Conferences.
Spring is conference season.
ATD TechKnowledgeTraining 2023AICPA & CIMA LEAD SymposiumLearning Solutions ConferenceRILA Talent Committee
I’ve been running between cities every two weeks since February. And that doesn’t count the online stuff that makes up the bulk my speaking schedule.
I’m lucky. I get to go to conferences as part of my job. But that hasn’t always been the case. In the beginning, I did mostly local stuff since so many events come through Orlando. I’ve still only been to 1 event as an attendee - because I always needed the speaker benefits to afford registration, travel and food costs.
It’s been 13 years since I attended my first event. I’m currently preparing to speak at an L&D conference for the 8th time. It got me thinking about the role events have played in my professional development and how their value has changed over time. If you don’t mind, I’d like to turn the clock back and explore a few of my favorite conference moments. I hope you’ll reflect along with me so you can make the most out of your professional events.
My first conference.
I remember when I was first offered the chance to go to a conference. I had just left my full-time position with Disney and was observing contact center onboarding with at new company when my boss called me into the hallway. She asked if I wanted to go to Chicago in two months for the ATD International Conference and Expo. I had heard whispers about this event at Disney but didn’t know much about it. I had also never really had the chance to travel for work. I immediately said yes. That May, I found myself running around McCormick Place trying to attend as many sessions as possible … because that’s what you think you’re supposed to do at first.
The first session I attended was facilitated by Lance Dublin. What else do I remember about that ICE? Absolutely nothing - except that it opened my eyes to the fact that I was part of a larger community. Before that conference, I existed in my own L&D bubble. In Chicago, I discovered how many other people were trying to solve the same problems.
My first speaking gig.
Fast-forward four years to my second conference. Now I’m a speaker for the first time as part of the Learning Solutions Conference in Orlando. My session was called “Breaking Down Silos: How Social Learning Changed Everything.” Looking at the deck from this presentation so many years later makes me cringe (Wonka meme, really?!?!). But we all have to start somewhere. I honestly didn’t expect anyone to attend my session. While I spent the first half of my career engaging large groups, I’d been working almost exclusively behind a desk for the past four years. I needed a change, and a local conference felt like a good opportunity to flex a few unused muscles. Plus, it was an event I could afford to attend. It worked, and I’ve spoken at every conference I’ve attended since.
My challenging moment.
I attended DevLearn for the first time in 2014 after The Learning Guild invited me to host an expo stage. I’d never been to Las Vegas, so I was looking forward to the trip.
Then … something happened. I experienced a significant loss in my personal life. Everything stopped. I couldn’t go to work. I couldn’t eat. I sat at home and watched House reruns for weeks leading up to the day of my flight to Vegas. I debated whether or not I should go … whether or not I could go. In a moment straight out of a Rocky film (I’m from Philly so the reference is required), I picked myself up, packed my bag, and got on the plane.
It was the best decision I could have made. I reconnected with peers I mostly know from the internet. They didn’t know it, but they became a lifeline. They got me through a challenging time. I returned from DevLearn ready to move forward.
My new job.
I was on the planning committee for ATD TechKnowledge for three years. I attended the first two events as a practitioner in a corporate role. By the time the 2016 event came around, I was an L&D professional looking for a new gig. I wasn’t having much luck with the job application machine after exiting my job three weeks prior. So I contacted a few people in my network to ask for advice. I wanted to do something different, but I didn’t know what type of role would fit me. One of my contacts was the VP of Marketing for Axonify, who I knew from being a customer. They happened to be sponsoring TK, so I met up with the team on-location to discuss my interests. Three days later, I was on a plane to Toronto to visit the Waterloo office. By the end of the week, I was an Axonifier.
My altered perspective.
The 2016 Training Conference was a new experience for me. It was the first time I attended an event as a vendor. It was actually my first day on the job with Axonify. I was already scheduled to present, and I didn’t have any Axonify-specific work to do at the conference. But it made me look at the industry from a different perspective.
I’d never spent much time in expo halls. I wasn’t looking to buy anything, so I found other ways to stay up-to-date on the latest tech and services. Now, I found myself dissecting vendor messaging and how they articulated their value to L&D pros. I also started popping into vendor-led sessions, specifically to see how often they did the bait-and-switch thing where the education session turns into a demo/sales pitch. This experience opened my eyes to the importance of vendor partnerships and began my long-standing annoyance with the ways suppliers fail to meaningful participate in their own professional community.
My next event.
That brings us to today. I’m preparing multiple sessions for the ATD23 Conference in San Diego next week. I’ll be sharing the stories from my new book - The Modern Learning Ecosystem - and partnering with friends at Kroger to discuss proven tactics for gaining stakeholder buy-in. Plus, I’ll be hanging out with the Axonify team in the expo, sharing our frontline enablement story, and signing books at the ATD bookstore. Be sure to stop by and say HELLO if you’re in town.
My relationship with conferences has changed a lot over the past 13 years. They introduced me to the larger L&D community. They helped me find a new job. They gave me a reason to hang out with smart, interesting people. They provided me with the opportunity to share my ideas and experiences. They helped me work through personal challenges. Sure, I can access most of the content shared during sessions online without attending in-person, but its the lessons I’ve picked up in hallways and after hours gatherings that have mattered the most.
I’d love to hear about your conference experiences and the value they bring to your personal and professional life. Are you new to the industry and just getting started with conferences? Or have you been around for a while and seen your relationship with events change over time?
Until next week, be well. JD