8 Reasons to Attend Recruitment Conferences

I’m excited because just six weeks from today, members of NPAworldwide and NBN will convene for our 2015 Global Conference. This annual event brings together our members from all over the world for two days of networking, training, and trading group breakout sessions. It’s a whirlwind of noise and activity. I love how excited our members are to see old friends and make new ones. I love to watch new trading relationships bloom. And I especially love the “ah-ha” moments when a brand-new member realizes how belonging to our global split placement network is going to benefit their business. I think there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings with your closest business partners … and I’m not just saying that because I happen to plan our meetings.

Here are 8 reasons you should attend recruitment conferences:

Learn – Obviously, recruitment conferences are a great place to learn about your industry – from social media best practices to legal changes to growth markets, and many other areas.

Share – Sharing is also an important part of a recruitment conference. Not only can you share your own expertise with fellow participants, you can also share what you learned with others in your office, or even your clients and candidates. Some events allow you to live-share via social media such as Twitter or Facebook.

Network – This is often cited by NPAworldwide members as their #1 reason for attending our Global Conference. They want to meet new trading partners who can help them make placements. The more networking time available, the happier they are. This can come in the form of small group discussions, shared meals, breaks, or social activities. Everyone wants to be connected.

Recharge – Everyone gets in a rut from time to time. Attending recruitment conferences can be a great way to break free of the “same old, same old” way of doing things. Perhaps you’ve forgotten some basic tools, or let a few skills get rusty. Being around a group of successful recruiters will help you recharge, refocus, and get back to your desk with a sense of renewed purpose.

Evaluate – You’ve heard about a new tool or piece of software, but don’t know if you should purchase it? Here is your chance to evaluate them! Other participants are probably using them. Use some of your networking time to ask questions, see what others are doing, and evaluate whether you can make any changes.

Discover – Recruitment conferences can be a fantastic way to discover new service providers, whether that be web designers, job boards, ATS, aggregators, or any number of recruitment-related offerings. You’ll have a chance to speak directly with representatives from those companies, perhaps even satisfied customers. You might have an opportunity to save thousands of dollars or thousands of hours of your time.

Purchase – “Show special” pricing is no joke. Whether it’s books, tapes, or other training materials available from the conference speaker, or other special deals, you can find some out-of-this-world discounts. It’s easy to dismiss the “show floor” as unnecessary. Don’t.

Visit – Last but not least, recruitment conference offers you the chance to travel, to visit a place you haven’t been before, to tie in a trip to meet up with clients, candidates, family, or distant friends. Get your money’s (and time’s!) worth out of the conference destination!

What’s your top reason for attending recruitment conferences? Share in the comments below!

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