HRD 2009 steps up to the challenge of a difficult year

This yearís Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) HRD Conference and Exhibition will reflect both the current economic hard times and the development of the training, learning and development profession.

The emphasis of the event has been extended to include organisational development (OD) in line with learning and developmentís greater alignment with organisational objectives and the demands on the profession during difficult times of mass redundancies and the war for talent.

Thousands of people management and development professionals will gather to hear from leading practitioners and thought leaders between 21-23 April at ExCeL, London. Alongside over 40 seminars and workshops will be an all day masterclass on Wednesday 22 April on organisational development facilitated by two of the most highly experienced and internationally recognised OD experts – Barbara B. Bunker, Professor of Psychology Emeritus at The University of Buffalo, and Billie T. Alban, President of Alban and Williams. Other practical and relevant seminars include:

- David Smith, People Director, Asda, and Philippa Hird, Former Group HR Director, ITV, on sustaining employee engagement and how HR can build inclusive, engaging cultures

- Caroline Prendergast, Head of BBC Training and Development, and Stephan Thoma, Learning and Development Director EMEA, Google, on building a learning organisation

- Richard Baker, Chairman, Virgin Active Group, on what CEOs want from HR and people development professionals

- Norman Jardine, Head of Learning and Development, The European Commission, on cross-cultural learning and development

- Richard Reeves, Director, Demos think tank, on sustaining performance in a downturn

- Fons Trompenaars, Founder, Trompenaars Hampden-Turner, on servant leadership as a way to revitalise businesses from the credit crunch

Claire McCartney, Organisation and Development Adviser at the CIPD, who is leading on the annual learning and development survey to be launched at the conference, says:

This conference promises to be a must for all HR, people management and development professionals. As well as keeping delegates up to date on the latest Organisational Development trends, it will also provide practical advice for organisations experiencing the challenges of the downturn and organisational examples of creative responses that have resulted in many cases in higher performance.

HRD 2009 will also feature ëMyEventí, an online and on site networking forum. In the lead up to the event delegates will have access to a dedicated online networking service and at the event they can take part in free interactive sessions in the MyEvent arena on the exhibition floor. These will include:

- Facilitated speed networking sessions
- Roundtable discussions
- Career coaching
- Opportunities to meet the speakers

Hundreds of learning and development product and service providers will be taking part in the HRD 2009 Exhibition, which runs alongside the conference, offering practical solutions to workplace issues. As well as new launches and on-stand activities, the exhibition features a showcase programme, enabling visitors to take part in 30-minute learning sessions.