Run By Professionals For Professionals

With 500 delegates and over 200 exhibitors, this forum was going to be interesting. An opening address by Hans Blix, former UN Weapons Inspector, determined the calibre of speaker for this, the tenth consecutive year that the HR Forum had set sail.



Some of the finest HR personnel from across the UK and Europe, gathered, some for the first time (Like myself) and others for the tenth! There was an air of excitement in the embarkation lounge where a number of people renewed acquaintances from previous forums. Once aboard the P&O superliner, Aurora, I attended a welcome aboard presentation aimed at the forum ìvirginsî, giving them a taster for what was about to happen.

For three nights and two days I was to learn about the great myth that is HR!

A number of the conference sessions and keynote speakers all seemed to deliver a similar message that traditional HR is dead and in order to become an effective part of a company, they, the HR personnel, must reinvent themselves and the role they carry out on a daily basis.
I chatted to a number of delegates, each of whom felt that the message was credible. Steve Bryan, HR Director for MCI commented ìThe quality of the organisation was first class, I cannot praise Richmond enough. Everything was done with the view to making the delegate experience as productive as possible.î ìI will certainly be recommending attendance to a number of my peers in other businesses.î

The forum was not just about the deliverance of key messages pertinent to the industry but also a means for some of the leading companies supplying the HR industry, to showcase their products and future developments. Jacki Mudge, Partnership Manager at The Brand Inside commented ìThe whole forum for our company has been hectic, with 84 face to face meetings, we have not had time to really take stock of how productive it has been other than to say we have had a huge level of interest with some really serious enquiriesî` ìWe have got a further 28 companies to follow up with, that we simply didnít have the time to meet on the shipî

Further investigation around the exhibition rooms confirmed Jackiís comments, Rosalyn Rahme, CEO, Goldjobs Ltd, commented ìThis is our second year at the Forum and as such we were better prepared. The Forum is an excellent opportunity in a fast paced working environment to market your company and its products in an efficient, targeted manner.î Rosalyn further mentioned ìLast year gave Goldjobs an excellent return and we anticipate that this year will exceed the previous return on investmentî

I believe that this was made possible by the professional organisation behind the scenes, Jessica Whysall and her entire team at Richmond Events, deserve a huge pat on the back for what I can only describe as an enjoyable event in superb surroundings. Moreover, the hostesses for each conference session ensured that you knew where you were going and at what time you needed to be there.

During my drive home from Southampton I reflected on the whole HR Forum experience trying to find a suitable angle from which to write this feature. The same line kept coming to mind, Run by Professionals for Professionals. I donít think I will bother to change it!

Written by Chris Troth - Online recruitment magazine and Onrec.com - Business Development Manager