Blog

In just a few short weeks, the human resources and benefits technology community will descend upon Vegas for HR Executive’s annual HR Technology Conference & Exposition, lovingly referred to as HR Tech. The HR Technology space is crowded and confusing – and rest assured, the HR Tech expo floor certainly embodies that description if you come unprepared! Add to that a full roster of exciting keynotes, product demos and educational sessions, and it's easy to quickly become overwhelmed.

HR Tech by the numbers:
Community of 10K+
400+ Exhibiting Companies
120+ Sessions

Let’s face it – the whole reason for attending HR Tech is to extract value for your organization. Whether you are on the hunt for a new benefits administration platform, want to add new tools to enhance your employee experience, or are eager to learn from and network with others in your field, all these goals can be achieved with proper planning.

The Workterra team gathered advice and insights from veteran attendees that can help you make the most out of the overwhelming experience that is HR Tech. Because while the old adage is “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” in this case, it’s best if you come home with tangible takeaways from time well spent on the show floor and in educational sessions.

On pre-planning your days:

“Planning out which sessions you’ll attend ahead of time is paramount. If you want to have one-on-one meetings, ask for them as early as possible, as people tend to get burned out later in the conference.” - Jennifer Leugers, SVP Product, Workterra

It’s typical to end up with a work call or two to attend to while you’re away. Avoid planning time to take these from your hotel room. Veteran attendees tell us you’ll end up lingering in your room too long catching up on work, and taking away from time better spent in sessions, networking or on the expo floor.

“Figure out which sessions are a must-see, and make sure to factor those into your schedule ahead of time. The same goes with the opposite—figure out which sessions are not as valuable for you, and plan to skip those sessions. That way, you won't be spending time sitting through sessions that aren't as relevant to your interests when you could be exploring the expo floor.” – Dan Murdoch, CMO, Nayya

On making the most of the Expo floor:

“Think about where you're at in the final stretch of 2022 heading into 2023 and consider where you can optimize the employee experience and drive better business outcomes as a people leader. There are so many great tech companies at these events that can deliver on making your goals a reality—but it will be hard to find these vendors if you don't know what you're looking for. Outline your goals before the show so that once you're there, it'll be easier and more efficient to find the teams that can help you meet your needs.” – Dan Murdoch, CMO, Nayya

“Check out the Pitchfest Theater. It’s a great way to learn about industry innovations and stay abreast of the latest trends. It’s on the tradeshow floor so any level of pass can attend.” -Melanie Wertzberger, Co-Founder, Shaka (While you’re in the area, stop by Workterra at Booth 936!)

“Along with picking up brochures, find a place to keep notes on all the vendors that you visit. You may think you’ll remember them from the brochure, but there are too many.” - Ben Yomtoob, President, Workterra

On attending Conference sessions:

“Don't squander the opportunity to network with your peers. During keynotes and sessions, choose a full table toward the front. You’ll enjoy better organic networking at the sessions by sitting near people than by walking the expo floor.” - Melanie Wertzberger, Co-Founder, Shaka

Attending with a team? Be smart about your itinerary and conquer and divide during the concurrent session times. Take note of insights that your team would benefit from, and schedule a debrief meeting for after you return home to share what you each learned. As an added bonus, not doing everything in a herd ensures you make the most of the opportunity to network with people you don’t know.

On physically surviving HR Tech:

Wear comfortable shoes! Even if you stay at the in-house hotel, you’ll have some walking to do before you even get to the massive expo floor, and even more if you stay elsewhere on the Strip. Pro-tip: If you must dress to impress, consider wearing comfortable shoes and switching them out for your dress shoes (stashed in a tote bag) when you arrive to the show floor!

“Don’t overdo it. Vegas is intoxicating – figuratively and literally – and conference days are long. Vegas doesn’t sleep but you need to!” - Jennifer Leugers, SVP Product, Workterra

With a bit of planning, HR Tech will be a rewarding – and fun! – experience. As you reflect on your goals, don’t overlook the importance of evaluating your HR tech platforms regularly. Ahead of HR Tech is the perfect time to take a look under the hood and come prepared to the Expo floor with your current pain points in mind.

Workterra can likely help you mitigate many of your pain points. Connect with us at HR Tech to meet our industry-leading combination of technology and hands-on customer service, as well as a full suite of administrative services that get HR teams back to focusing on what really matters – your people.

While you’re at it, join Workterra & our partners at Nayya at our booths for the chance to win Bose Headphones ($299 value). Stop by Booths #936 & #6400 to learn more!

The Workterra team can’t wait to see you in Vegas!