If you coordinate and offer employee compensation packages, attending employee benefits conferences and compensation events can help give you the information you need to work effectively. Often offering a variety of speakers and workshops, compensation and benefits conferences are held in city, state, regional and national venues. Geared toward those who are auditors, attorneys, actuaries, accountants, executives and human resource officers, a compensation seminar or compensation conference can provide you with an opportunity to network and learn about the newest strategies, practices and trends.

Attending a compensation benefits conference can be worth the time and money. As you choose which compensation and benefits conferences you will attend, consider the following:

1. View the itinerary. Will this compensation event give you the focused information you need?

2. View the location and date. Compare this compensation and benefits conference to others in order to determine the best time and geographic match.

3. View the cost, and then include travel and hotel expenses. Will the compensation and benefits training you receive be worth the overall cost?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find a compensation and benefits conference in your city or area

A conference in your city or a nearby city can give you benefit-specific information specially geared towards the needs of your geographic area.

I recommend: Co-sponsored by the International Revenue Service (IRS), the National Institute of Pension Administrators (NIPA), and The American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA), information on the Los Angeles Benefits Conference can be found on the ASPPA website. The ASPPA Cincinnati Pension Conference, also sponsored by the ASPPA offers speakers, training and workshops. In New York, The New York Employee Benefits Conference (NYEBC) encompasses the areas of Albany, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo, and provides all day seminars.

Attend a compensation & benefits conference in your state or region

A state or regional compensation & benefits conference affords you the opportunity to network with professionals in your region and keeps you up to date with current trends.

I recommend: The Iowa Association of Business and Industry holds a conference and keeps its seminar files in an online library format. The Southern Employee Benefits Conference, a not-for-profit organization, provides education to southeastern professionals in the field of employee benefit plans. The ASPPA also offers conferences in the Great Lakes region, the mid-Atlantic region, the central and mountain states, and the northeast.

Attend a national compensation seminar or conference

A national compensation seminar or conference will cover national issues, which local employee benefits conferences may not.

I recommend: The Conference Board Inc. offers a variety of workers' compensation events in cities all over the country. The National Underwriter Company sponsors a conference focusing on national trends.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When coordinating employee events, remember to keep the tone professional and inviting in order to foster participation and boost morale.
• •  When sponsoring workers' compensation meetings, save time for questions and plan on how you might answer them.