By Jon Waplington, CHRP

Traveling back to Victoria on the ferry after the Conference, one word kept cycling through my brain:  “Community.”  The opportunity to meet fellow HR professionals of all levels from all over British Columbia was a very powerful experience for me.  As a delegate at Conference 2011, I tangibly experienced the depth and breadth of the British Columbia Human Resources community.

As the winner of the BC HRMA Vancouver Island scholarship award, I feel very fortunate to have attended the 2011 BC HRMA Annual Conference in Vancouver on April 14th and 15th. After allowing myself a couple of days to absorb the experience, I’m excited to provide my impressions in keeping with the theme for this year’s Conference: “Complexity Made Simple.”

For those of you just embarking upon your HR career, the BC HRMA Conference is an annual two-day event held for BC HRMA members from all regions of the province.  The two days are comprised of plenary speakers, knowledge sessions, an HR marketplace tradeshow, the BC HRMA Professional Awards, and as much networking as you can manage.

I found myself happily exhausted at the end of each day for a few reasons:

Atmosphere: 
There was a buzz in the air at the 2011 Conference.  People were networking, exchanging ideas, reconnecting with former colleagues, and simply being enthusiastic to be participating in a well-organized, dynamic event.

Ideas:     
The conference provides delegates with access to speakers and presenters that are proven leaders their respective fields.  It is rare to catch one TED Talk presenter (Brené Brown), let alone, the former CIO of Google (Douglas Merrill), a Dragon from Dragon’s Den (Kevin O’Leary), and a professional Futurist (Richard Worzel) under one roof.

Acknowledgement:   
Every year at Conference, the BC HRMA announces the winners of its three annual awards:  HR Professional of the Year, the Rising Star Award, and Fellow CHRPs (FCHRPs).  Congratulations to this year’s award recipients and nominated finalists.

I strongly encourage Student Members of BC HRMA to consider attending next year’s conference in Vancouver on April 26-27, 2012.  If, after reading this far, you are still sitting on the fence, please connect with me at a BC HRMA Vancouver Island networking event or through LinkedIn.  I would be happy to facilitate your introduction to the Conference Community.

Special thanks to the Post Secondary Portfolio of the Vancouver Island Region of the BC Human Resources Management Association for this rewarding opportunity.