For more than a quarter of a century, the IHRIM Annual Conference and HR Technology Expo has been a “must-attend” event in the HR information technology field.
This year’s was no exception. IHRIM’s HRMStrategies 2007 got under way May 20 in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston with a “Get-Connected Reception” with standing room only.
From this opening night, it was evident that there was an energy and enthusiasm among attendees, not unlike the industry experienced in the mid-1990s.
This renewed excitement continued throughout the three-day conference with the introduction of companies, technologies and approaches that are emerging for human capital management.
Although the IHRIM conference has been the gathering place for experienced HR technology professionals for many years, 16 percent of this year’s attendees have been in the field for five years or fewer (in 2006, that figure was 8 percent). These statistics indicate the growing interest in and importance of the human resource management system professionals.
“It was exciting to see the large number of attendees this year, especially those that were attending for the first time,” said Lynne Mealy, IHRIM president and CEO. “We began to see this upswing in the HRMS profession last year, and it’s rewarding to see that so many newcomers to the field viewed the IHRIM conference as the one to attend for top-quality education and networking on HR information and management systems technology.”
New this year, the iStream Sessions (discussions about issues affecting the HR information management community) allowed attendees an opportunity to meet with IHRIM experts to discuss the issues that are critical to them and their organizations. Topics covered in these interactive group sessions included:
- Understanding talent management and its impact on HR systems.
- Privacy and its impact on global systems.
- Getting and keeping project funding.
Ninety percent of this year’s attendees were directly involved in the decision-making process to purchase HR delivery service solutions at their companies, and more than 65 percent were in managerial or officer roles. This mix of attendees made the IHRIM conference of high value to the many vendor companies in attendance.
Additionally, because the IHRIM conference traditionally attracts a near equal number of attendees from small, medium and large companies, it also allows vendors of all sizes to effectively present their product and services to a target market.
The IHRIM 2007 Conference delivered on IHRIM’s goal to continue to be the world’s leading clearinghouse for the HRMS industry.
The IHRIM 2008 Conference and Technology Exposition will be held June 1 to 4 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
