In a change from last year
HRD 2007 was held at
Excel - a new venue in Docklands and a stone's throw from
London City Airport. Billed as Europe's largest learning and development event - but did it live up to the hype?
Well - certainly it was big. the new venue is far larger than
Earl's Court and Olympia where last year's event was held. But my impression was that delegates were a bit thin on the ground. Speaking to other exhibitors they too seemed to think it was a bit quiet - but whether that was because there really were fewer delegates or because the new venue spread them out is hard to say.
A number people thought - as I did that the new venue was confusing. It looks the same in every direction and on more than one occassion I spent a long time walking around trying to find again someone on a stand that I had been talking to before - and in one case failing completely - which was a blow as he had promised to be a good business contact.
In the evening of the first day were drinks and canapes to celebrate something or other. We were fortunate enough to get chatting to some HR Professionals from South Africa who had come to attend the event - maybe for other reasons too that they didn't mention.
So was it a success? Well I for one missed the relative cosiness of Olympia and found it rather difficult to find the people I wanted to. Maybe fewer people made the journey out to Docklands - but without seeing the figures we just won't know.
Verdict: slightly disappointing but worth the trip
Labels: HRD 2007
We hope to see as many of you as possible at the
HRD Exhibition at Excel in Docklands over the next three days.
If you need to find us then call on 07808 064295 and we'll sort you out.
Labels: CIPD, HRD 2007
