5 Best HR Conferences To Attend in 2023 [+How to Network Effectively With Digital Business Cards]

HR conferences are a goldmine of opportunities. 

You gain distinct perspectives, a competitive edge over your peers, and expand your horizons as a professional. As an attendee, you can uncover:

1. Potential networking opportunities
2. Latest technological advancements in the industry 
3. Emerging HR trends
4. Insights from industry thought-leaders, and a lot more

So, how do you determine the best HR conferences that would benefit your business? And if you have made your choice, how do you make the most of your networking at these events? 

Let us help.

In this post, we highlight five of the best HR conferences of 2023 and how they fit your business needs. Additionally, we share some great ways to utilize digital business cards to maximize your networking efforts at these conferences.

Table of contents

1. The 5 best HR conferences you can’t miss in 2023
2. How to maximize networking at top HR conferences in 2023 with digital business cards
3. Bonus tips to maximize networking ROI at the top HR Conferences in 2023
4. Boost networking ROI at the top HR conferences 2023 with Uniqode
5. Frequently asked questions

The 5 best HR conferences you can’t miss in 2023

We have done our meticulous research and shortlisted five of the best HR conferences based on their relevance, agenda, and credibility. 

Find the right HR conference that fits your business needs and secure a spot immediately:

1. 2023 Ohio SHRM HR Conference
2. Talent Connect Summit by Linkedin: 2023 Edition
3. HR Technology Conference & Exposition 2023
4. HRSouthwest Conference 2023
5. Gartner ReimagineHR Conference 2023

1. 2023 Ohio SHRM HR Conference

About the Ohio SHRM HR Conference

The Ohio HR conference is an annual HR event conducted by the Ohio SHRM State Council—an affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management. SHRM is the world’s largest HR Management association. 

The event draws thousands of professionals and businesses annually from Ohio and the surrounding states. This HR conference is all set to mark its 51st anniversary in September 2023.

Why attend the conference?

1. The Ohio HR Conference attracts over 12,000 HR professionals annually and is a great place to network if you want local leads. 
2. You can interact and gain valuable insights about leading topics on HR practices from popular keynote speakers such as Bertice Berry, Ben Eubanks, and Pam Green.

2. Talent Connect Summit by Linkedin: 2023 Edition

About Talent Connect Summit

Talent Connect Summit is a two-day in-person HR conference organized by the ever-popular professional networking platform: Linkedin. 

The HR conference focuses on exploring relevant leadership skills, challenging traditional viewpoints, and embracing uncertainties.

Why attend the conference?

1. Linkedin is one of the most credible social and networking platforms for business professionals. It is a knowledge base of insights that drive the HR world. 
2. Attending an HR conference conducted by the platform will give you a gateway into the most relevant HR practices, developments, and strategies. 
3. The conference will explore four key themes of the HR industry:

   1. Hiring
   2. Career development
   3. Skills-first approach, and 
   4. The future of HR

The organizers have also scheduled two breakout sessions for problem-solving and networking with peers and industry trailblazers.

3. HR Technology Conference & Exposition 2023

About HR Technology Conference & Exposition

HR Technology Conference and Exposition is one of the most popular HR conferences in the United States. 

The conference will discuss the impact of HR technologies, strategies to use them for your business, and the role of gender equity. 

HR Technology Conference will organize a grand HR Tech expo and Women in HR Technology Summit this year.

Why attend the conference?

1. The event is great for networking with like-minded professionals from different spheres of the HR industry, such as HR executives, HR Systems leaders, entrepreneurs, HR technology stakeholders, and many more. 
2. Attend keynote sessions by visionary leaders such as Geena Davis, Josh Bersin, Marcus Buckingham, and Stacey Harris. They discuss and educate about cutting-edge strategies and innovations for the modern HR industry.

The highlight: HR Technology Expo and the Women in HR Technology Summit. Get hands-on experience to learn and try out new HR technologies. On the other hand, Women in HR Technology explores gender diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

4. HRSouthwest Conference 2023

About HRSouthwest Conference

HRSouthwest Conference is one of the largest networking events in the Southwest US. The event is aimed at HR professionals and the product and service suppliers of the HR industry. 

The conference, powered by DallasHR, is also recognized as the official State of Texas SHRM Conference.

Why attend the Conference

1. If you’re in the US Southwest and want to attend a high-end event locally, this is your cue.
2. HRSouthwest Conference is a great ground for HR practitioners aiming to recertify their SHRM and HRCI designations and uncover the latest trends in HR products & services. 
3. Grab networking opportunities with regional professionals. 
4. Gain action-oriented insights from thought leaders like Eric M. Bailey and Morris Morrison.

5. Gartner ReimagineHR Conference 2023

About Gartner ReimagineHR Conference

ReimagineHR Conference is a premier conference conducted by Gartner for CHROs and their HR leadership teams. 

The conference aims to explore practical insights and strategies on how HR Leaders can use the creative momentum of innovation in the industry that has taken place in the last three years.

Why attend the conference?

1. Gartner has specially curated networking sessions that a Gartner HR expert will moderate. The sessions include The CHRO Circle, Roundtable Sessions, and Peer Conversations. 
2. Grab a golden opportunity to connect and network with HR leaders from different industries and global organizations.
3. Gain access to the latest Gartner HR research, which has crucial insights to help HR leaders meet the future demands of the industry.

