I recently attended the World at Work Total Rewards Conference in Washington DC.  Full disclaimer, I am not a huge fan of trade shows in general.  As an exhibitor, I feel like many of the attendees are just there to grab some free stuff and enjoy a day or an afternoon off from work.  As an attendee, I have felt that most of the breakout sessions were not really talking to me or in the very least were reviewing material that I already knew.

There are many reasons for my bias, not the least of which may have been that I was not receptive or patient enough to “work” the show correctly.  Regardless of why my prior experiences were poor, this experience was much better.

The attendees were happy to be there and looking to learn about rewards and compensation.  Just about everyone I spoke with had a genuine interest in my specific thoughts on various industry topics such as the benefit of cash vs. non-cash incentives and recognition.  (Side note:  I think there is room for both and they can often be complementary.)

I attended several breakout sessions, and they were all very crowded and very interactive.  I do not think I have ever attended a trade show/conference where the majority of the attendees were taking notes throughout the sessions!  Good indicator that the topics chosen were relevant and interesting.

If you are an HR professional and are looking for an association to help process the complicated world of benefits and compensation along with the impact of rewards and incentives in these areas, I recommend that you check out World at Work  and see if there is a benefit for you and your company.

And please contact us if we can assist you with your next incentive or recognition initiative.