Thank you for joining us at the 48th Annual Conference and Exposition in the beautiful Mile-High City of Denver. Attendance at this year's conference was incredible, with 978 attendees (1,300 counting sponsors and exhibitors!), and we appreciate your support and membership. We hope your conference experience was enriching and that you enjoyed three jam-packed days of education, networking, and fun.
Attendees left the conference wearing big smiles after attending a hilarious closing session featuring TV personality and style icon Carson Kressley. We thank Valic for sponsoring the event.
Kressley started the session by saying he "thinks of human resources as the principal's office of the adult world," and the one-liners continued throughout his presentation. Kressley, who raises awareness for the LGBT community, said he was told the audience would be about 80:20; comprised of 80 percent ladies and 20 percent men. "I almost didn't come!" he said.
When he wasn't in the crowd interacting with attendees and calling out their names "like they are in a Miss America pageant," he offered some real-world style advice to help professionals look and feel better about themselves.
"When I did 'Queer Eye' (the TV hit 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy') and 'How to Look Good Naked,' both shows were about being your best self," Kressley said. "As HR people, you can lead by example and be the best person you can be."
Kressley shared the following 10 easy steps to help attendees "break out of your mold and get a fresh start."
1. Don't believe the media. "It's hard to hold yourself up to a standard that really doesn't exist," he said.
2. Clean out your closet. "You can't get organized if you can't see everything," he said. "You want to start your day looking only at things that fit and look good on you so you are met with success in the morning and start your day right."
3. Have nice foundation garments. They affect everything else you wear.
4. Wear colors that make you look and feel good.
5. It doesn't matter what size you wear, just wear the size that fits.
6. Get an annual hair and makeup physical, just as you do with dental and medical annual check-ups.
7. Exercise. Kressley talked about his run on "Dancing with the Stars," and said exercise made a huge difference in the way he felt. "It's the biggest boost ever," he said.
8. Education. "There are some things you are innately good at, but you still need to study," he said. Speaking from his experience as a fashion icon, he suggested men in the audience subscribe to GQ magazine, and for women, InStyle.
9. Make time for yourself. "Take a few minutes every day to meditate or have a hot bath," he said. "It can just be five to 10 minutes where you take a breather and do something nice for yourself."
10. Accessories are the "key to looking great." He said they are "like the salt and pepper of your wardrobe."
Kressley closed his entertaining presentation on a serious note. "Be proud of who you are, be kind to yourself, and cut yourself a little slack," he said. "We all know that life is really short, and there is no time like now to be happy."
"Talent management is a mission-critical process that ensures organizations have the quantity and quality of people in place to meet their current and future business needs," Walker noted.
Walker agreed with the audience's suggestions and added that there is a greater demand for critical positions, such as physicians and a completely different kind of executive to keep up with change and innovation.
