AHRI’s National Convention and Exhibition, which was held last week in Melbourne, was an inspirational jam of thought leadership, networking and the latest global trends on the HR radar. Here’s our round-up of stats that made up the event.

The event drew a strong mix of interstate visitors, with attendees from NSW and Victoria almost an even split. Many also clocked up serious frequent flier points to attend, travelling from as far afield as Barbados, Bermuda and Belgium.

Event attendees

• Paid delegates for the main program: approx. 1300
• Total delegates for the main and pre-programs: 1700
• Event volunteers: 40
• Exhibition visitors: 1000
• Speakers: 53

Australian delegates by state:

• 33 per cent from Victoria
• 32 per cent from New South Wales
• 14 per cent from the Australian Capital Territory
• 9 per cent from Queensland
• 6 per cent from Western Australia
• 4 per cent from South Australia
• 1.5 per cent from Tasmania
• 0.5 per cent from the Northern Territory

International delegates flew in from:

• Bahrain
• Barbados
• Belgium
• Belize
• Benin
• Bermuda
• Hong Kong
• India
• Malaysia
• Nauru
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• the Philippines
• South Africa
• Timor Leste
• United Kingdom
• United States

Live webcast sessions:

Live webcasts made sure those who could not attend the national convention in person could still participate from their desk and hear from some the best minds in the HR and management landscape. AHRI chairman, Peter Wilson, and chief executive officer of the UK’s Chartered Institute of Professional Development (CIPD), Peter Cheese (FCPHR), led one webcast session on emerging global HR trends.

Also on live feed was the opening keynote by US educator Marshall Goldsmith, who has coached more than 150 major CEOs. Goldsmith led an interactive workshop showing how every member of the audience could carry out their own performance review every day by asking six questions, such as, “Did you do your best today to build positive relationships?” His research confirms asking these six questions daily increased mindfulness and enhanced work performance.

Another real-time webcast featured leading US speaker Tammy Erickson explaining how to increase engagement in a multigenerational workforce – a demographic challenge facing every HR professional.

Gala dinner

• Number who attended the gala dinner: 1200