The Best HR Conferences in 2019

When you’re running a small business, you tend to end up wearing multiple hats. Especially at the beginning, when you’ve employed just a few people, chances are one of the hats you’ll wear is an HR hat– and that’s an important one.

While many new and small businesses tend to opt for DIY HR options, that doesn’t mean that you can slack on your duties just because it isn’t your central role. HR matters because it keeps you compliant with laws (both as a company and as an employer), your work environment positive and collaborative, ensures paychecks are timely, keeps your employees healthy, happy, and productive– you get the point. It’s a crucial hat.

If you’re doing it alone, there’s something you should be doing every year and that’s attending HR conferences—yes, HR conferences, plural. In addition to networking, you’ll learn about crucial and complicated processes, from open enrollment to recruitment practices.

Here’s a list of the best HR conferences held in 2019.

HRPA 2019 Annual Conference and Trade Show

Held between January 30th and February 1st in Ontario, Canada, the annual Human Resource Professional Association HR conference features over 230 exhibits, an array of professional keynote speakers, a variety of networking opportunities, and (perhaps most importantly) sessions on how to solve HR issues.

Costs for this HR conference range between $646 and $1,970 and is designed to cover cutting-edge issues while catering to those looking to grow a professional HR network.

HR West 2019 Conference

Hosted by the Northern California Human Resources Association, the HR West conference is taking place from March 11th to 13th. For over 30 years this Bay Area conference is designed to allow for professional collaborations and to give attendees the opportunity to network with each other as well as learn and become inspired by the HR practices of others. Attendees can expect everything from HR strategy and leadership to law, benefits, and talent management to be covered. The cost of admission ranges from $888-$1,333 for MCHRA members and $1,073-$1,553 for non-members and features Aaron Hurst, the author of The Purple Economy, as the keynote speaker.

HR in Hospitality Conference

Hosted by HR in Hospitality, this HR conference takes place in Las Vegas from March 25th to 27th and features over 46 speakers and 20 separate sessions across law and HR. Specifically geared towards businesses in the hospitality industry, speakers include representatives from Jack in the Box, Four Seasons, and Hilton Worldwide to name a few. This conference has been hosting hundreds of attendees for years, including Labor and Employment Professionals. The cost ranges from $1,225-$1,625 and is located in the Cosmopolitan hotel.

SHRM Executive Network HR People and Strategy Conference

While this is pricier than the other HR conferences, it’s one that shouldn’t be missed. The Society for Human Resource Management is a fantastic resource in the HR industry. SHRM’s annual HRPS Conference takes places in Aventura, Florida at the Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort and Spa. This conference isn’t geared towards beginners but will prove useful for those looking towards future HR trends and perhaps careers. Priced between $2,095 and $3,790, the conference focuses on the role of HR leaders and what they can do to shape the businesses and company cultures they belong to.

SHRM Talent Conference and Exposition

This SHRM conference is a more “beginner” option than the previous HR conferences, designed to help organizations keep up with HR industry trends. SHRM’s Talent Management Conference and Exposition is in Nashville, Tennessee from April 8-10. This HR conference boasts over 1,400 attendees and more than 80 sessions to choose from and is priced between $1,130 and $1,890. This HR conference is geared much more towards HR generalists and people who are working towards their SHRM certification (or recertification) can get professional development credits for attending the conference.