Tiffany Woodward knew why she was coming to the Payroll Congress in Nashville but walking the bright blue Expo floor helped seal the experience. 

Coming from Dallas, Woodward works with Kofile Technologies, a records service that works with state and local governments in Texas.  

“From the Expo standpoint, this year I am visiting the different expos to understand what they are offering based on our company’s needs,” Woodard said. “What are they offering that can be beneficial to us? That’s what I am looking for today.” 

Woodard isn’t alone in why she decided to walk the Expo floor. Those behind the booths are just as interested in communicating about what they can do to meet clients’ needs. 

“I have been to different Congresses over the years,” said Rick Weber, Chief Marketing Officer at Experian Employer Services. “I have been coming to this show and frequently sponsoring it for many years. This show always returns, and we come back because we can see that it is our target audience, and it is here. People are coming up to learn and I am talking to decision makers. I am talking to people who care about solutions and people who care about this.”

While some like Woodard and Weber have attended for years, others are entering the Expo arena for the first time, including LKNT, a brand-new company. Kristina Varjita co-founded the venture, and she said this conference could help LNKT continue to lift off. 

“This has been amazing because we are completely focused on the payroll conference,” she said. “We’ve been to a couple of other conferences. They understand it but not the depth this conference has. This is the depth we need.”

Emily R. West is a freelance writer and reporter based in Nashville, Tennessee.