Today PIRHA serves five major California counties, with a membership of more than 4,000 individuals representing some 2,600 organizations. It is one of the largest Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) affiliate chapters. The California Conference caters to an audience of more than 2,000 participants and is one of the high-water marks of the summer conference season.

In addition to networking opportunities at the Marketplace Expo and throughout the four-day event, attendees at this year's conference are earning HR Certification Institute (HCRI) recertification credits in Strategic Business Management, California, Global and General HR. Concurrent breakout sessions are organized according to the following disciplines:

• Employment Law & Legislation
• Business Management and Strategy
• Talent Management
• International HR
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Benefits & Compensation
• Personal & Leadership Development
• General HR

This year's keynote speakers are distinctly California-centric and diverse:

• Best-selling author, entrepreneur and corporate executive-turned-graffiti artist Erik Wahl
• University of California-Berkeley professor of public policy, former Clinton Administration Secretary of Labor and frequent cable-news commentator Robert Reich
• Silicon Valley entrepreneur and renowned author Deborah Perry Piscoine

Other conference highlights include a celebration of PIHRA's 70th anniversary, an SHRM town hall meeting and a young professionals gathering.

As an industry blog reminds us, the considerable costs to organizations of sending professionals to HR conferences like the PIHRA California Conference or SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition must be weighed against the opportunity cost of missing out on the networking opportunities, latest thought leadership and industry trends, as well as the peer interaction that social media have yet to replace.

More details about this week's conference can be found on the California Conference website.