The 13 Conferences Every HR Professional Should Know About

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AnnaMarie Houlis4.87k
Journalist & travel blogger
Human resources is a constantly evolving field. As society, laws and companies continuously change, human resource departments need to keep up! That's why it's important for human resource professionals to gather, learn from one another, share insights and talk about what's working (and what's not working!) in today's working world.
Where can you do that? At some of the top HR conferences around the world! HR conferences are perfect places for HR professionals to meet in one place and put their heads together. With the support of each other, the inspiration of success stories by keynote speakers, the lessons learned from workshops and the power of unity, together, HR professionals can change the face of business for the better. 
At HR conferences, can hone in on HR best practices, learn innovative and more efficient and/or effective HR technologies and software, develop new recruitment strategies and more.
Here are some of the top HR conferences you should have on your radar — and attend if you can!

1. HR Vision

Time of Year: June
HR Vision hosts several events around Europe, but its conference in Amsterdam is by far the largest of them all. It is totally focused on talent acquisition and development, plus HR technology, the future of the workforce and other trending topics. It brings together industry leaders from top organizations around the world, including Google and IBM, for example.

2. Beyond HR Forum

Time of Year: June
Beyond HR Forum is a meetup for senior-level HR executives who want to come together to share ideas, hear from keynote speakers on high-impact HR practices, participate in masterclasses and engage in networking opportunities. The forum aims to "transform your thinking about the HR profession, shifting your paradigms to perspectives that you have not considered yet." The forum moves “beyond the ongoing debate on HR, becoming an impactful journey and a must-attend event for HR executives."

3. UNLEASH World

Time of Year:  October
UNLEASH World is a conference that focuses on covering the latest HR technology. HR professionals can come together to learn the tools, applications, processes and more to streamline their jobs and make their jobs more successful.

4. #HIRE20

Time of Year:  February
#HIRE20 (Hiring Success ’20) is all about, you guessed it, how to have hiring success. HR professionals can come to hear from thought leaders and industry leaders in talent acquisition to learn about how to better recruit candidates and improve the candidate experience.

5. For All 2020 Summit

Time of Year: March
For All 2020 Summit is a space for innovative HR leaders to come together, thanks to Great Places to Work. Speakers from major companies like Stryker and Marriott, for example, share about their company cultures to help other HR professionals learn from the best. According to the site, you can come to "learn how the best companies lead change, drive business results and increase innovation."

6. Next Practices Now

Time of Year: March
Next Practices Now is an HR conference hosted by i4cp. It features talks from leaders at leading companies like IBM, Starbucks, Google, Microsoft and more! HR attendees can earn credits toward certifications for going to the conference, too! According to its site, it's "designed for senior HR, talent, learning and other business leaders — and closed to vendors and consultants" to offer "superior networking and thought leadership so you can better understand and address the critical HR and workforce issues facing your organization."

7. WorldatWork 2020

Time of Year:  June
WorldatWork is the brainchild of Total Rewards Association. It's a conference for HR professionals who want to learn about compensation, benefits, sales compensation, and executive compensation.

8. People Analytics & Workforce Planning

Time of Year: March
The People Analytics & Workforce Planning Conference’s tagline for 2020 reads: “Strategic Alignment + Workforce Insights = Better Business Results.” The conference is full of workshops and certification programs so you can get learn lessons and develop skills that you can apply in the working world. At the 2020 People Analytics & Workforce Planning Conference, you will learn how to "integrate your people strategy with your business strategy from a hand-picked group of thought leaders, practitioners and experts," according to the site. You'll also "get peer-to-peer networking, workshops and hands-on practice to support your people analytics initiatives across the talent lifecycle," as well as  "learn how to develop, adapt and execute workforce plans when your environment is constantly changing."

9. HR Technology Conference & Exhibition

Time of Year: October
The HR Technology Conference & Exhibition has something for everyone. It's been ongoing for two decades, which means it's one of the longest-running conferences for HR professionals out there. Talk trends and technology with leaders in the HR space and gain experience you can take back to work with you.

10. WorkHuman Live 

Time of Year: May
Workhuman Live is for those who want to talk about creating positive environments and cultivating company cultures that are focused on human rights. "And when we put our differences and our humanity together in one place and talk about the future of work — that’s when the magic happens.," the site reads. That's why Workhuman Live is a one-of-a-kind HR conference!

11. TechHR 2020

Time of Year: February
People Matters' TechHR conference brings HR experts and HR technology pros together from all across the globe — we're talking some 3,000 delegates. It's held in Singapore and is considered Asia's largest conference of its kind.

12. HR Transform

Time of Year: March
HR Transform focuses majorly on how to streamline HR processes to make HR jobs better. This includes learning feedback tools, improving the candidate experience, embracing HR trends and more. Leaders from companies like FitBit, Slack, Lyft and more have participated in the past.

13. HR Strategy Forum

Time of Year: February
HR Strategy Forum is an annual event for C-suite executives and directors in Global 500 companies who come together to talk about challenges in the HR world. They share critical insight, network with one another and engage in think-tank round tables to put their heads together.

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AnnaMarie Houlis is a feminist, a freelance journalist and an adventure aficionado with an affinity for impulsive solo travel. She spends her days writing about women’s empowerment from around the world. You can follow her work on her blog, HerReport.org, and follow her journeys on Instagram @her_report, Twitter @herreportand Facebook.