The leading event specifically for professionals
in HR management, law and labor relations
in the hospitality industry.

More than 600 HR hospitality executives and professionals attended the 2nd Annual National HR in Hospitality™ Conference & Expo, March 16 - 19, 2008, at Wynn Las Vegas – once again making it the largest event of its kind.

Produced in association with Human Resource Executive® Magazine, Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and Cornell University’s ILR School, and endorsed by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, HR in Hospitality™ is the leading event specifically for professionals in HR management, employment law and labor relations in the hospitality industry.

HR in Hospitality™ offers you access to the people and ideas that are shaping the industry’s future. Our sessions have been developed by the nation’s leading experts in human resources and hospitality and are delivered by top HR leaders, attorneys and Cornell University faculty – so you get cutting-edge, practical advice that you can put into action immediately. If it’s important in the industry, HR in Hospitality™ has it.

We featured Sector-Specific Program Tracks: HR in Hotels, HR in Restaurants, HR in Foodservice plus HR Hot Topics and Labor Relations. With so many sessions to choose from – more than 30 – we repeated six sessions from HR Hot Topics, making it easy for our attendees to make it to every session they wanted to attend.

Also new in 2008 – Hot Topics in HR Management and Employment Law for the Hospitality industry. Attendees got expert advice on their burning HR and legal questions in these unique roundtable discussions. Executives with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Starbucks, Loews, Harrah’s, Starwood, Cornell University, Travelport, and Sysco, also addressed specific questions in a “board meeting” environment on topics including:

     * HR Data That Drive Business Performance
     * FLSA Developments: Federal, State, and Local
     * Effective Staffing Strategies in the Hospitality Industry
     * Sexual Harassment and Retaliation
     * Workplace Privacy
     * Demonstrating the Value of HR

These sessions were specifically designed to maximize dialogue between faculty and attendees on the most important issues in the profession. Plus, each Hot Topic discussion session was held twice, giving attendees the flexibility to attend sector-specific sessions and the Hot Topics roundtables!

There is so much to learn at HR in Hospitality™. Here are just a few of the 2008 highlights:

• Demonstrating the Value of HR – We know that HR is a key driver of company performance. However, getting support for value-adding HR initiatives can be one of the most vexing challenges for HR professionals. The discussion examined how three companies – Travelport, ClubCorp, and Loews Corporation – have communicated value, implemented programs and delivered resuilts. Discussions focused on how to align HR and company strategies, obtain operational commitment, and demonstrate impact.

• FLSA Developments: Federal, State and Local – The number of employee-generated class-action lawsuits alleging Fair Labor Standards Act violations is exploding – and so are the settlement amounts. The Department of Labor is focusing on low-wage industries such as hotels and restaurants, and state and local governments are stepping up their enforcement efforts. This discussion session examined the latest case law and examined how to protect your company from the most common and most expensive compliance errors.

• Effective Staffing Strategies in the Hospitality Industry – Two veteran HR leaders who operate in dynamic, multi-property environments, and a leading expert in the field of staffing and talent assessment conducted a discussion of recruitment, selection and retention strategies that yielded a highly qualified talent pool. Attendees learned how emerging developments in technology, marketing and metrics can be used to manage the flow of human capital across organizational boundaries, including proactive strategies for dealing with situations where staffing levels exceed business need.

• General Session – HR in the Hospitality Industry: A President’s Perspective – Steven Porter, President-Americas, InterContinental Hotels Group – It’s easy to see that people are important elements of business success, especially in the hospitality industry. But what HR issues are most important to the "C-suite" leadership? And what do they expect from the HR Team? You’ll know what’s on their minds when you leave Mr. Porter's session … we guarantee it.

• Closing General Session from Arte Nathan, VP-Human Resources, Resort Division, at The Irvine Company. Arte is one of the true pioneers in the field. We were deluged with requests for more time and insights from this remarkable HR leader – and, the 2008 session included over 30 minutes of audience Q&A time.

• The Expo Hall was back – bigger and better! There were 2 exciting days of networking, research gathering, and the newest products from 75 leading vendors in the hospitality industry. It was a great opportunity to comparison shop. Plus, with refreshments, meal breaks and other events held in the Expo Hall, it was the hot spot for networking and developing new contacts.

Save the Date! Join us for the 3rd Annual National HR in Hospitality™ Conference & Expo at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., March 16 - 19 2009!

To receive a copy of 2009's printed brochure click here.