Last week we held the HRINZ National Conference, themed ‘Workplace Culture in a Tiny Country’ and I’m not sure if it was the theme, the great speakers or the wonderful people at HRINZ, but I loved every minute of it from start to finish. When I put the concept together back in February, selected the speakers in March and started working on the logistics and all the side events with the team, I was pleasantly surprised to realise I was actually having fun. The staff at HRINZ who did the bulk of the logistics hadn’t worked together on our national conference before (we’ve had a lot of new staff this year), but we were very fortunate to have our Lysa manage the Expo from Christchurch with her usual eye for detail, professionalism and incredibly high standards so that freed the rest of us up to concentrate on the conference, with regular phone calls and visits from Lysa to ensure the two events dove-tailed into the slickest three days of HR information ever.

Looking back, it was a pretty ambitious undertaking really, given the circumstances. It was scheduled three weeks earlier than usual thanks to the 2012 Rugby World Cup that New Zealand is hosting, and on different days of the week than usual; we had a new conference team at HRINZ (I was the only one in the conference team who had worked on our previous national conferences); a new PCO (professional conference organiser), Amy (who had arrived from Scotland just a few weeks before we started our prep), and a new PCO company, Conferences and Events; a new MC, Ginette McDonald; a new National President at HRINZ, Catherine Taylor; and a new Platinum Sponsor, Mt Eliza Executive Education.

When we saw the branding Amanda (our external designer) had created for the conference everything seemed to instantly fall into place. Kelsi was quick to pick up on the ‘kiwiana’ flavour for our HRINZ expo stand and in the design of our ‘pohutukawa’ costumes, and had us all happily working away on regular ‘craft’ sessions when we weren’t foraging amongst our family and friends for props for our stand.

By the time we got to the actual conference we were very relaxed. The registration numbers were the best they’d been for years, some side-events had been fully subscribed within days of being offered (for example the Big Day Out, held at the Roxy Cinema where we learned a lot about Weta Digital was snapped up in record time, though that was hardly surprising), the expo stands had sold out months earlier, the conference and expo sponsors had all embraced the theme and worked really hard to support us, and even the weather Gods smiled down on us for the duration of the three days.

Only two things remained unknown – the sessions and the audience – though we’d done a lot of research on both but the chemistry between the two is always a variable ingredient and can go either way. If we’d had any doubts, within minutes of the conference opening they were allayed. The combination of excellent presentation skills and a depth of knowledge, intellect, wisdom and expertise were immediately apparent with our opening keynote speaker, Professor Ian Williamson, and continued with every subsequent keynote speaker throughout the three days (I didn’t have time to attend the concurrent workshop sessions unfortunately but I understand these were pretty well received too).

The audience was the best I’ve ever had the privilege of being part of. From the very beginning they embraced the humour, the kiwi ‘culture cringe’ we’d identified as unique, special and wonderful, and the diversity, tolerance and support we’ve come to accept as the norm in most of our workplaces. But best of all was the audience’s ability to shun the overdose of political correctness that so often gets in the way of us being honest, open and forthright. I think the grown-up ‘Lynne of Tawa’ set the expectation from the beginning which was followed at every opportunity by the very quick quips expertly delivered by our very polished MC, who relished being in her natural, down to earth state.

When you have your opening keynote speaker being described by the delegates as “hot” and “O for awesome” with his own instant fan club apparent from the moment he started talking; when you can have a tongue-in-cheek debate about a pretty serious topic where the winners should have been the losers (yes the ‘L’ word was used without repercussions or recriminations) and the debate moderator makes the rules without the usual constraints of consultation and the need to keep everyone happy; when the questions from the audience are authentic and well thought through rather than the ego-centric statements that have become the norm at many other conferences; when the audience is genuinely interested in engaging with the sponsors; and when complex concepts are broken down into bites that everyone can relate to and understand and discuss at every opportunity, you know you’ve made it.

