Attracting & Engaging High-Po’s

Annual conferences can be a valuable platform for helping your attendees — and their organizations — develop and retain future leaders, aka “hi-po’s.”

According to the Forbes Human Resources Council Expert Panel, a modern high-po (high-potential) workforce strategy involves more than having a list of candidates for succession planning. “It is about having actively engaging discussions and preparing your people through experiences, exposure, and education programs to give them the opportunities to grow and be better prepared for future positions.” I’ve added the italics to underscore how this strategy aligns with the DNA of most conference program elements — to offer opportunities for high-po’s to be immersed in a professional experience, gain exposure, make connections, and to learn.

If your industry was impacted by early retirements and career jumping during the pandemic, a multi-pronged, high-po strategy should yield the best results for succession planning for your participants’ organizations and sweeten the deal for them to attend your events. Here are three ways to get started:

1. Emerging Leaders — Ideally this is a year-round program with the greatest benefits delivered in person at your conference. A good example of this is PCMA’s 20 in Their Twenties program, in which a new cohort is selected each year. Participants end up forming bonds within their class — and among those in prior years — that extend well beyond the leadership development program and grow into lifetime friendships. Their Convening Leaders in-person conference experience includes a NextUp! breakfast where they network with long-time PCMA volunteer leaders like me, who want to give back to the profession.
2. Mentor Programs — Some of the most effective programs I’ve seen are connected to the special interest groups (SIGs) of an association. These are often micro-communities who support each other throughout the year and meet at in-person events. The most successful mentor programs are those in which being asked to be a mentor is considered an honor and is taken seriously. Mentor programs that are limited to the annual conference are often best for first-timers — not for the more desired high-po’s.
3. Co-worker Invitation — A common attribute of loyal or regular attendees, usually identified in an annual meeting audience analysis, is that they also are active committee, task force, or board members for the organization hosting the event. One of the drivers for them to attend is to fulfill their volunteer leader obligations.

Identify the attributes of your most-engaged volunteer leaders — perhaps they’ve served on a committee and attended each of the past three years’ events. Develop a compelling offer for them, as both an invitation and personal thank-you for their service, to bring a future or emerging leader from their organization. The offer should include special access for both to attend and network together. A financial incentive should also be considered.

High-Po’s and PD Budgets

One of our key learnings from studying successful women’s conferences is that high-po’s may not be eligible for budget approval for attending a conference, but their director does have a professional development budget. In this example, experienced women leaders can help advance a high-po’s career — and strengthen their loyalty to their employer — by pulling them up and bringing them to the event. They will, however, likely need your help with initial funding.

On the Web: The Academy to Innovate HR developed the “9 Box Grid: A Practioners Guide,” to help identify high-po’s. You can access the guide and free template at aihr.com/blog/9-box-grid/.

Adapted from Dave’s Forward Thinking column in PCMA’s Convene. Reprinted with permission of Convene, the magazine of the Professional Convention Management Association. ©2024.