Dear Colleague:

This year marks an inflection point in HR technology, maybe even the end of one era and the beginning of another.

Two of our most frequent presenters over 15 years — Jim Holincheck of Gartner and Lexy Martin of CedarCrestone — have both written about it. Jim calls it a "generational shift in computing."

It happens every 10 - 15 years. New technology brings about fundamental change. Client/server did in 1989, web-based applications in 2000, and now the combination of SaaS (Cloud Computing), Social in the Enterprise, Analytics (including Big Data) and Mobile is doing it again.

These will be among the major topics this year at the HR Technology® Conference (in addition to the older processes that still ail you). So now is your time to attend to help the rest of your worldwide community figure it out!

The conference is now indisputably an international event with attendees last year from 27 nations, including all the BRIC countries and eight people from four organizations in South Korea!

It's also now one of the two must-attend HR conferences of the year. Even China Gorman, former COO of SHRM (the other conference) says so, stating the HR Technology® Conference would be her first choice if she could attend only one.

Why? Our single-minded dedication for 15 years to help you get the business benefits out of technology for HR.

Not only will we untangle the future together, but we'll give you dozens of practical takeaways for challenges you are facing today. All delivered by senior HR executives from world-class companies, who may have solutions to your problems already.

But what you'll take away from the presentations is just one part of the conference's value. The rest is who attends:

First, you can meet and talk with all 10 of the world's "Most Powerful HR Technology Experts," as selected by the editors of Human Resource Executive®. Most will be presenting; all plan to be there.

Also meet those who just missed making the list plus just about every consultant in HR technology with hands-on experience solving the problems of dozens of clients.

Add the top six most powerful software executives in our world, who make many of the technology, business and product decisions shaping our future. Plus at least 20 CEOs of other leading software companies, not just their salespeople.

If you're a member of our LinkedIn group, you'll recognize lots of faces from our discussions and experience that odd social network feeling of knowing someone before you introduce yourself.

And, of course, more than a thousand HR executives and practitioners just like you. In short, everyone you need to meet and talk with to solve your problems or to expand your perspective will be in Chicago with you.

In addition to the traditional areas of concern, you'll find our focus on the two most critical game-changing developments: SaaS (The Cloud) and Social in the Enterprise. Here are just a few program highlights to look forward to:

• Opening Keynote from Delphi Group founder Tom Koulopoulos: Author of the newly released Cloud Surfing: A New Way to Think About Risk, Innovation, Scale and Success and a leading authority on innovation.He will start our dialogue about this new computing paradigm.

• Bringing HR Into The Cloud — Naomi's Master Panel: Six senior product executives together for the first time on any stage — from Oracle, SAP, Workday, ADP, Salesforce.com and Ultimate — moderated by Naomi Lee Bloom. Moving to The Cloud is no longer a question. Learn how to get the full business benefits out of it.

• New Track: Social in the Enterprise: The days of fretting about allowing Facebook and Twitter into the office are over, at least for the companies already adapting collaborative tools to get real work done today:

• Marsh Transforms Itself With Social Technology: If a leader in insurance, the most conservative industry vertical, can do it, why not you? Find out how.

• Third Annual Social Media Panel: No longer about personal social media, but about the rise of collaboration tools in the enterprise with panelists who have done it.

• Closing Keynote from Industry Analyst Marcia Conner: "How HR Can Drive the New Social Business." There's a new table that HR may not be sitting at and Marcia can put you there.

• The Second Annual Candidate Experience Awards: The Wall Street Journal is all over this new competition for "The Best Companies to Apply to Work For." The winners tell you what it takes to become best in class and get more and better candidates.

• Five More Panels:

• Sixth Annual Talent Management Panel: Moderator Jason Averbook leads influential HR operations and technology executives in a discussion of their various stages of Talent Management strategy and deployments.

• CHRO Benefits Panel: Mark Stelzner directs the CHROs of the largest benefits administration providers in a discussion of what will become the time of greatest uncertainty for benefits in decades.

• What's Next in Talent Acquisition? Gerry Crispin will cut through the hype of social recruiting to find out what works and, more importantly, what's needed next.

• Going Global: Moderator Karen Beaman has assembled executives on different stages of the journey to guide you along.

• Demystifying Predictive Analytics: Father of it all, Jac Fitz-enz, will tackle how to start looking forward instead of backward.

• Awesome New Technologies for HR: Bleeding-edge products to knock your socks off.

• Dave Duffield returns to our stage with his client Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts.

• Expert Discussions: A separate track this year with just one group discussion/Q&A session scheduled for each time slot. No presentations; just dialogues.

• Exposition: Certain to be the world's largest again. Dozens of new products will be introduced. The leading vendors in every category will be there, many with product executives, giving you insights you can compare and act on.

• And much more (see the next pages)!

As you read the brochure, if you find yourself wishing time and again you could attend two or three sessions in the same time slot, bring your colleagues. We have deep group discounts, too. See page 26 for details.

If HR technology is your responsibility, your career, your problem — or you just need to learn more — join us for Human Resource Executive®'s 15th Annual HR Technology® Conference & Exposition.

Dave Shadovitz
Editor & Publisher, Human Resource Executive^®
Chairman, HR Technology^® Conference & Exposition

Bill Kutik
Technology Columnist, Human Resource Executive^® and HREonline.com
Co-Chairman, HR Technology^® Conference & Exposition
Host, “The Bill Kutik Radio Show^®”