Visitors to the expo who brushed shoulders with the delegates remarked about the atmosphere that was almost physical. The buzz was extraordinary – the laughter, the sharing and the overall mood for the three days was just amazing. Adding in all the social functions and networking opportunities that HRINZ conferences are famous for meant that this conference and expo was our best ever, but I think if there had been no social activities offered the atmosphere would have still been as good – the delegates were high on being part of something so much bigger than they’d ever been before at a HRINZ conference. I’ve never known such a participatory audience who thrived on contributing to the overall success in such a generous manner.

And personally I’ve never had so much fun on any project or enjoyed a HRINZ event so much – I was actually sad to see it end but the good news is that I believe we’ve come of age when it comes to accepting all that’s good about our workplace culture in a tiny country, not to mention what’s possible at a HRINZ National Conference! I’m already plotting and scheming how we can present an even better one next year.

Beverley Main – HRINZ CEO

Check out the photos on our Conference Website

Starting at the top with the frenetically busy yet always high spirited Chief Executive Beverley Main who had this to say:

“This year’s Big Day Out for HR Business Leaders has been very popular with all the places being filled within hours of the invitation going out. We’re not sure if it’s the beautiful venue (Roxy Theatre), the insight that Kim Rickard from Weta Digital will give us on working inside the film industry, or the promise of listening to Eastern Suburbs expert, Roger Tweedy, waxing lyrical on the drive-by back to the city about how Miramar has been transformed from a tired working class suburb into the place of stars, dreams and jobs. Or maybe it’s the promise of a yummy lunch, nice wines and great networking on a national level…”

Kelsi Doscher, our Membership Manager, has been working hard on our theme for the HRINZ expo stand – which is very Kiwiana – and it should grab the attention of delegates and day visitors alike whether from New Zealand or from far off distant lands. Kelsi has been working on the Professional Members and Mentors Dinner, an invitation only event to recognise the work and dedication of HRINZ Mentors and Professional Members which will be held on the first evening of Conference.

Helping Kelsi is Jo Brown the Membership Administrator who has been keeping track of all our new members and making sure they are aware of the upcoming conference and that our database is kept up to date and current

Sheridan Rose, the HRINZ Professional Development and Event Manager has been sorting out the terribly fashionable conference T-Shirts, making decisions concerning the little things like signage, name-tags, ticket design and the design of the conference satchels. When not spending time on the aesthetics she has also been taking care of arranging the President’s Dinner venue and making sure you all have costumes available for hire on the night of the Gala Dinner. Finally, and much to the consternation of the rest of us, Sheridan spent half a day tasting food to make sure it was up to par for the rest of us!

The Executive Assistant, Michelle Tattersall, has been in touch with our 10 generous donor organisations that have gifted 7 recipients from a range of sectors to attend the HRINZ conference. The list as follows is:

Fragomen- Darline Ewing-Jarvie, Presbyterian Support Central
Integrity Works & Buckett Law (joint gifted place) – Francois Schoeman, Iris Limited
Transpower – Katie O’Brien, Wellington Free Ambulance
Zuri Consulting – Richard Maxwell, Well Health Trust & Newtown Union Health
Gough and Associates, Catalyst Pacific Ltd, Carroll Consulting (joint gifted place) – Christine Hanks , Mary Potter Hospice
SPARC – Kelly Newbold, Sport Wellington
HRINZ – Joanne Ring, Wellington Zoo Trust

Thanks to all our donors!

Jen Bailey, the Office Administrator who we couldn’t do without, has been spending her time collating and organising the pre-conference survey and doing some preparation for our speakers. While doing this she has also been sending and receiving registrations and conference confirmations not to mention making sure everyone knows where and when the session will be and who’ll be speaking.

Finally there’s myself, Mike Metcalfe Communications Manager and Brenda Tweedy, Research and Education Manager. We, as the two newest members of the HRINZ team have slightly less responsibility at this stage but for my part I am making sure you all know what’s coming up and Brenda has been helping design the HRINZ Gala costumes and tells me “All HR team building exercises should include a little wine which stimulates the creative side of the brain in many ways and dulls the pain”.

