For the longest period of time, SHRM dominated the HR conference scene.  From the bevy of state conferences to the behemoth that is SHRM Annual, SHRM was the 800 lb. gorilla setting the tone for what a HR conference should be.

Of late, however, a number of new learning opportunities are popping up.   From the TRU Unconferences to the ever popular HRevolution series, the competition for your educational dollars has never been stronger.

The latest (and greatest?) to enter the scene is the Transform HR conference being held in Austin, TX, February 26-28 and brought to you by the good people at TLNT.com.  So, with the many available HR conference options out there of late, why should attend Transform?:

1.  Billy Beane is the keynote speaker.  As any pop culture HR aficionado knows, Billy Beane was the inspiration for Michael Lewis' book, "Moneyball." Not only did it inspire a thousand HR blog posts (see here and here, for example) about how to value talent, but the book was turned into a mutli-Oscar-nominated movie.  You will be able to hear about talent directly from the source.  Billy Beane will be must-see viewing.

2.  The agenda is fantastic.  Not a hole in the schedule that will draw you away to visit the sites in Austin.  The speaker list is strong and varied, including such talent luminaries as Tim Sackett (who has his own internationally recognized day), Libby Sartain, Dawn Hrdlica-Burke, Kimberly Roden, Laurie Ruettimann, and the men behind Talent Anarchy (Joe Gerstandt and Jason Lauritsen).

3.  Did I mention it was in Austin?  Living in the Midwest, Austin will provide a welcome respite from the cold February weather and bring some good BBQ and HR conversation.

4.  You can earn recertification credits with the HRCI.

I will be on the scene in Austin covering the event for the blog and I hope to connect with you there if you are in attendance.  Otherwise, you can follow all the festivities on Twitter by checking the hashtag #TransformHR.

And, if you act now you can enter the code TF12TCHT for $250 off the registration price.

Hope to see you in Austin!