3 Reasons I Stopped Going to HR Conferences

Sabrina Baker, founder and CEO of Acacia HR Solutions, breaks down why she stepped back from major HR conferences after years attending as an attendee, speaker, blogger, and conference organizer, and what she recommends instead for HR practitioners in the 1-500 employee range. Segments: Sabrina's conference background: attendee, blogger/"blog squad," speaker, and multi-year co-chair of the Illinois SHRM conference Reason 1: Content mismatch. Enterprise-level frameworks assume budget and headcount most small businesses don't have. "HR department of one" tracks often don't reflect day-to-day small business realities. Reason 2: Networking mismatch. High cost of major conferences prices out small business peers, leaving attendees without like-minded practitioners to connect with. Reason 3: ROI mismatch. Time out of office and unpaid travel costs weighed against content that isn't immediately usable. What Sabrina uses instead: content curated for small business, local HR groups, law firm and Chamber of Commerce content, and peer podcasts Close: a filter to run conference budget through before committing, and alternatives (webinars, one-on-one coaching, local HR group memberships) worth considering instead Questions or topic ideas for the show: hello@acaciahrsolutions.com