Last year’s event included discussions around the future of work, ideas on how diversity and inclusion can continue to evolve, and inspirational stories from workplace leaders such as Katie Burke and Tim Leberecht.

As we gear up for another year of fantastic speakers, here are five major reasons you should get your ticket as soon as possible.

1. If you feel like a misfit in your career

While navigating the murky waters of your own career, it’s never plain sailing. We all have our individual hurdles, mistakes we wish we didn’t make and challenges we have to face throughout our lives. No matter how far up the career ladder you climb, you are always liable to feel like a bit of a misfit.

This year, Jennifer Romolini will be on stage at Inspirefest. As well as a media career working with brands such as Shondaland, Yahoo, Elle and The New York Times, Romolini is also the author of sharp-witted career guide Weird in a World That’s Not: A Career Guide for Misfits, F*ckups and Failures.
Her no-holds-barred and no-nonsense book received massive acclaim, being dubbed “one of the best business and leadership books of 2017” by Fast Company. If you are familiar with feeling a little out of place in your career, Romolini is not to be missed.

2. If you want inspiration from future generations

Every year at Inspirefest, we hear from experts and leaders with decades of experience that are sure to inspire you and give you advice that will help you grow your own career.

However, one of the more unique aspects of the event is the younger generation that we get insights from. At Inspirefest 2018, we heard from the amazing Taylor Denise Richardson and the incredible Aoibheann Mangan.

This year, Inspirefest 2019 attendees will get to see Ciara-Beth Griffin, who turned the challenges she faces with high-functioning autism into something that could help others and change lives: an app called Mi Contact.

3. If you’re passionate about diversity in tech

For anyone who is career-focused, both from a leadership perspective and an employee perspective, diversity and inclusion will always be an important discussion.

We all know the importance of diversity and inclusion for underrepresented groups, but there’s still so much work to do and it will never not be important to hear from advocates.

That’s why HubSpot’s Barbara McCarthy is such an important speaker for those looking to grow their career. As someone who is deeply passionate about diversity in the tech industry and being an advocate for women and minorities, McCarthy also believes in growing and promoting positive engineering work cultures.

4. If you want to hear from a project management expert

A major part of most people’s careers involves some level of project management. What better person to hear from than the CEO of Glitch?

Glitch is a software company that specialises in project management tools and most notably fostered the early development of popular collaboration tool Trello. Glitch’s CEO, Anil Dash, is an entrepreneur, activist and writer, so he knows plenty about managing his own time and projects.

Dash has also been a prominent voice advocating for a more humane, inclusive and ethical technology industry.

5. If you want to hear from leaders in tech

No Inspirefest would be complete without some of the global leaders in the tech sector. If you’re looking to grow your career or be inspired, hearing from those who have walked their own career path before you and climbed to the top is essential.

This year, Intercom co-founder and chief strategy officer Des Traynor, who helped launched his company in 2011, will be gracing the Inspirefest stage. Intercom is a platform for customer interaction needs, from marketing to product development. Before Intercom, Traynor also co-founded Exceptional, an error-tracking company.

Whether you’re working in the tech industry or not, Traynor is a speaker you definitely will not want to miss.

Jenny Darmody

This article first appeared on www.siliconrepublic.com and can be found at:
https://www.siliconrepublic.com/advice/inspirefest-2019-career-lessons