There’s another new HR technology conference on the scene. It’s called HR Tech World San Francisco.
The company that organizes this event has a foothold in Europe. Now they’re coming to the states with a pretty stellar line-up of speakers and a desire to clean up the American HR technology conference market.
You ask — “Aren’t there 600 HR technology conferences?” The answer is yes and no. There’s a big one, a lot of little ones, and some heavily marketed attempts at creating “HR technology events” with “thought leaders” but it’s really just an infomercial.
Wait, technically, all of this is an infomercial to get you to spend some money.
And, technically, none of this is HR technology. You define technology by the user, in my opinion, not the buyer. Most of these applications are replacing HR professionals and directly servicing employees, financial executives and boards of directors. And, to be fair, HR is very rarely the sole buyer of these products.
What’s also interesting is that some of the technology on display at these shows barely meets the definition of technology. From my experience with GlitchPath, I’m learning how the sausage is made.
- Innovative technology comes with a log-in screen, a few forms, and the ability to link your profile to Facebook.
- Then it’s a few guys in the background — probably named Kyle and Colin — doing all the real work until the technology company can get some additional funding and hire a few more engineers and developers.
It’s is how all the big businesses in the 21st century HR technology industry got started. If you can get one of those old-timey monkeys to join your company, you got yourself a real circus!
Anyway, based on the speaker line-up, HR Tech World is something to watch in the industry. Remember, though, it’s European. Who knows what you’ll find at that conference. Hubris. Wine. A bunch of foreign dudes lecturing you on the American political system.
I remember being at an HR technology event in 2010 listening to two Dutch guys talk about how America doesn’t know anything about innovation. They were standing in the heart of New York City. Talking about their disruptive applicant tracking system. I almost had a stroke.
But, between New York and a Dutch recruiting product, guess which one of those two great institutions still exist? Yeah, man. Always bet on New York.
But the expansion of the HR tech conference market means the great American dream endures. People still want to come to this country and plant a flag. I wish HR Tech World San Francisco a lot of luck. I think they’ll do well in this noisy market. I hope they make a difference and make a positive imprint on the industry.