaurant Row is so good: Dinner at Yardbird (comfort food, bourbon, chicken) and Sugarcane (raw bar and seafood) were both delicious, and at SHRM21 I had eaten at Matteo’s (Italian) which was also really good. Since joining the Buffalo Yelp Elite squad earlier this year, I love getting good photos of food so I can write reviews. I know you love a good food pic too!
I have 100 more photos and memories with folks not included here. Thank you to all of my friends I saw in person for welcoming me with open arms and sharing part of your experience with me. I hope you had an amazing time. Well, that’s a wrap on SHRM23 in Vegas! SHRM24 is June 23rd-26th in Chicago – save the date! See you next time here on the blog friends!
Claire is Coaching 