NBMBAA Conference 2023: What We Saw
Last week, members of the Yello team attended the 45th Annual NBMBAA Conference & Exposition in Philadelphia, PA.
Despite the uncertainty in today’s job market, this year’s conference seemed to have a noticeably higher attendance compared to last year.
Uncertainty was a prevalent theme for both candidates and employers alike. Candidates were uncertain of what the market will look like for them during their job search for positions beginning next summer. Employers were uncertain about what their hiring goals will look like and how reduced budgets will affect their goals. We heard from several employers that they elected to send smaller teams and rent smaller booths this year due to budget cuts.
With that being said, the majority of booths were filled with candidates throughout the conference. In addition to the large brands that always receive a lot of interest, several small to mid-sized brands were just as busy. A Yello customer mentioned that one reason they were so busy is that they actually had open positions where some larger employers did not.
Several other employers mentioned that while they weren’t doing much hiring right now, they saw the conference as an opportunity to build brand awareness. Many of the companies in attendance were there pipelining and engaging candidates with early ID initiatives for future engagement opportunities.
Technology is no longer a nice-to-have.
Several employers were capturing candidate information digitally, either via QR code or some form of a kiosk. A candidate was overheard saying “everyone is taking pictures of my resume instead of taking the physical copy.” There were also a lot of employers capturing evaluations on the spot which is especially important when pipelining for future opportunities. Technology is no longer a nice-to-have and is the new normal for event intake with recruiters needing to do more with less.
We saw several companies troubleshooting WiFi connectivity issues and attempting to identify who they could contact to get assistance. WiFi connectivity issues are a known challenge at many large conferences with a lot of traffic. Yello customers were able to leverage offline mode to capture candidate information and evaluate candidates on the spot while others were unable to get connected.
As always, we are grateful to have the opportunity to support our customers on-site and provide assistance to ensure a smooth and successful event. We’re attending a number of other events this fall and would love to connect with you if you’re attending.
Interested in learning more about how Yello can help with your early talent events?
