By Erin Engstrom

Did you know that more than three years of planning goes into each BC HRMA conference? Although spring seems like a lifetime away for most of you, our conference team is busy finalizing the complex, behind-the-scenes details of the largest HR event in Western Canada.  We are expecting more than 1,100 delegates and 100 exhibitors next year.

Spending two days at a conference is a big investment of your time and money – we want you to leave feeling inspired and armed with the practical tools and real-world knowledge to make your job easier and more rewarding. Our exceptional speaker line up will do just that—inspire, educate and inform.

Our speaker line-up is sensational, but if I was forced to pick one ‘must see’ presentation it would have to be our closing session with Tony Hsieh (pronounced ‘Shay’).

Six months ago, I was vaguely aware of an American online shoe store called Zappos.com but knew nothing about its visionary CEO (Hsieh). At the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) conference in Las Vegas last June, I was excited to see Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson, Michael J. Fox and Arianna Huffington. But Hsieh was the dark horse who stole the show!  He is one of the most memorable and inspirational speakers I have ever seen. Tony only selects a handful of personal speaking engagements per year so I’m still pinching myself that we actually ‘got’ him for you.

You’ll learn how Zappos.com quickly grew to more than $1B in annual sales while simultaneously being listed in Fortune Magazine’s top 10 companies to work.  Like me, I’m sure you’ll start adopting his principles into your personal and professional life daily.  You won’t want to miss him.

Have you heard of Tony Hsieh or read his book Delivering Happiness: A Path to Passion, Profit and Purpose?

Save the date for the 50^th Annual BC HRMA Conference & Tradeshow in Vancouver, April 25-27, 2012!

Erin Engstrom is the conference and events manager at BC HRMA.  When Erin isn’t working, she can be found cooking for friends with an impromptu kitchen party or racing her kids between the pool, rink and pitch.  Erin never stops—but that’s because she’s afraid that she would be too tired to jump back into the race of her wonderfully chaotic life. e.engstrom@bchrma.org