Industry conferences are a unique environment especially for recruiters. A collection of like-minded people gather to learn from industry leaders and their peers with an opportunity to network and build business relationships. Without the obvious advantage in developing new business, conferences are a great way to stay up to date on the latest trends and discover the future of your industry.
With 2020 right around the corner, we’ve made a list of the best conferences in the United States that are worth attending this year.
EBrandCon
Dates: January 28 – 30, 2020
Location: San Francisco, CA
Audience/Focus: Hiring and Talent Acquisition Professionals
Expected Attendance: Unknown
Registration Information: https://employerbrandingstrategies.com/
EBrandCon is a part of Talent Acquisition Week, hosted by GSMI. This conference is a chance for talent acquisition professionals to start their year exchanging best practices for employer branding and hiring while expanding their network. For 2020, EBrandCon features sessions and keynotes focused on talent assessment, ROI of employer branding, and increasing employee buy-in. Any of the Talent Acquisition Week conferences are a great start to the year, especially for those of you looking for a break from winter weather.
Social Recruiting Strategies Conference
Dates: January 28 – 30, 2020
Location: San Francisco, CA
Audience/Focus: Hiring and Talent Acquisition Professionals
Expected Attendance: 150+
Registration Information: https://socialrecruitingstrategies.com/
The first of a trio of conferences put on by the Global Strategic Management Institute, SRSC focuses on sharing the best practices and methodology for leveraging social media for talent acquisition. While SRSC and the other two “Talent Acquisition Week“ events offer shared networking opportunities, they also have specialized speakers and keynotes featuring leaders from companies such as Google, Wells Fargo, and Lockheed Martin. Attendees also have access to downloadable recordings of sessions and speakers to share with their teams.
Talent Sourcing Strategies Summit
Dates: January 28 – 30, 2020
Location: San Francisco, CA
Audience/Focus: Hiring and Talent Acquisition Professionals
Expected Attendance: Unknown
Registration Information: https://talentsourcingstrategiessummit.com/
The Talent Sourcing Strategies Summit is the second of GSMI’s Talent Acquisition Week conferences hosted in San Francisco, California. This year’s conference agenda focuses on engaging passive candidates, harnessing the power of personalized automation, and improving the collaboration between talent sourcing and recruiters. As a part of Talent Acquisition Week, all attendees have access to multi-track network and exhibition events as well as recordings of all sessions.
Hiring Success 2020 (HIRE20)
Dates: February 11 – 12, 2020
Location: San Francisco, CA
Audience/Focus: Recruiting and Talent Acquisition
Expected Attendance: 1,200
Registration Information: https://www.smartrecruiters.com/hiring-success/
Hosted by Smart Recruiter, the Hiring Success conference brings together talent acquisition leaders from around the world to solve challenges and look to the future of recruiting and hiring. The 2020 conference features presentations on topics ranging from automation’s effect on recruiting, to building a great candidate experience. Not only will there be great opportunities for networking and relationship building, but the speaker lineup features leaders from VISA, JPMorgan Chase, and Etsy.
SourceCon Seattle
Dates: March 23 – 25, 2020
Location: Seattle, WA
Audience/Focus: Recruiting and Talent Sourcing
Expected Attendance: 300+
Registration Information: https://2020.sourcecon.com/
SourceCon is described as the largest gathering of industry innovators and recruiting thought leaders in the recruiting and talent sourcing sectors. Their focus is on creating “open source sourcing” by identifying the most successful hiring methods that empower employers and employees alike. The conference is built around fostering innovation through real conversations and networking among industry leaders.
I4cp 2020
Dates: March 23 – 26, 2020
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Audience/Focus: HR and Talent Acquisition Leaders
Expected Attendance: 400+
Registration Information: https://www.i4cp.com/conference
Focused on the future of HR and employment, i4cp is a unique conference as there are no vendors or exhibitions, only speakers and breakout sessions. Their reasoning for this structure is that every conversation happens between industry peers, leading to more open and collaborative networking. While the attendance may be a bit small, this conference attracts leaders from top companies, with IBM, Starbucks, and Google as featured speakers. The 2020 conference theme is “Next Practices, Now.”
