This is the contentment of my Winter

It’s Winter here in Australia, it’s cold, it’s wet and most of us, apart from the snow bunnies are pretty much over it.  Getting up in the dark, commuting to work in the dark and then, coming home again in the dark.  If you’re in the Northern hemisphere, I don’t want your pity, but it will be our turn soon enough… I’ll wait.

The bight shining light I’m seeing is that Phil Tusing and his SOSU team have launched another sourcing event.  Something for us mere mortals to look forward to, something to keep those inner fires of building and sharing knowledge burning, fanning those flames with some amazing speakers.  I was lucky enough to be pseudo involved last year (the company I worked with sponsored drinks and my name was the answer to a quiz question, which I think must now make me officially part of it right?), and whilst the learning was great ie speakers etc, the chance to talk off line, to collaborate and to bring those relationships formed on line, through blogs, tweets, LinkedIn groups etc etc (you know what I mean… I hope) into real life.  I mean who would have thought it, some of these people I read from are REAL LIVE PEOPLE! With real life experience!  I felt at home, everyone was happy to chat and some old friends even felt comfortable enough to warn me about my poor hairstyle, which was fashioned from falling asleep on the plane the wrong way (thanks ladies)

It took me days to process all the information.  Have you checked out the list of speakers here? If you haven’t and you still register you’re in for a great surprise.  Phil has positioned himself right smack bang in the middle of an emerging Sourcing industry here in Australia, I think everyone will struggle to not learn anything!

This promises to be a conference with enticing discussion points, engaging speakers (Phil may even give me the podium and a microphone for a little while) and the sharing of innovation not seen on our shores before.

I was talking today to an industry colleague, who told me about how her company sent one of their people to the US to hear Irina Shamaeva speak, I was lucky enough to hear a webinar she ran with Andrea Mitchell some 18 months ago I suppose and was really happy to hear that companies were investing in sending their people all the way to the US to hear her. You could imaging the excitement I felt from my coffee date when I mentioned that Irina or @braingain to many of us was gracing our fair shores in a little under a month.

I’ve heard that spots are filling up fast.  Will I see you there?  Come and say hi please, I’m a sucker for talking Recruiting…… and sourcing.