One of the joys of working within the staffing industry on the software level is having the opportunity to connect with staffing firms from across the country rather than working within a specific region. Our trade shows and conferences bring us all over the US, and it’s interesting and inspiring to see how, despite different backgrounds or specializations, many staffing firms face the same headwinds all over.
During April we were honored to sponsor and attend a couple events in different parts of the country: the Texas Association of Staffing Legislative Day at the Capitol and Executive Retreat in Austin, as well as the 2025 Midwest Staffing Conference hosted by the Illinois Search & Staffing Association in Oak Brook, Ill.
Each event covered different aspects of the staffing industry, but both were engaging, inspiring, and enabled us to forge deeper connections with both our industry and our colleagues.
Let’s dive into some of the insights we gained from our shows and then take a look at some of the events we’ll be a part of in June.
Texas Association of Staffing Legislative Day at the Capitol and Executive Retreat
Early in the month our CEO Brett Cavanagh traveled to Austin for a series of events with the Texas Association of Staffing.
Attendees at the TAS Legislative Day at the Capitol
There were a number of highlights from the week, not just from the many opportunities we had to connect with our colleagues in the staffing industry, but to talk through many of the legislative updates we can expect on horizon in Texas.
Tuesday, April 8 we attended a TAS board meeting and then moved to the capitol building where we divided into groups and met with local government leaders to discuss and advocate for key interests of the staffing industry.
On Wednesday, TempWorks served as the exclusive sponsor of a dinner and keynote speaking engagement from Robert Henneke from the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Wednesday also brought a host of other illuminating content, from panel discussions on Texas happenings, to ASA legal updates, to leadership training and sales coaching. As vendors we were fortunate to have the opportunity to share insights and findings of our own.
Overall, the week was full of enriching content and many opportunities to forge key connections with other dedicated members of TAS.
TempWorks and Lone Oak Payroll team members at the ISSA Midwest Staffing Conference
Illinois Search & Staffing Association 2025 Midwest Staffing Conference
Later in April, our team headed out to the Chicagoland area to attend the 2025 Midwest Staffing Conference hosted by the Illinois Search & Staffing Association.
Even though the staffing industry is facing some pretty significant economic concerns, we were invigorated by the amount of booth engagement and enthusiasm we encountered.
One interesting theme that recurred in our conversations with attendees were concerns over new tech platform implementation during tougher economic downturns. Given the state of the industry, many attendees we talked to were apprehensive to switch systems due to cost concerns and potential disruptions to business. Hearing these concerns is always beneficial to our team, because it helps us brainstorm strategies for making the transition process easier for our new clients.
Besides the great conversations we had, the conference also featured a number of valuable content and breakout sessions on current industry challenges and shifts.
Upcoming Shows
Looking to the future, June has a lot of exciting events for the TempWorks and Lone Oak team:
- June 3-5: The Works 2025, our annual client conference right here in Bloomington, Minn.!
- June 3-4: 2025 Ohio Staffing and Search Association (OSSA) Ohio Staffing and Recruiting Conference in Columbus, Ohio.
- June 4-6: California Staffing Professionals Annual Conference in Irvine, Cal.
- June 20: Minnesota Recruiting and Staffing Association (MNRSA) Golf Classic in Edina, Minn.
Follow us on LinkedIn for more information!