And I nearly forgot George Matthews, the HRINZ Accountant. When I asked him what he did in preparation for conference he stared at me for a second and said, deadpan as they come, “accounts” before moving off to do what I assume was, well, more accounts.

Competition

In preparation for the conference the HRINZ team has been putting together our costumes. From the 2 photos below what is it you think we are coming as? What could these strange….’things’ possibly be?

The correct answer will receive a delicious bottle of wine and, if no one can guess correctly, the most creative answer wins as judged by the HRINZ National Office. Entries close Friday 5^th August.

TO ENTER: Send your answer to Michael.metcalfe@hrinz.org.nz. Winner announced Monday 8 August

The keynote speakers include Dr Derek Roger, Dave Wild, and Hamish Wilson:

Turning stress to your advantage

-Dr Derek Roger

Derek is a leading business psychologist, executive coach, author and speaker. The emphasis of Derek’s work is on neuroscience, specifically in resilience and stress management – and how that research can be used in practical and relevant ways within working environments.

Derek’s talk, entitled Alchemy: Turning fundamental research into practical tools, is intended to entertain with the neuroendocrinology of stress, and to show how these findings have been used to develop a resilience training programme that really works.

The programme offers unique and practical insights into resilience, and he promised to include white-water rafting, Star Wars, catching monkeys, and why your pet cat won’t die of heart disease unless you feed it very badly.

For more on Derek, check out his blog: The challenge of change

Innovating for change

-Dave Wild

As Managing Director of Smith & Wild, Dave has spent more than 15 years working as a strategist for business, design, marketing and innovation consultancies.

His keynote address is entitled Innovating for a rapid response and is aimed at sharing with attendees new ways of increasing their personal ability to lead through innovation.

Dave believes responding to fast-moving change demands the ability to innovate. Rapidly. For businesses to look at HR as their true rescuers, the highest levels of management will need to view Hr professionals as effective leaders in their own right – not just playing a supportive role.

Are you up for it?

Find out more about Dave on Facebook or Twitter

Coming together in times of crisis

-Dave Winsborough

Dave is Managing Director of Winsborough Ltd and is highly recognised for his skills in building high performance senior teams.
His keynote address is entitled All together now! The imperative for cohesion and teamwork in crisis.

From the earth shaken ruin that was the Christchurch CBD, emerged humbling reminders of how extraordinary humans can be in the face of devastation and disaster. Dave will explore human collective cooperative responses which arise in the face of adversity and crisis and the three conditions that are invariably in place for this to be triggered i.e. shared fate, need to act and identification with the group as a whole.

Find out more about what Dave is all about on his website.

HR and the brain

-Jenny McDonald

Jenny McDonald is the founding Director and Principal Consultant of Continuum Consulting Group. Her passion is for effective leadership and helping clients achieve workplace outcomes. Her background includes management and leadership, supported by training in neuro-leadership, neuro-linguistic programming and other development methodologies.

Jenny’s presentation is entitled What HR needs to know about the brain.

Disasters inevitably impact on organisations.  People within those organisations look for answers to a wide range of questions that range from practical and policy issues through to personal and emotional experiences. And many times HR is the first place they come for advice and answers.

This session will focus on the practical aspects of neuroscience knowledge – what does understanding of the brain mean for HR people in the field?

Read more on Jenny’s website.

Knowledge as a benefit, not a barrier

-Hamish More

Hamish More is OD Manager for the Department of Conservation and his session is entitled Mind blocks, systems, language and change.

Why do we believe what we do? Much of what we believe has been accumulated over our lives, gleaned from other people, snippets from wise leaders, and perhaps even things we have come to figure out ourselves.

However, Hamish questions whether this knowledge serves us well or holds us ‘hostage’ – preventing us from seeing alternatives.
What are the signals or indications that your knowledge is becoming more of a barrier than benefit?

