A Vendor's Prospective on a SHRM State Conference

Today's guest post is from Sabrina Baker, PHR,  who is working with ILSHRM on the Conference, helping to fill the exhibitors/sponsor rolls.  She also writes a great blog as the HR Chatterbox. You can also find Sabrina on twitter as Sabrina_PHR




Various Booths from the 2010 Exhibit Hall

 Sales and marketing teams have a tough job these days.  Between tons of competition, busy end users who do not answer their phone or have time for meetings and an economy that makes spending dollars a scarce commodity, the question of how to get their product in front of their targeted audience gets harder and harder to answer.  If you are an HR vendor, then Illinois SHRM has a solution for you.  A solution that puts over 600 HR professionals in the same room.  A solution that allows you to present your product or service at a minimal cost.  A solution that only happens once a year and fills up fast.  It’s the Illinois State SHRM Conference.

This year’s conference being held in August in Oak Brook at the Drury Lane, and is going to be amazing.  With the new addition of our Social Media Bootcamp session which is sure to draw more and more HR professionals than ever before, we are raising the bar on state conferences.  We are dedicated to ensuring that every HR professional walks away feeling enriched and empowered to return to their jobs and make an immediate impact in the lives of their employee’s and the bottom line of their businesses – and I bet you have a product to help them do just that. 

Exhibiting at the IL State SHRM Conference provides a unique opportunity to join professionals from all over the state, hear first hand what challenges they are facing and find out how you and your business may be able to partner with them on a solution.  Many of the HR professionals who attend the state conference each year are the decision maker within their team and have direct access to the financial decision makers in their company.

Want even more access to human resource professionals?  Sign up as an exhibitor or to place promotion materials in each attendee’s bag.  If you really want to impress the masses, sign up to be a conference sponsor and enjoy all of the perks that go along with having your name literally everywhere that an attendee looks.

So get your pens, highlighter’s, squeeze toys, candy jars and notepads ready with your company logo and sign up to exhibit at the 2011 Illinois State SHRM Conference.  Sign up quickly as early bird discounts end June 1, 2011.

The WOWIEs: the Wellness Factor

Note: The City of Highland Park was one of the 2010 WOWIE Award Winners for its innovative and effective employee wellness program. We asked Jolene Moore, the Wellness Coordinator, to share with her colleagues how Highland Park made a difference.

Jolene Moore

By Jolene Moore

The City of Highland Park wellness program (WIN) was designed to create a culture of health in our organization and enhance the lives of our employees. Employees are encouraged to participate in healthy activities, engage in educational programs and make positive lifestyle changes that will ultimately improve their health and earn a valuable incentive. The WIN Program uses the aggregate biometric employee data to determine the needs of its employees and design programming accordingly.
Any employee who chooses to "enroll" in the wellness program (WIN) has the ability to earn the incentive. To enroll in the program an employee must:

• attend wellness fair

• complete a health risk assessment

• complete biometric screening

Once enrolled, employees complete required activities, i.e. physical and dental exams, in order to earn reward points that will allow them to earn the incentive. Employees are also encouraged to participate in activities that encourage health and wellness. Programs such as an annual walking challenge, weight loss challenge, and access to a free fitness center are provided for employees. Educational resources such as speakers and “lunch and learn” sessions are used regularly to share knowledge. For these sessions, the WIN Program has used local health professionals (i.e. chiropractor, registered dietician) and national organizations (i.e. American Heart Association, American Cancer Association). A WIN library also offers employees myriad health resources.

The City has seen definite improvements in the overall health in many employees and will continue their commitment to further the wellness initiative.

ILSHRM Conference 10 Hours of HRCI Credit

The Illinois State Council of SHRM is pleased to announce that our upcoming 12th Annual State Conference has been allowed to award up to 10 hours of HRCI certified credit for those seeking recertification for their PHR or SPHR certifications. Every session has received at least general level certification by HRCI and all three keynote presentations and 7 of the concurrent sessions have received Strategic Credit for those who hold the SPHR level certification. In addition, our Social Media Boot Camp being held on Sunday, August 21, has also been awarded Strategic Credit, adding another 3.5 hours credit available to the 10 for the 2 day conference.


While HRCI credit is not the prime objective of the educational sessions, ISC-SHRM realizes that it is a major concern for those who need to add the credit hours as part of their recertification efforts. We are pleased that we are successful in doing so this year, while still holding the cost of the conference at a very reasonable level.

Please join us on August 22-23 at the Drury Lane Conference Center in Oakbrook Terrace for what we feel is one of the premier SHRM State Conferences in the country. For further information, please see the Conference page of the ISC-SHRM web site.

-  John Jorgensen SPHR Immediate Past State Director ISC SHRM