Best HR Conferences in 2026

Why Attend HR Conferences

You get to learn from industry experts

HR conferences are a great opportunity to learn from today’s top industry thought leaders. Although other industry conferences may be a bit vendor-heavy with content, HR conferences tend to be highly focused on quality educational resources. You will be learning from real HR professionals who are out in the field doing the work and learning to adapt to today’s rapidly changing work industry.

Better legal liability protection

One of the top reasons HR professionals choose to invest in HR conferences is to avoid legal risk before an issue arises. Attending these conferences can help you stay up to date on relevant issues as changes in labor compliance continue to occur.

Earn continual learning credits

HR conferences can help you attain two major certification credits. The continual learning credit systems you will find represented at HR conferences are SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, and HRCI. Many of the conferences listed here offer dual credit hours, so you will be able to obtain credit hours for both. Make sure you check with the conference you’re attending to find out if they’re offering what you need!

HR Tech and Vendors

You will often find many of the HR industry’s best vendors in the exhibit hall of HR conferences. This is a great opportunity to ask questions about new technology and resources, as well as receive tips and recommendations. Staying up to date on the best tools will help you remain competitive in your industry and ensure you’re leveraging the best products for your organization.

HR Recruiting Resources

• Track the sources for every job posting with this free tool – https://avahr.com/campaign-url-builder
• Understanding the power of Google AI job search – https://avahr.com/google-ai-job-search
• Hiring Templates, how to craft the perfect hiring templates – https://avahr.com/350-hiring-resource-templates/

HR Conferences FAQs

How do I get certification credit for attending an HR conference?

HR conferences are a great way to build certification hours for the two primary continuing education programs. HCRI is the more globally known and recognized certification. They have a search page where you can search the conference you attended and request for your continuing learning credit to be applied. The other certification is run by SHRM, which offers both SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP. Recertification is required every three years and professionals will need to earn 60 professional development credits. HR conferences offer a great opportunity to build those certification hours!

Is there networking at HR conferences?

As much as HR conferences are an opportunity to learn, they are also a great opportunity to meet up with peers, find mentors, and grow your network. One of the highlights of attending HR conferences is the connections you’ll make and the relationships you’ll build while you’re there. You’ll definitely want to bring some business cards so you can start networking and connecting with other professionals in attendance.

How many human resource professionals attend conferences?

The number of professionals in attendance will vary between conferences, but the ones listed on this page will have anywhere from 800 to 10,000 attendees. If you attend national conferences, they can sometimes have up to 15,000 HR professionals in attendance, and the virtual conferences may host as many as 30,000.

How to prepare for your upcoming HR conference

• Plan ahead. Make sure you’ve taken some time to reflect on any key pain points you’re facing right now in your career, and figure out what questions you would like to ask. This will ensure you get the most out of your experience and know exactly who you should spend your time talking to.
• Find out if there is a conference app and download it before you go. This way, you will stay up to date on the latest announcements and have the opportunity to find potential peers and mentors to meet up with once you’re there.
• Not on Twitter? Now’s the time to sign up! A lot of the conference discussion happens through a hashtag thread on Twitter. Try to find out beforehand what the conference hashtag will be and save it in your Twitter app. This is a great way to be an active part of the conversation and to continue networking after the event.
  
• Set aside some time for meetings so you can get to know other professionals. While the speakers are great, the relationships you’ll make at these conferences will often have the greatest impact. Set aside some time in your schedule to have coffee or lunch with your colleagues.
• Try to take advantage of the early morning sessions. The well-known speakers are often scheduled during the day when more people are likely to be in attendance, but the speakers in the pre-conference time slots often pack a ton of value into their presentations. It’s totally worth it to get up early and check them out!

Types of HR Conferences

• Recruiting and Talent Acquisition
• Employer-Employee Relations
• Training and Development
• Labor Law Compliance
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Compensation and Benefits
• Maintaining a Safe Environment
• HR Technology

Each of these categories of HR conferences will specialize around the current pain points your employer may be facing.  Some of the larger conferences will have breakout sessions for each of these categories, but you will gather more depth at a dedicated conference educating around a very specific niche.

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