Talent Acquisition Exchange
Dates: March 25 – 27, 2020
Location: San Diego, CA
Audience/Focus: Talent Acquisition Leaders
Expected Attendance: N/A (The event is invite-only)
Registration Information: https://www.hrexchangenetwork.com/events-ta-exchange?mac=HRIQ_Events_Title_Listing
The 2020 Talent Acquisition Exchange is a bit different from most conferences. Hosted by the HR Exchange Network, this is an invite-only event focused on professional development and collaboration to drive the future of the talent acquisition industry. Attendees who request an invite are vetted to ensure their job title and company fit the criteria of the exchange. This strict policy is in place to ensure attendees are “guaranteed to meet and engage with an elite group within the industry.” Confirmed speakers for 2020 include leaders from the Atlanta Braves and Regis Corporation.
ERE Recruiting Conference
Dates: April 15 – 17, 2020
Location: San Diego, CA
Audience/Focus: Talent Acquisition and Recruiting Professionals
Expected Attendance: ~700
Registration Information: https://www.ererecruitingconference.com/
Hosted by ERE Media, a top information source for the recruiting, staffing, and talent acquisition industry, this conference features a large cast of speakers sharing their experiences and tips for improving hiring and sourcing in a range of industries. Leaders from some of the largest US companies such as Target, Intel, and Sony Electronics come together to push the boundaries of successful talent acquisition. The conference also features a full exhibition hall and multiple networking events.
URx
Dates: May 7 – 8, 2020
Location: San Francisco, CA
Audience/Focus: Recruiters and Career Development Professionals
Expected Attendance: ~100
Registration Information: https://10times.com/urx-conference
The University Recruiting Conference, or URx, was started four years ago as an event for recruiters, career development professionals, and higher ed staff to share ideas for harnessing and developing the next generation of professionals. Employees from companies such as Spotify, Lyft, and AirBnB have come together to discuss the challenges of diversity and inclusion, compensation, and the modern workplace. The 2020 conference features the theme “Better Together.”
Indeed Interactive 2020
Dates: May 11 – 13, 2020
Location: Austin, TX
Audience/Focus: Hiring Professionals and Leaders
Expected Attendance: ~1,800
Registration Information: https://indeedinteractive.com/
In 2020, Indeed Interactive (yes that Indeed) is headed to Austin, Texas. As a collection of leaders and big thinkers in the hiring industry, this conference focuses on creative methods and innovation in all aspects of the hiring journey. Whether building a more engaging hiring experience, fostering successful company culture, or simply improving all workplaces, Indeed Interactive is the perfect environment for collaboration. As is expected, Indeed attracts some big names as speakers, featuring Amy Poehler as last year’s keynote speaker. The theme for 2020 is “A Better World of Work.”
WorkHuman Live 2020
Dates: May 11 – 14, 2020
Location: San Antonio, TX
Audience/Focus: HR and Hiring Professionals
Expected Attendance: 3,000+
Registration Information: https://www.workhumanlive.com/
As a premier national HR conference, WorkHuman Live is all about outside-the-box thinking and innovation to create a better workplace for employers and employees alike. They describe their attendees as a family or a movement, with many attendees returning every year to connect and learn from their peers. WorkHuman Live also counts for continuing education credits for almost all major HR certifications, blending education with energetic professional networking.
TATechNorthAmerica/UNLEASH
Dates: May 12 – 14, 2020
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Audience/Focus: Recruiting Technology Professionals
Expected Attendance: 3,000+
Registration Information: https://www.tatech.org/tatechnorthamerica-2020/
This joint conference takes place over three days, featuring innovative minds in HR and Recruiting technology sharing their latest insights. While attendees have access to both shows, UNLEASH focuses on HR technology and TATech leans toward the recruiting side. Both feature large expo floors with established vendors and startups and an impressive lineup of speakers including executives from Unilever, Experian, and Vodafone.
RecruitCon Denver 2020
Dates: May 13 – 15, 2020
Location: Denver, CO
Audience/Focus: Talent Acquisition Professionals
Expected Attendance: 250+
Registration Information: https://live.blr.com/event/recruitcon-denver/
For talent acquisition and management professionals looking to build their network and learn from the top minds in the industry, RecruitCon is the place to be. Hosted by Business and Legal Resources, this conference features two concurrent learning tracks focusing on recruitment marketing and tips for navigating a candidate-driven market. The keynotes and breakouts for Denver 2020 are geared toward effective recruiting, sourcing, and hiring strategies to build a pipeline of qualified candidates, reduce time to fill, and improve the quality of your hires. This event usually sells out, so a second conference, to be announced, has been scheduled for the fall.
