Shauna Moerke is…

Ever since I got home from Chicago and the HR Technology Conference I have had a lot of random thoughts floating around in my head. Nothing unusual for me, that’s typically the case after I’ve been to a conference, especially one I enjoyed. And I did have fun (I miss you already Chicago!). I would like to say that this post will be about one or two ideas that can wrap up my experience but dudes, I’m tired. My brain is having a hard time stringing together a cohesive narrative that would summarize my experience in any kind of logical or meaningful way. Even that last sentence required one too many brain cells right now. So here it is, the random thoughts of an HR Minion, stirring up shenanigans at an HR Tech Conference.

– I am so glad that I didn’t wear jeans. I may have a blister on my heel but almost everyone was dressed nicely and I’m glad I dressed up too. That, and I got to wear my super cute new knee high boots. #WorthIt
– Following up on my first thought, everyone at the conference was clearly on their best professional behavior, at least during the conference hours. It seemed to me that from the vendors to the speakers to the attendees, everyone there was working it and I can see why. It was a great conference to make connections.
– Also, hugs are not professional. Which was a little hard for me to accept as I frequently ran up to people for said hugs. I am clearly unprofessional. What can I say, it’s what I do.
– April, Paul, and I may or may not have been stalking people on the expo floor. And by stalking I don’t mean tracking people down to say hi, I mean hunting them down and surreptitiously taking pictures of them unawares. All I have to say is that booths and crowds enable stalking. So really it’s the conferences fault. This goes back to my earlier point about me not being professional.
– I had my first vendor briefings ever so I brought out my professional voice and the serious, in-depth, this-is-why-I-have-a-press-pass type of questions. Yes, I have a professional voice. It’s the one I use when I want to be taken seriously so it rarely comes up outside of the office. And no, don’t ask me to do it cause I’ll just giggle and ruin the whole effect.
– April and I picked up met the new guy and we swiftly dragged him into all our shenanigans. I’m sure he will need therapy for months to recover. No worries, I’ll send flowers. And new guy, you can blame Paul for introducing you to us.
-Of all the people I finally got to meet in real life I have to say that Meg Bear was my favorite because she gave me chocolate. I am highly susceptible to bribery.
– Session rooms need to have better worse acoustics cause my giggle carried, like a lot. I know my laugh can get loud but dudes, they probably heard me all the way in Michigan.
– I wish I had more time to attend sessions, but the ones I attended were fun and useful. Next year, I will not be working my day job at the same time. Worrying about and responding to work email really got in the way of getting the most from the conference. If you are going to take the time and spend the money to attend a conference, you shouldn’t split your attention like that.
– On the other hand, this was a great opportunity to scope out new technology for the day job. Not only are there demos, info sessions, and HR Tech shout outs, the opportunity to really learn something about the technology that you and your company relies on is incredibly valuable. The best way to get over your fear of technology is to learn more about it.
– One thing I noticed is that of the technology I saw at the event, the ones that were the most straightforward, both in utility and ease of use, were the ones that impressed me the most. That, and the ones that had realistic expectations of what employees will and will not do. The more complicated a piece of technology, the more it relied on full compliance from people to work, the less impressed I was.
– Cab drivers in Chicago scare me. A lot. That, or they offend me. I may need to file a work-related grievance with my HR Rep. (which is myself so that will be an odd, one-sided conversation.) Taking the train from the airport however, was quite easy and fun.
– I’ve said it before but I’m going to say it again: If you go to a conference but do not attend any of the parties/tweetups/lunches/ice cream socials/whatever you are missing out on some of the best opportunities to make and deepen your connections. A lot of business, opportunities, and partnerships have started over cocktails and appetizers. Get social, get personal, and try to have some fun too. Just not too much fun.
-The live HR Happy Hour from the Aquire party was crazy. CRAZY. Trust me, check it out below:
Episode #67 – Live from HR Tech

Needless to say, I’m happy I attended and even if I hadn’t gotten a press badge I would have gladly paid to go. It’s worth it and I can’t wait until next year. Well, that was a lot of randomness. Huh, looking back on all these random thoughts I think I’ve found my unifying theme: I am clearly not professional. There you have it, I think we’ve all learned something today.