Events to look forward to in 2023: April, May and June

24 February, 2023| Ger Driesen| 5 min read

We recently shared a review of the major learning events that we were part of in 2022. As 2023 is getting up to speed, we’d like to bring to light some really exciting events that are ‘just around the corner’. Due to COVID, some events were moved to May so be aware that it’ll be a month full of very interesting events.

But first, in April…

Learning Solution Conference

We are very much looking forward to the Learning Solution Conference taking place from April 12-14 in Orlando. It is organised by the Learning Guild, a great community based in the USA. This conference is focused on showcasing ‘What works’ while their autumn event Devlearn focuses on ‘What’s next’.

As mentioned, the Learning Guild is a community of very kind and passionate professionals who work in the learning industry. At this conference, you’ll have many sessions and topics to choose from, without being overwhelming compared to very large conferences like ATD-ICE.

At the Learning Solutions Conference, it’s easy to meet people and start a conversation with them. You might even bump into your favourite ‘learning rockstars’ like Jane Bozarth, Julie Dirksen or any of the other Guild Masters.

The conference is also famous for its nice ‘fringe events’, like the ‘morning buzz’ (discussion sessions), ‘demofest’ (demo of concrete solutions), ‘gamenight’ (learning board games night) and ‘presentation roulette’ - a very entertaining and witty way of exploring L&D topics. This year, Roy de Vries and I will deliver two sessions: one on learning ecosystems and an ‘ultimate conference wrap-up session’.

If you’re not able to attend, do yourself a favour and become a (free) member of the Learning Guild.

Next Learning

On April 18, the yearly Dutch conference Next Learning will be held in ‘s-Hertogenbosch again. Roy and I will share something about adaptive learning there. If you want to meet the Dutch L&D community (and a few from Belgium), be sure to join.

Events May-hem…

Learning Technologies Conference

May kicks off with the Learning Technologies Conference and (free) exhibition in London on May 3 and 4. Do you want to get a good overview of the world of learning technologies? Then, this is the event for you. I have been given the privilege to speak about Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) for learning design.

Are you a learning professional from Belgium or the Netherlands and would like to join? Be aware that you can join a Belgian or Dutch delegation if you’d like.

EADL Conference

This year, the EADL Conference (European Association for Distance Learning) will take place in Brussels (May 11 and 12) with the theme ‘Lifelong Learning: Flexibility and Sustainability’. This is a great member organisation and event if you represent a training company. I’ll be sharing a new topic: ‘Riding the Hype Cycle for Sustainability’. If you are a training provider, you might want to check if a membership would be beneficial for you.

ATD International Conference and Exhibition

Of course, the main event in May is the ATD International Conference and Exhibition (ICE), which is taking place from May 21-24 in San Diego. Do you want to meet around 13,000 learning professionals from more than 80 countries? This is the place to be.

If you consider going, check if you can join a delegation from your home country (or start one). We’ll join the Belgian/Dutch ‘Lowlands’ delegation, and if you want info about that one (including discount opportunities), let us know. Roy and I are proud to be on the program as speakers for the session, ‘Treat Healthcare Professionals With Adaptive Learning: A Medical Math Case Study’ based on the research we did last year.

Then there’s June…

AITD Conference

Did you know we have quite some friends down under? Not only via our partner Readytech but also from within the wider L&D community. And many of them are members of the Australian Institute for Training & Development, the AITD. They will have their yearly conference on June 21-23 in Sydney and it’s likely that I will be joining them online as a speaker for a hybrid session. The AITD are a lovely bunch of people, so if you want to be a part of a vibrant community in that part of the world, please do join them.

What about the rest of the year?

To be continued…

As you can see, there are many, many exciting events to join in the first half of 2023. Let me update you in a later post, at the end of Spring, to inform you about upcoming events of the second half.

For now, I want to advise you to take a moment and think about how, when and where you’ll get your inspiration and ongoing learning in 2023. There’s a big chance that you put a lot of effort in helping other people learn but don’t forget: you also need to ‘sharpen the saw’ every once in a while. One of the mentioned events might be perfect for that. If you know that we’re also around, please look out for us and come to say ‘hi’. We’d love to meet you in person!

Learning trend catcher Loves to connect

Ger Driesen

Would like a direct brain-internet connection. Loves connecting people, ideas and inspiration in the global learning community.

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