NACE20
Dates: June 2 – 5, 2020
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Audience/Focus: Higher Education and Employment Professionals
Expected Attendance: ~2,500
Registration Information: https://www.naceweb.org/conferenceexpo/default.htm
The NACE conference is a collection of higher education staffers, employers, and talent acquisition professionals collaborating to build a pipeline for the next generation of employees. Each year’s conference focuses on creating pathways for college students to gain on the job skills and navigate the job market when they graduate. It has also been an ideal place for employers and talent acquisition pros to forge relationships with colleges and universities for future talent needs.
Talent42 2020
Dates: June 16 – 17, 2020
Location: Seattle, WA
Audience/Focus: Tech Recruiters
Expected Attendance: Unknown
Registration Information: https://www.talent42.com/home
Billed as “the only national conference focused 100% on helping recruiters hire top technology talent,” Talent42 was created by ERE Media for the rapidly changing technology sector. With industry-leading speakers, networking opportunities, and breakout sessions, i4cp brings together the top tech recruiters with experienced talent. This year’s conference features speakers from Google, Hulu, and Walmart Labs presenting cutting-edge recruiting data to give attendees a competitive edge.
Strategic Talent Acquisition Conference
Dates: June 22 – 24, 2020
Location: Boston, MA
Audience/Focus: Talent Acquisition
Expected Attendance: Unknown
Registration Information: https://www.hci.org/conferences/2020-strategic-talent-acquisition-conference
Featuring speakers and workshops dedicated to better talent acquisition techniques, STA focuses on the current talent shortage and its effects on recruiting and hiring. This conference is another that leans more toward continuing education and professional collaboration as it doesn’t feature an expo floor. For professionals with HRCI and SHRM certifications, this is another great conference to accrue continuing ed credits.
SHRM Annual Conference and Expo
Dates: June 28 – July 1, 2020
Location: San Diego, CA
Audience/Focus: Hiring and HR Professionals
Expected Attendance: ~18,000
Registration Information: http://annual.shrm.org/
Hosted annually around the US, the Society for Human Resources Management’s Annual Conference is the world’s largest professional expo for human resources professionals. Featuring over 200 workshops and sessions as well as a full expo floor for exhibitors, the conference is the ideal place to network and trade the latest methods and information about hiring and human resources. For recruiters, the SHRM annual conference is a unique opportunity to build relationships with hiring managers and get an inside look at the challenges facing HR professionals today.
NAHCR 2020 Conference
Dates: July 28 – 31, 2020
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Audience/Focus: Healthcare Recruiting
Expected Attendance: 250+
Registration Information: https://www.nahcr.com/annualconference
2020 brings the 46th annual NAHCR Conference to Minneapolis where the top recruiters in the healthcare sector gather to network and collaborate. This year’s location puts the conference in the heart of Minnesota’s industry-leading healthcare industry, offering valuable insights to established recruiters and up and coming firms alike. In addition to speakers and networking opportunities, this conference counts for continuing education credit for Certified Health Care Recruiter recertification.
NAPS 2020
Dates: September 13 – 15, 2020
Location: Henderson, NV
Audience/Focus: Recruiting and Staffing Professionals
Expected Attendance: 300+
Registration Information: https://www.naps360.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1281543&group=
The annual conference hosted by the National Association for Personnel Services focuses on education and professional development for the search, recruiting and staffing industries. Leaders in the industry share experiences, case studies, and best practices to help recruiters grow their network, expand their business, and better serve their clients. The conference also features a limited expo in between sessions for vendors and exhibitors to connect with attendees.
LinkedIn Talent Connect 2020
Dates: October 14 – 16, 2020
Location: Boston, MA
Audience/Focus: Hiring and Professional Networking
Expected Attendance: 4,200+
Registration Information: https://www.talentconnect2019.com/
LinkedIn’s own conference, Talent Connect, focuses on what it takes to build successful and high-performing teams from the ground up. As you would expect, the conference focuses on the importance of an established and collaborative professional network, featuring presentations by LinkedIn influencers as well as leadership juggernauts. The 2019 conference featured Michelle Obama as the keynote speaker, and when the 2020 speaker lineup is introduced, it is expected to be just as formidable.
TechServe Conference
Dates: November 10 – 12, 2020
Location: Amelia Island, FL
Audience/Focus: Engineering Staffing and Recruiting
Expected Attendance: ~300
Registration Information: https://www.techserveconference.org/#sthash.BkdZkXow.dpbs
TechServe’s conference focuses on the most pressing challenges facing IT & engineering staffing and recruiting firms, and the corresponding opportunities they present. From sourcing tech talent, to building skills and retaining employees, this conference has sessions for all areas of the recruiting and staffing business.
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