Two job board conferences to increase your learning (and mingling)

Job board conferences are known for networking…and partying. Most of the time, those in our industry are siloed into their own little world, keeping their businesses afloat, and watching the industry from afar. Job board conferences help you bridge the gap between being on your own – and meeting up with like-minded folks. Many of my clients have gone to conferences and come home with a few deals under their belts (as well as some interesting swag).

These conferences are a classic example of ‘you get out of it what you put into it’. If you go ready to learn – well, most of the time, you will learn a lot. And if you go to network and perhaps cook up a few new deals – you will. The two job board conferences described below are designed to optimize both learning and networking. One is relatively new, and one has been around long enough to go through a name change! But both are run by experienced folks who know the job board industry. Let’s take a closer look:

• Job Boards Connect: I wrote about this last year, and since then, the two organizers – Louise Grant and Louise Triance – have expanded from once a year to twice a year.  The next one is May 11th, in London, and is billed as ‘Unplugged‘ (are they paying royalties to MTV? I don’t know). The 1-day event has multiple tracks and an informal setting, which I suspect will allow for lots of interaction with participants and speakers. It of course ends with a drinks reception! The annual conference is October 12th (again in London), and in addition to the usual line up of sessions, includes both breakfast and lunch. Food is generally an attraction at conferences, I’ve found. Both conferences tend to attract primarily UK and EU folks, although there will be some from North America and elsewhere, I imagine. Although I haven’t attended this conference in person, the feedback I’ve gotten from those who have has been uniformly positive. The last one sold out, so if you’re interested, I would suggest acting quickly.
• TAtech North America & the World Job Board Forum: TAtech as an organization has been around since the mid-2000s (back then it was called the International Association of Employment Websites, or IAEWS), and although some aspects of its conferences have changed over the years, it is still a popular event for meeting and mingling with other job boarders. This multi-day conference is in Austin, TX this year (May 22-24), and in addition to job boarders, it will also include folks from aggregators, programmatic platforms, and talent marketplaces. The agenda includes a session on selling and exiting your company (sure to be popular!), diversity in the industry, and a roundup of startups. I imagine there will be interesting after-hours get-togethers as well – Austin keeps a person busy!

These two job board conferences are definitely the ones to visit if you are planning on attending one this year. If you go, tell ’em that the Doctor sent you!

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