In an era ruled by technology soon replacing humans in many job roles, it becomes imperative for HR professionals and businesses to stay updated with their tools, processes and practices. However, with increasing business demands and automation penetrating industries, it is difficult for companies to sustain in these challenging times by solely relying on manual processes to get jobs done on time.

HR tech holds the key to optimising business processes, while improving on workforce efficiency and smooth functioning. If you want to stay updated with the latest trends in HR communities, tools and technologies, then HR tech events is a must-attend feature you cannot afford to miss.

Attending HR tech events is an amazing opportunity to connect with HR experts, senior HR practitioners and business leaders, to delve deeper on the technology aspects that help streamlining HR workings. During the event, you get a chance to explore hundreds of companies their offerings in HR and latest inventions, learn from HR experts during conference and debates, as well as join meetups to broaden your network – all this and more during the few days under one roof.

See: Top 5 Technology Trends that Will Disrupt Businesses by 2020

What more can you derive of these HR tech symposiums, here are few key takeaways for business leaders on why presence matters:

Define your purpose

Before attending HR tech events, make sure you have a purpose and plan on mind. Do you intend to purchase a particular HR tech or explore more details about a new technology at the event? Is your intent of attendance to observe the HR tech market in detail first and conduct a deeper study before making a purchase decision? Or, do you just want to stroll around, network and gain latest information about HR tech?

Defining your purpose clearly will help you prioritise your reason for visit and plan your meetings accordingly. It is impossible to visit all booths at the tech fest, since there will be thousands of visitors cramming through stalls to seek more information.

By carefully planning your purpose and strategy for visit, you can better manage your time and prioritise meets with the vendors to give your business the winning-edge.

Plan the schedule

The event agenda is often packed with sessions and vendor demos. Visit the HR tech events’ official website and check the agenda before planning a visit, such that you can plan your own schedule.

You should think in advance about particular sessions that you would like to attend, then note the timings carefully. You might need to make backup arrangements, just in case you cannot manage to attend the main sessions.

Explore the exhibition floors

Do not stay at a single booth for a long time. Although you might have found the perfect vendor that will be your next partner, there is nothing wrong investing time to travel around the halls – not just visit well-known vendors, but also those names you have never heard of.

You never know what new ideas might come to you. Remember to wear comfortable walking shoes to walk around.

Connect with as many people as possible

If you visit the HR tech event along with some co-workers, avoid walking around in groups all the time. Instead, it will be better to split the team and go to different booths and sessions. Rather than limiting your movement by staying together all the time, you should engage and make contacts with other folks in the event.

This will give you a chances to gain new experiences and get a different lense of seeing things. Go out and connect with amazing speakers and experts in the industry. Wear your best smile and take an initiative to say ‘hi’ to new people you meet.

Whether you intend to seek new technology to help conduct better onboarding process, screen candidates or tracking systems for your employees, HR tech events are a must-visit to explore insights, gather new learning experiences, and look beyond to stay ahead of the times.

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