Hamish explores this, plus looks at what your language says about your approach to work, and how that can affect others in your team.

The ”Nine to 9′ Conference is on May 11 2011. For more information and to find out session times of the speakers above plus more, click here.

Follow the conference on Twitter using #hrinz929

Well, it’s finally over for another year.  Conference week just seems like a whirlwind when it’s happening and then before you know it’s all over and then planning starts for the next one.  Just a few final details to remind you of before I sign off.

Post Conference Survey

Thank you to those of you that have already completed the post conference survey.  The survey only takes a couple of minutes to complete (I know you’ve heard that before) but ‘trust me’, we can’t improve on things if we don’t know what you did or didn’t enjoy.

Missing Gala Dinner Table Settings

Oh dear, a conference on Trust and we have some missing fairy lights that were part of the table settings for conference.  We do have photographic evidence for 10 of the 18 sets of lights that went walkabout (a nun, an angel, a high court judge, a boy scout, four witches and a plain clothed random woman).  The witches I can understand but nuns and angels…..come on).  Evidently the witches and the high court judge have returned their sets so please can those concerned return them as soon as possible before we publish the photos in a WANTED poster for all to see!  Alternatively we could bill you for the $50.00 per set that the hire company is going to charge us for not returning them….ouch!

Presentations Notes and Photographs

The majority of the speakers’ presentations have now been loaded on the conference website and the complete photograph selection will be up on the website shortly.

Conference DVD and Keynote Books for Sale

We have been inundated with orders for the DVD of selected keynote and concurrent sessions from conference.  This is your final opportunity to purchase a copy, click here for the order form.  For those of you who didn’t get the opportunity, we still have some copies of David Thompson’s books available to purchase – click here for the order form.

HR Magazine

The next issue of the HRINZ Human Resources magazine will have conference highlights and photos of the event so keep an eye out for that – I hope you didn’t embarrass yourself!

Next Year’s Event

Bear in mind, due to the Rugby World cup, the HRINZ National Conference will be held from 9-11 August 2011.  Make sure you keep those dates free so that you can join us again.  Thank you once again for participating and making the HRINZ Conference a raging success!

Here are just some of my ‘take-away’ highlights (there will be lots more highlights from attendees in our October issue of the HumanResources magazine):

Roger Steare on How to Lead a Culture of Integrity:

-Workplaces focus too much on purpose rather than creating a sense of belonging. (We’re human beings, we like to belong)

- Cultural Integrity is when together we decide what rules to obey. (The less rules there are, then people take more responsibility – think of the town with no traffic signs.)

- To build a culture of integrity – stop and think about what is right (arrogance, greed and denial isn’t), talk about what’s right, unite on moral values and act fairly for the common good.

And check out the Dilbert cartoons on ethics here.

David Thompson on The Morning After the Night Before:

-          Does your work bring you closer to your personal goals?

-          Two questions to ask your team; what’s most important to you (eg having a mentor, a great boss, flexibility, meaningful work) and how are we doing at meeting them?

-          Be creative with your people – they don’t dream about spreadsheets, they don’t leave their heart at the door when they come to work.

Paul Kirkbridge on Challenges for the Next Decade and Beyond:

-          70% of people’s learning happens on the job and development is most powerful when there’s pressure, you’re making a difference, you have no experience and there’s a chance of failure.

The Gala Dinner and Party – wow, HR people know how to boogie; the dance floor was heaving with doctors, nurses, fire fighters, villains and super heroes all having a good time – whether they were ‘trusted or not’.

A big thank you to speakers, expo exhibitors (for some great networking), sponsors, delegates (more great networking) and the HRINZ team for another outstanding conference.

What was your conference highlight?

Post – HRINZ conference info:

- Photos of the HRINZ Conference, Expo,  Gala Dinner and welcome drinks can be viewed on our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/hrinz and  here

- More photos and highlights will be published in the October issue of the HumanResources magazine.

