Its that time of year again – Talent Acquisition conference season. I will be attending a couple this year as is my standard plan. I truly wish I could go to more of these but alas work and schedules don’t allow for it. On a side note – I am truly jealous of what I like to term the “professional conference attendee/speaker”. You know who I am talking about. The same peeps you see either speaking at or attending every single industry conference out there. I am truly envious of these folks and wish I could get a gig like that, as I do love me some conference action.  I must admit though, I do often wonder what kinds of jobs these folks have that allow them to attend all of these things in the first place? OK – semi-rant over. I will be going to ERE in Atlanta  ERE Fall 2015 Conference info here and Talent Connect in Anaheim Talent Connect 2015 Info here. Two of the best out there for our field, and I am truly honored to be presenting at both this year. In no particular order, here are some of the things I love about attending these conferences:

• Meeting fellow peeps in the industry from all over the world and from very different verticals – over the years I have met some really interesting people that have given me great insight and taught me a thing or two.
• Sharing ideas – without fail, I end up in really great discussions and get a lot out of them. Even if I think you are insane.
• Learning – I typically come away with something new from these things, or at least a validation of something I was thinking about doing
• The parties –  (yes – they are usually as fun as a bunch of recruiters in a room with alcohol can be)
• Making connections with folks in the business – I still am in touch with people I met at conferences five years ago and love those relationships
• The swag/goodies – I am a sucker for a good water bottle.

I highly recommend to anyone attending these conferences to make the most out of your interactions with your fellow TA peeps and to be prepared to leave your ego at the door. Don’t be that DB who thinks he/she is ” too smart” or “too experienced” to learn from anyone. If you plan on doing that, do us all a favor and stay home.

Last year I had the really cool opportunity to host the live stream for LinkedIn Talent Connect for folks who could not attend in person. It was an absolutely amazing experience as I got to see “behind the scenes” of what is truly an epic size production. I thought in anticipation of the next several weeks conferences I would share with you some of my favorite photos I took last at some of these conferences over the years. Enjoy –  and I look forward to meeting new peeps and seeing some old friends.