Hiring managers and human-resource personnel will learn some of the how-to techniques and skills to attract and retain quality employees at a conference scheduled for late September.

The Second Annual Recruitment Learning Conference is set for Sept. 28-29 at the Blackstone Renaissance Hotel in downtown Chicago. The day-and-a-half conference will be the site where some of the most seasoned talent-acquisition and human-resource professionals will share their expertise with participants.

Billed as an educational event, the learning conference has adopted a three-pronged approach: eliminating distractions, presenting relevant information and providing actionable education.

No vendors will participate in the conference, organizers say, to ensure that the event retains its interactive and conversational tone. To help enhance the quality of the content, attendance is also limited.

“We don’t even let our speakers sell their own products,” says Christine LaSalle, conference marketing director, of the no-distraction policy. “Nobody has asked why we aren’t allowing vendors. If anything, they welcome not having that, or any kind of sales pitch.”

In its first year, a few more than 100 people attended the conference. LaSalle expects 125 attendees this year. The cap, she says, is 150.

“It’s a small, educational, classroom kind of atmosphere,” she says, and many of last year's participants said the intimate setting was great for networking.

The Recruitment Learning Conference has enlisted 12 industry leaders from large, well-known organizations to deliver how-to sessions tailor-made to help address real-life employment situations. Each attendee will also receive a copy of every presentation.

“We are fortunate,” says Stephen Lowisz, president of The Learning Conference, “to have assembled a team of some of the most experienced and influential talent-acquisition leaders from across the country to provide insight, direction and actionable steps that anyone in the industry can apply immediately.”

The conference organizers crafted each session to provide a how-to solution to each issue, process or strategy discussed. Each featured speaker will address four points in his or her session: problem, solution, roadblocks and where to start tomorrow.

At the end of the conference, attendees will have an opportunity to address questions directly to the featured speakers. Lowisz, who will lead the final session, titled “HOW tO Develop and Implement Metrics That Drive the Right Recruiting Results,” will deliver the conference’s closing remarks before introducing the speaking panel.

For more information about the conference or to register, visit www.thelearningconference.com or call 734-462-3980.