People Report Summer Camp Conference opened last night in Frisco, Texas, just outside of Dallas. The conference includes sessions today and tomorrow on topics including employee motivation, recruiting and engagement as well as social media and e-learning.
Last night, the conference kicked off with a reception in the Workforce Technology Pavilion at the Frisco Embassy Suites and Conference Center. During the reception, a number of industry thought leaders gave short presentations on a variety of topics, from social media to recruiting. Presenters of the "Campfire Speeches" series included:
- Jasmin Brand, director of business development for career training and education company Brandpointe. She compared social media and education to music legends Ike and Tina Turner. While a number of brands have embraced social media and its multiple applications, others that fear social media and will ruin traditional education and training methods. But just as Ike was stronger with Tina than without, social media won't replace good training. "Social media needs good trainers so together they can do amazing things," she said.
- Bill Campion, co-founder, Talent Revolution, which helps brands utilize social media to execute their marketing and recruiting campaigns. He shared how poor customer service can undermine a great marketing campaign. In today's economy, a brand's customer service has come to speak as loudly, if not louder, than its marketing message. Therefore, brands must differentiate themselves by the customer experience. "If the brand doesn't get delivered at the point of contact, it's nothing if it's not delivered perfectly," he said.
- Scott Rosenburg, managing partner, hospitality and restaurant recruiting company Yellow Dog Recruiting. He shared how restaurant recruiting has evolved to include social media, including YouTube and Twitter. Utilizing such channels and tools like video introductions can help companies relate to each candidate as an individual — and allow even small businesses to execute a national search. "We view recruiting as an intimate, professional process."
The conference's "Summer Camp" atmosphere offers learning and networking opportunities in a relaxed atmosphere. Activities include a flash mob dance, community service to benefit local charity Jonathan's Place, and a Frisco Roughriders minor league baseball game.
Attendees include HR teams from national brands such as Taco Bell and California Pizza Kitchen, and regional brands such as White Castle, McAlister's Deli and Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers. HR technology providers include Legacy Solutions, which offers a portfolio of employee training and marketing tools, hospitality recruiting and job posting companies Hcareers and Yellow Dog Recruiting, Talent Revolution, and more. Follow discussions on Twitter about the conference under the hashtag #PRSCamp.
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