Top 10 most boring things I learned at HR Tech:

1.       The only thing consistent about talent management is the spelling. Each and every vendor has a talent management product suite but they aren’t really total suites. I knew that already.

2.       No true talent management clients attended the show. We are still looking for a firm who has deployed a holistic approach to talent management. Either one suite vendor or several vendors integrated… none to be found... Do these clients really exist?

3.       No major announcements of mergers, fundings or acquisitions, although rumor has it several have been put on hold due to the economic forecast. One smaller announcement in that Ninth House and PDI did merge. Assessment + Leadership Content … not sure where the custom content business fits?

4.       Web 2.0. Is there hope for this industry? …. I’m really still not sure.

5.       TM (name is withheld on purpose) is on the job market again. How many vendors can you work for in four years, all in the HCM space? This has to be a record.

6.       Too many booths with meaningless content in them. Everyone should just walk the floor looking at the booths. What really stood out? Not one thing.

7.       ERP vendors who think they have a complete integrated product line

8.       Oracle still has too much money… please - taxi ads and bus ads … so 80ish.

9.       Buzz does not equal revenue. I was here in 2001 remember.

10.       What we have to look forward to… Next year’s suite vendors specializing in Survival Management suites.