The landscape of human resources and staffing is undergoing a tremendous transformation in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. And it is especially important now to keep up with new tech, updates from other industries and businesses, and exchange ideas with peers. Staffing and HR conferences are an excellent way to do this.
Of course, most events this year have adopted a fully virtual avatar (with a couple of exceptions — you’ll see them below). While we can hope for a return to in-person events later this year, online segments are becoming permanent fixtures and now is as good a time as any to embrace them. Here is a list of HR events & conferences that we are looking forward to in 2021.
When: May 12, Virtual
Focus: Cutting-edge strategies on hiring and inspiring high-performance teams
This year’s conference is ‘for leaders who focus on their people to get business results’ with the spotlight on talent optimization right from hiring. Learn from 40+ eminent speakers across industries on how to maximize your business results by optimizing employee experience and performance.
When: May 19, Virtual
Focus: Empowerment, leadership and career advancement for women leaders
Thrive 2021 strives to focus public attention on the value of women leaders in the global staffing industry. This is the perfect event to connect with powerful thought leaders and get insights into fostering an inclusive culture to increase the representation of women in leadership roles.
When: May 25 - 27, Virtual
Focus: Navigating trends and workplace equity across different industries
This conference features speakers who are daily HR practitioners — ‘No gurus. No ninjas.’ as they highlight — and who share your hiring and talent management challenges. Should you hire for experience or potential? What hiring metrics really matter? What is the right attitude to diversity and inclusion in hiring? These and more questions are answered across 30+ sessions.
When: June 21 - 25, Virtual
Focus: Bringing together LGBTQ techies and allies from all over the world at a pivotal moment in global history
Many organizations are reinforcing strong DEI programs, so it is more important than ever to stay abreast of strategies and best practices that can be implemented to prevent biases in the workplace and promote inclusivity, recognition, respect and appreciation.
While the speaker list hasn’t been announced yet for 2021, the past list includes impressive names like VP Kamala Harris, Hilary Clinton, Melinda Gates, Sheryl Sandberg, etc, so the expectations are high for 2021.
When: June 1 - 4, Virtual
Focus: Workforce management and the future of work post-Covid
The Inspire Symposium brands itself as the event where there’s “something for everyone”. Spread over 4 days, the virtual conference features 11 different tracks in HR including workforce productivity & the Future of Work post-COVID, talent acquisition, talent management, benefits and wellness, and more.
When: Aug 22-25, Las Vegas, NV and virtual
Focus: Providing practical tools and reimagining processes to forge a more competitive talent strategy
For years, SHRM has hosted this multi-faceted conference, bringing together thought leaders from all over the world to connect on the future of talent management and the opportunity to impact organizations. In the light of the pandemic this year, the event promises to equip you with tools tailored to the new realities of work and revamp your organization’s existing strategies and policies.
When: Aug 29 - Sep 1, Florida
Focus: HR transformation, trends & leadership for the new era
One of the very few completely onsite events, this mega HR expo hosted in Florida looks like the ultimate meetup spot for professionals wanting to collaborate with peers from multiple industries. The conference promises to introduce fresh off-the-hook innovative solutions in the industry, connect you with 200+ vendors, and transform your business. This expo usually draws more than 2,000 attendees in person.
When: Sept 21-23, Phoenix
Focus: Optimizing the talent supply chain and planning strategies to connect talent with contingent work
The success of work-from-home in 2020 following the lockdown has advanced the gig economy and hybrid workforce considerably. The focus of this event is to help you understand and shape strategies for this fast-paced sector. If you are preparing to hire and manage a remote workforce, this conference is for you.
When: Sept 28 - 30, Denver
Focus: Bringing the staffing community together to empower them and fuel growth
After a difficult year, American Staffing Association (ASA) brings the staffing community together in person with the theme of ‘Better Together, Stronger Ahead.’ The ASA annual convention and expo is one of the industry’s most awaited events which enables the staffing community to make strategic connections and thrive together.
When: Sep 28 - Oct 1, Las Vegas
Focus: Helping HR teams make informed tech purchase decisions
HR Tech bills itself as the one event where professionals can receive unbiased technology guidance to make informed purchase decisions about HR systems that meet the needs of the business and support growth in the future. The sessions are pitched to be thought-provoking, often humorous and the perfect place to conquer your HR tech doubts. Plus, there’s a massive opportunity to access the ‘world’s largest HR tech marketplace’.
When: Nov 2-3, 2021
Focus: Bringing together CXOs from the most progressive, forward-looking organizations in human capital
The event hosts believe that the decisions organizations take over the next year will have ramifications for the next decade. So their focus for this year’s conference is on discovering the next practices and building an agile, innovative culture for a changing world.
When: Nov 3, Virtual
Focus: Reducing administrative burden & enhancing candidate experience through technology
How do you attract, hire and retain the top talent while juggling administrative overload? Join leading HR experts in a series of live online conversations about HR technology and designing effective post-pandemic recruitment strategies. Also, discover how to amp up your recruiting game and employer branding by utilizing the right talent technologies and employing the right tech stack.
When: December 15 -17
Focus: How recruitment technologies will evolve for the future
Employers and staffing organizations need to think beyond simple ATS if they want to up their talent acquisition game. This specialist event turns the spotlight on cutting-edge recruitment technology: how it has evolved through AI and automation to make hiring easier and faster, while building a great employer brand and delivering great candidate experiences.
Know of another event you’re looking forward to attending? Leave us a comment and we’ll update this post.
We’d recommend adding the events you find interesting to your calendar so you don’t miss out. You could also bookmark this post and share it with your colleagues to get a headstart as a team!
