I know James Carville’s mantra during the first Clinton presidential was, “It’s the Economy, Stupid,” but we are too politically correct to use “stupid” in the header. In HRO Today, technology is driving and enabling nearly everything. I recently saw a job posting for an HR management position, and the listing of software expertise required was as long as the subject matter expertise described.
That is why we are announcing our first ever HR software conference December 8th and 9th at the Palazzo at the Venetian in Las Vegas. The HR Demo Show has been in the works for six months (we bought the URL in November www.hrdemoshow.com) and will be a new and exciting format in HR software and technology conferences.
Some large conferences are available, but almost all of those conferences are non-stop case study delivery programs. They are laden with content and talking heads telling you how the software should work in your environment. Well, we are proclaiming, “Power to the People,” and we will give you the opportunity to draw your own conclusions. Our motto is simply, “More Keyboards, Fewer Keynotes.” In many technology seminars and conferences, the speakers and panelists are the stars. In our conference, the software presentations will be the focus and the stars of the program.
We will, of course, have a first-day keynote, and our own John Sumser will be the second-day keynote. But the rest of the program will be demos by vendors.
The format will be supported by salons equipped with very high-speed wireless access and large screen video and high-end audio that will facilitate the best interactive adult learning environments. You may bring your own laptops, or we will make 20 to 25 available in each salon. Handheld microphones will be in the audience along with coaches so that you may follow along or ask questions. You can pick from 48 demos in 48 hours. You can personally see 12 demos in two days and collapse an entire year of shopping into the time of a weekend. If you bring a team you can see all of them. Coordinating in-house demos can be a scheduling nightmare. Reviewing the software first in our environment offers a better way to start your evaluation process.
You can get plenty of case study content about how software works in other environments. Experience it for yourself, and decide how you think it will integrate into yours. To reiterate, our conference format is designed around you drawing your own conclusions.
We are seeing the signs everywhere that HR and HRO cannot be successfully acquitted without software. Technology is on the ascendancy, and we are spending more time covering the software market. Earlier this month we saw the merger or NorthgateArinso and the HR services business of Convergys. This was particularly of note as Northgate, the original platform company, has its legacy in the software business. Its approach to the HRO middle market and even some large market customers is to offer its euHReka Technology Platform developed in partnership with SAP. While Convergys clearly had some deep-seated historical issues in its HRO portfolio, which accounted for the low valuation, the fact that a service based company would be snapped up by a more globally integrated technology company is a message about HRO and, in fact, the practice of HR.
We recognize that HR is changing and that technology is of ever-increasing importance. That greater accountability brings greater “accounting” of data and resources and results and to deliver this data you need measurement and technology. And with the data, HR will show ROI, greater accountability and a stronger voice in the C-Suite.
The HR Demo Show will give the opportunity to see the technology that will shape the future of your HR department in the years to come. The HR Demo Show is the place you need to be to get the answers you need to evaluate the best new innovations or look for systems you are planning to update. We hope to see you there.
Elliot Clark
CEO, SharedXpertise
