At the end of September, I also had the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas for the 2009 National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) Conference. The event was held on Wednesday, September 30, through Saturday, October 3, at the Red Rock Casino Resort. In spite of the economy, there was a large number of recruiters in attendance.
It was obvious that the recruiters who spent the money and took the time to attend the conference were very serious about their recruiting future, and they felt that NAPS gave them several days to re-energize themselves with some of the best trainers in the country.
FoxHire hosted a booth in the Exhibit Hall and the foot-traffic was very good. Our display booth was plain and simple… it stated that FoxHire is the “Recruiter’s Back-Office Solution.” Many recruiters stopped to chat, and they all seemed to ask the same question: “How can I add contracting to my business model?”
Many of the recruiters I spoke with on an individual basis told me that they’re interested in getting into contracting because their clients are asking for contractors as a way to meet their business needs without adding headcount to their direct-hire staff. Others shared with me that clients wanted to hire individuals on a contract basis until they could convert the workers to direct hires. This is a common situation because of budget constraints, hiring freezes, etc.
Overall, I give the NAPS Conference an “A.” The NAPS Board always does an excellent job planning three or four days of quality content. Plus, you can count on great friendships that can be built upon year after year… because after all, the business we’re in is really all about relationships!