How to maximize networking at top HR conferences in 2023—with digital business cards 

The problem: HR conferences often bring in thousands of professionals. You must network at a fast pace with a large number of prospects. In this case, your go-to networking tool—paper business cards—pose many limitations:

1. Share only limited information
2. Tend to lose or run out of cards
3. Exchange information manually 

The solution: Network with digital business cards (a.k.a e-business cards). There is no question of running out of cards or losing them. You can exchange unlimited contact information in seconds and pitch your offerings seamlessly.

Let’s further explore six compelling reasons to use digital business cards at the upcoming HR conferences in 2023:

1. Create digital business cards within minutes
2. Share as much information as you want 
3. Provide a completely interactive business card experience
4. Capture your prospect’s information in seconds
5. Track your networking efforts at HR conferences
6. Cut down on your business card expenses

1. Create digital business cards within minutes

Printing a stack of paper business cards takes approximately 30 days! 

Therefore getting cardstock at short notice could be an issue. Especially if you or your team have decided to attend an HR conference with a few days’ notice. 

But procuring digital business cards is fast. You can create digital business cards within minutes without depending on any external assistance. 

And what’s more? You and your team can update your digital business cards in real-time (be it even during the event). The changes will reflect on your digital, a.k.a e-business cards, in real-time.

2. Share as much information as you want 

Being of tangible size, physical business cards can hold a limited amount of information, allowing you to share only your basic details.

Digital business cards, however, let you include as many details as you want to show your prospects.

Apart from the basic details such as name, email, and phone number, you can include Google Maps location, multiple websites, and social handle links. 

And what’s more? You can keep updating your digital business cards with more information as and when needed.

3. Provide a completely interactive business card experience

One of the biggest advantages of a digital business card is its interactivity. 

Recipients can interact with your phone numbers, email, website links, and social handles in real-time with a single click. 

They need not manually enter your phone number or email ID to contact you after the HR conference (unlike with paper cards). 

This way, your interactive digital business cards can help engage your audience and boost conversions in a fast-paced conference setup.

4. Capture your prospect’s information in seconds

You can not only share your contact information but also capture lead information using digital business cards. Just enable two-way contact sharing via your digital business card solution’s dashboard. 

Upon enabling the feature, recipients can click the “Share your contact” button while accessing your digital business card on their mobile devices. 

Once they click the button, a contact-sharing form will pop up. Your recipients can then fill in the form with their contact details and submit it.

Each submitted form will be stored as a contact entry on your digital business card provider’s dashboard. 

You can export this list of contacts (also known as a digital address book) directly to your CRM—Salesforce or 700+ CRMs via Zapier.

5. Track your networking efforts at HR conferences

Digital business cards let you track card scan metrics. This ability gives them a significant edge over their paper counterparts. 

Measure and track the impact of your networking efforts at HR conferences using these digital business card engagement metrics. 

It also sheds light on how engaged your prospects were with your networking initiatives.

6. Cut down on your business card expenses

The average cost of printing paper business cards in the US is $194 per year per team member. This can increase according to the material and design customizations you opt for the card.

However, switching to digital business cards can significantly lower these overhead costs. 

Digital business cards will only cost you an average of $48 – $72 annually per card (per the digital business card plan you choose). 

You also don’t have to spend extra dollars to reprint the business card whenever you want to update the details. Simply edit the contact information on the backend (your digital business card provider’s dashboard).

And what’s more? You give back to the environment as well by adopting an eco-friendly networking tool such as a digital business card.

Boost networking ROI at the top HR conferences 2023. Use Uniqode’s digital business cards 

The top HR conferences offer a high-end networking landscape to build connections with professionals from different hierarchy levels. But, these conferences are also known to be fast-paced. Hence, you must be equipped to network successfully at such setups.

With Uniqode digital business card solution, you can create e-business cards at scale for you and your team.  You can also conveniently share your digital business cards via Apple Wallet or Google Wallet quickly at events. 

What’s more? Uniqode lets you capture prospect contact information within seconds using Two-Way Contact Sharing. 

The platform safeguards your networking activities during HR conferences using enterprise-grade security measures. 

Most importantly, you can access these and many more powerful features without downloading any mobile app.

Suggested read: The 6 Best Digital Business Card Solutions in 2023: Compare and Decide

Frequently asked questions on HR conferences 2023

1. How can you network productively at an HR conference?

You can network rapidly and productively at an HR conference using a digital business card. Here’s how.

1. You can create digital business cards within a few minutes.
2. You can share unlimited information via your digital business cards.
3. You can update digital business cards in real-time and make the changes reflect instantly.
4. You can capture lead information within seconds using two-way contact sharing.
5. You can track recipient engagement after your networking initiative.
6. You can also cut down your business card expenses by 80%.

2. What is the best conference for a Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)?

The best conference for Chief Human Resources Officers (CHRO) is the Gartner ReimagineHR Conference. The conference prioritizes CHROs and HR Leaders and has designed sessions for them.  The Gartner ReimagineHR Conference will be conducted from October 23-25, 2023 in Orlando.

• Author Details

Author Details

Athira Unnikrishnan

A passionate writer with an inquisitive eye for marketing, Athira comes with over 5 years of experience researching and writing about B2B SaaS products. Presently, she helps people understand the benefits of a digital business card and how they help modernize networking & lead generation. To know more about her work, and her published work around digital business cards, click here.

athira.u@beaconstac.com