- Speaker’s presentations will be available next week on the HRINZ website.

URGENT STUFF!

Registering
If you haven’t registered yet, you should get a move on to avoid missing out on the sessions you really want to go to.

Flights
If you’re in Rotorua, you can still book return flights on Air NZ for $260 and from Dunedin $270 return, come on be quick these prices won’t last.

Accommodation
Don’t forget about the accommodation deals we have with room rates from just under $80.00, book now.

SPOTLIGHT ON KEYNOTE

Nic Russell – What Can You Do to Foster Resilience?
This is a Keynote session I don’t want to miss.

In 2005 Nic Russell became a cancer patient, a bereaved mum and a sole parent.  By 2009 she had become a marathon runner, an ocean swimmer, an author, a psychology graduate, a founder of a charity and a motivational speaker.

Nic’s story is both extraordinary and inspirational. She chronicles her tumultuous and heart-rending journey with a natural story-telling ability which leaves people laughing one minute and crying the next. Her presentation demonstrates the power of resilience, how we can foster it to perform at our highest potential.

BREAKFAST SESSION – YOU CHOOSE!
On the Friday morning of conference you have the choice of two breakfast sessions to attend.  If you registered for conference early prior to the breakfast announcement, please ensure you email lauren.mouton@hrinz.org.nz with your choice as soon as possible to avoid missing out.

Choice #1 – Mercer Energy Breakfast
Fresh bacon and eggs, a strong coffee and a light hearted and entertaining talk by our popular opening keynote speaker, Fermin Diez, from Mercer.

Choice #2 – HRINZ Buzzy Breakfast
Tuck into some pancakes with maple syrup and sip on your smoothie  while the HRINZ Wellington Branch facilitates a fun, informal networking breakfast for those wanting further opportunities to network with their peers and like minded industry professionals

Well that’s all for this week.  Trust us – you won’t want to miss the HRINZ National Conference experience.

Dr Phil hasn’t started yet and the baby is sleeping…so now’s a good time to let you know what I’ve been working on for HR Expo 2010.

We welcome several new exhibitors to the show this year…so this makes it well worth a visit, even if you have been in past years.  Over 45 HR product and service providers will be in the house, only too happy to chat and share their latest offerings. Not to mention their yummy branded treats and giveaways.  Plan your visit wisely and you could munch your way around the Expo. We’ll give you a big bag too, so don’t worry about overloading.

Long time HRINZ Expo naming sponsors Strategic Pay are sponsoring the cafe serving up real espresso coffee – hard to beat if you are planning to visit the Expo in the morning. Stop in at the Strategic Pay stand (30) first and tell the team I sent you to get a voucher for a free coffee!

Other sponsors are PayGlobal and Southern Cross Health Society – swing over to The Southern Cross HealthZone after your coffee and check out the healthy initiatives and refreshments on offer there.

Conference delegates will be feed and watered in the Expo Hall then given free rein to peruse the stands, network, check emails via the Wi-Fi Pods and gather lots of information from the exhibitors. The Expo will be open to day visitors too. Drop in anytime from 8am-6pm on Thursday 2 September or 8am-3pm on Friday 3 September.

If it’s serious networking you are after – the Strategic Pay Networking Hour is held from 5pm-6pm on Thursday 2 September in the main Expo Hall. Drinks and nibbles and networking opportunities with Exhibitors and Conference Delegates.

What’s that I hear…the pitter patter of tiny feet…time to switch into mummy mode.  Check out the Expo website for a comprehensive list of all exhibitors and a bit about what they can do for you and your business.

Feel free to leave a comment with any Expo related questions and I’ll be sure to reply.

Cheers

Lysa

p.s the team in Wellington are creating something truly unique for the HRINZ stand, which will be well worth visiting!  I can’t wait to see it all come together.

Urgent Stuff!

