September 17, 2007
Guru and his colleagues from Personnel Today are this week making their annual pilgrimage to the Chartered Instutute of Personnel & Development's (CIPD) Annual Conference and Exhibition in Harrogate.
The CIPD is marketing this year's human resources 'extravaganza' as:
...the learning and networking event of the year for people management and development professionals.Attend and you will get up to date on the hottest issues in HR. Get fresh ideas and practical solutions to tackle the challenges you are facing in:
organisational development
talent management
reward
resourcing and recruitment
managing change
leadership
employee engagement
strategy and management
innovation
improving performance
global perspective
the future of HR.Whether you want to hear the latest thinking from high-profile academics, be stimulated by thought-leaders, hear from leading HR practitioners or want practical guidance, our diverse programme offers everything you need.
Five of the leading thinkers from the world of HR and business will focus on the key issues impacting on organisations now and in the future. Hear from [speakers] Greg Dyke, Sir Gerry Robinson, Lynda Gratton, Claire Chapman and Neil Roden.
Of course Harrogate ain't the show it used to be, both in terms of reputation and contribution to the CIPD's coffers (Guru has this from a very reliable source).
Its problems include:
• Location - it's a bloody long way to travel for most people. Guru's round trip will be 520 miles.
• Duration - three days out the office is a big ask for any HR professional.
• Seniority - very few HR directors attend, while a lot of students do (mostly on the lookout for freebies).
• Exhibition - the exhibition halls are a long way from the conference suites, and the organisers seem to do little to ensure delegates visit their stand-holders.
• Price - Personnel Today was asked to stomach a 30% increase in the cost of its stand this year.
The cost increase was the straw that broke the camel's back for the Personnel Today and XpertHR marketing team. The return on investment calculations have become impossible to add up.
So visitors to Harrogate will not find Personnel Today in the exhibition halls this year. Instead, a smaller team of the publication's journalists and sales people will be hosting an unofficial fringe event in the Holiday Inn next door.
Come along and:
• Attend our free “Ask the Xperts” seminars
• Debate the latest policy and learn how it affects you
• Take part in interactive case studies and Q&A sessions
• Meet our expert speakers
• Network with other HR professionals
• Enjoy a free buffet lunch
• Indulge yourself with a complimentary massage or beauty treatment
• Get 30 days free access to XpertHR
At the time of writing, 436 delegates are registered to attend the fringe.
So come along - you might even get to meet Guru!
Comments (2)
Word has it that the CIPD's soon-to-depart director general Geoff Armstrong was spitting mad about your fringe event and subjected one of the institute's VPs to a 20 minute rant on the subject!
Posted by Bob | September 20, 2007 12:03 PM
Posted on September 20, 2007 12:03
What a waste of time! I spent 3 days wondering round the Holiday Inn and still wasnt able to buy a fridge, ended up buying a fridge freezer at Comet
Posted by Disciple Neil | September 20, 2007 2:20 PM
Posted on September 20, 2007 14:20