The Largest Conference Ever Staged in Downtown Asheville This Week at the US Cellular Center

Asheville, NC, September 26, 2016 (Newswire.com) - ​​​​​​​​The Western North Carolina Human Resource Association (WNC HRA) and the North Carolina Society for Human Resource Management State (NCSHRM) are pleased to announce the NCSHRM Conference to be held at the U.S. Cellular Center (USCC) will be the largest conference to date to be held in downtown Asheville. The conference begins Wednesday morning, September 28th and continues through the afternoon of Friday, September 30th.

The 2016 NC SHRM Conference is expected to have significant economic impact and draw over 1,100 people, including attendees and vendors. The economic impact for the three-day event is estimated to be well over a half million dollars. This estimate does not include money attendees spend on shopping, dining, sightseeing and lodging for attendees who were not able to get a reservation in one of the four hotel room blocks – all of which are sold out.

"The U.S. Cellular Center is excited to be hosting the 2016 NC SHRM Conference. This event will have a significant impact on area businesses, while filling hotel rooms during mid-week.  We hope moving forward this event will act as a model for more professional organizations and encourage them to choose Asheville for their conferences and conventions."

Chris Corl, General Manager, US Cellular Center

“The U.S. Cellular Center is excited to be hosting the 2016 NC SHRM Conference,” said Chris Corl, General Manager of the USCC. “This event will have a significant impact on area businesses, while filling hotel rooms during mid-week.  We hope moving forward this event will act as a model for more professional organizations and encourage them to choose Asheville for their conferences and conventions."

The event begins at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, September 28th, with the NCSHRM State Council meeting and concludes on Friday afternoon, September 30th.  The public can purchase tickets to four keynote sessions throughout the three-day conference. Proceeds from individual speaker sales will benefit four local non-profits: the WNC Diversity Engagement Coalition, Eblen Charities, Leadership Asheville and Green Opportunities. Giving back to the community is part of the ethos of both NCSHRM and the WNC HRA.

The conference is bringing world-class speakers to Asheville, beginning Wednesday evening at 5:30 with Janet Mock. Mock is the author of bestselling book, Redefining Realness, an outspoken transgender activist and television host. She was also recently named to Oprah Winfrey’s “SuperSoul 100.” Mock is currently at work on her second book and is also producing a documentary, The Trans List, that will premiere on HBO this December. Tickets are on sale to the public to hear Mock speak, followed by a Q&A session moderated by Lisa Eby, HR Director, Buncombe County Health and Human Services.

Tom Rath’s session is Thursday morning at 9:30 am and will be followed by a Q&A session with Bill Murdock, CEO of Eblen Charities. Rath is a bestselling author and researcher who studies the role of human behavior in business, health and well-being. He previously led Gallup's division of research and consulting on employee engagement, strengths and wellness.   Rath has written six New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers over the past decade, beginning with the #1 New York Times bestseller How Full Is Your Bucket? His book StrengthsFinder 2.0 was listed as the top-selling business book worldwide by the Wall Street Journal, The Economist and Amazon.com. One of Rath’s latest bestsellers, Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes, was inspired by his ongoing research into his own personal health challenges – he was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder at age 16. The book describes the impact of eating, moving and sleeping on health and everyday energy and offers practical ideas on how to make better health choices.

Simon T. Bailey is the founder of what he calls the “brilliance” movement, whose mission is to teach one billion people how to be brilliant in an average world. He believes companies should invest in Personal Brilliance (bringing your best self to work every day); Leadership Brilliance (finding ways to bring out the best in people); Team Brilliance (letting individuals thrive together); and Service Brilliance (turning customer service into customer love). A sought after speaker, Bailey was inducted into the prestigious National Speakers Association’s Speaker Hall of Fame in 2015. His popular “Building Business Relationships” micro-learning course has been viewed by 10,000+ professionals in 100 countries. He has spoken on six continents to 1,000+ organizations including AT&T, IBM, MasterCard, Microsoft and Toyota. Bailey will speak Friday morning at 11am.

For IDEATE, four Asheville-area speakers will take the stage: Patti Digh, former founding VP of International & Diversity Programs for SHRM; Cortina Caldwell, Communications Director, LEAF Community Arts; Kendra Penland, Executive Director, Asheville Brewers Alliance; and Chad Littlefield, Co-Founder of We! They’ve packed their unique ideas into engaging ten minute presentations. It’s an opportunity to see dynamic stories of innovation, collaboration, and inspiration come to life. IDEATE takes place Thursday afternoon at 3:30 and tickets are still available.

The NCSHRM conference theme is “Lead Differently” and will challenge human resource professionals and other business leaders to rethink how they engage and motivate staff and colleagues. The conference will include continuing education sessions, interactive vendor exhibits, networking opportunities and an opening reception featuring Asheville restaurants, craft breweries and entertainment from downtown buskers.

Tickets for the three-day NCSHRM conference are still available at www.2016avl.com/register.

Special rates are available for students currently pursuing a BA or graduate degree in the human resources field.

Tickets for individual speakers are available at http://www.2016avl.com/speakers/.

To learn more about the 2016 NCSHRM Conference, visit www.2016avl.com.

About the Western North Carolina Human Resource Association

An affiliated Chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). The members of chapter #0570 have joined together since 1955 to share ideas and best practices within the region that promote a productive, healthy and happy workforce. The mission of the WNC Human Resource Association is to provide each member with knowledge, connections and tools to reach their fullest strategic and leadership potential as individuals and professionals.

Source: Western North Carolina Human Resource Association (WNC HRA)