Earlybird Rate to Close
Hurry now to take advantage of the Earlybird rate and save yourself a cool $200 bucks which could be spent on shoe shopping in Wellington (not during conference time of course)! 

Flights
You still have the opportunity to get flights for under $200 Air NZ or $140 Pacific Blue return from Auckland and Christchurch with Rotorua and Hamilton costing just under $250 Air NZ only.  In fact, you could have a combined accommodation and flight package for less than $600 smackers if you’re quick!

Be careful about buying flights during Maori language week on Grab a Seat though, you could end up in Eketahuna!

Accommodation
Our in-house Event Manager has gone to great lengths to get a range of very affordable rooms in central Wellington to cover everyone’s budget.  With room rates from just under $80.00, you can’t afford not to be there!   Check out our range of accommodation on the General Information tab of the conference website.

Competition Winners
To Sandra Bennett from Life Clinic in Wellington who was the winner of our New Member prize and receives a free conference place at this year’s conference.  Sandra will be joined by our winner of the ‘Mystery Speaker Competition’, Cathy Fitzsimons from Manage to Lead.

Mystery Speaker Revealed
After much speculation, Blogging, Facebooking and Twittering (good old Social Media, now there’s a couple of words that’ll have the Finance Departments trembling in their boots).  We have now revealed that our Mystery Keynote Speaker is……..noooooo not Tiger Woods (nice try though but we didn’t have a budget large enough for his partners to attend)………..

Vanessa Stoddart – Group General Manager People and Operations, Air New Zealand
Back by popular demand, Vanessa has agreed to re-present the inspiring presentation she gave at ‘Nine to 9’ earlier this year after ‘wowing’ our Auckland audience. 

Vanessa will share Air New Zealand’s culture transformation story and their journey beginning from when staff attitude received the highest compliments – and the highest complaints to being recently named ‘Airline of the Year’. 

Don’t be late, don’t hesitate……

Trust us, this conference is worth the wait!

Righto, things I want to remind you about for conference.

Earlybird Rates Closing
Those of you that are dilly dallying or procrastinating about your registration should move sharply in order to obtain the Earlybird discount which finishes on Saturday 31 July, that’s next Saturday!  Earlybird rates will save you $200 so stop dithering or you’ll miss out.  It’ll also help out our team by not all leaving it to the last minute.  Also limited capacity in concurrent sessions, get in early to make sure you get 1^st choice.

Mystery Speaker Competition
If you are following HRINZ on Facebook (LIKE) or receiving our ‘Tweets’, you’ll already know about the competition to guess who our Mystery Speaker is going to be at conference.  If you haven’t already registered, you could win a free place at conference or a free place for a colleague.  Hurry and get on the bandwagon, clues are being given daily via our Social Media network!

Conference Friday Breakfast Announced – Your Choice of Two!
On the final day of conference, you have the opportunity to attend one of two breakfasts being held at the convention centre.  If you have already registered for conference, please email us to confirm your choice as soon as possible.  To find out more about the breakfast sessions click here and scroll down to Friday.

Roger Steare – Conference Keynote Speaker, Extra Opportunity
One of our keynote speakers this year is the renowned Professor Roger Steare, ethics expert and corporate philosopher.  We have also managed to secure Professor Steare for two extra events, one in Auckland and the other in Wellington.  If you are unable to attend conference or would like to have a more in-depth session with Roger you should take advantage of this opportunity click here.

Well now I can cross BLOG off my list of TO DO’s this week, thank goodness!  I’ll be in touch again next week.

P.S. 9 days until Earlybird closes.

While we organise ourselves, remember too to organise yourself and register prior to 31 July to get the special Early Bird rate.  By registering early you’ll also be able to get the best-priced airfares if you’re travelling from out of town.  Keep checking Grab-a-Seat for daily specials.

So if you intend to attend, you might want to get cracking on securing your place – visit www.conference.hrinz.org.nz.

Trust us – it’s going to be a goodie.