In a culture of learning, even leaders should find the resources to continuously up their game.
Organizations of all sizes look to their L&D teams to upskill/reskill, digitally transform, and prepare their employees for the rigors and changes ahead. It’s no wonder that learning professionals should seek out the resources to become better in their field.
Whether online or in-person, events deliver just that: a forum for discovery and networking, and shared knowledge, so you can stay at the forefront of the industry and increase organizational excellence.
Learning professionals dedicate their careers to training others, but they themselves need training, too, including attending conferences. “Promotions aren’t the only path to career progress,” notes LinkedIn Learning’s 2023 Workplace Learning Report. “Engaging with learning correlates with a sense of growth, advancement, and adaptability.”
With daunting challenges demanding new skills, 89% of L&D pros agree that proactively building employee skills—including their own—will help navigate the evolving future of work, notes LinkedIn.
Reasons Why L&D Should Attend Training and Development Conferences
1. Meet other like-minded professionals.
L&D is often its own self-contained organization within a much larger organization, and it can be difficult to know what outsiders are doing in the industry. Attending conferences is a great way to meet and interact with other professionals to share stories, best practices, lessons learned, impressive wins, or even a good laugh about a project that went horribly wrong.
2. Discover new technologies.
Browsing the internet, reading reviews on G2, attending webinars, and watching demos are all well and good, but being able to test out new technologies in person with a real person by your side can do wonders to better understand what’s available. The partner showcases and trade show booths are great places to meet vendors, share your pain points, and even get mini demos right there at the conference.
Cognota is leading the way to ensure better business alignment and outcomes for L&D. Get started for free or book a demo to learn more about the first and only LearnOps technology on the market.
3. Step out of your comfort zone.
For a more end-to-end perspective of training as part of the larger organization, consider attending an HR-focused event. These events unite sessions and content that incorporate hiring, recruiting, payroll, benefits, finance, and other functions, including training, that learning and development events alone cannot deliver.
It’s important for L&D professionals to have a better understanding of the employee experience, and what better way to do this than to attend an HR event where you can ask total strangers the dumb questions that you’d be afraid to ask your colleagues across the hall.
4. Stay ahead of industry trends and forecasted challenges.
In addition to networking with industry peers and leaders, attending conferences enables you to ask the hard questions and truly find out what is going on in the learning and development industry.
Sure, you can subscribe to newsletters and social media feeds, but in-person interactions can help you stay abreast of industry trends and take note of challenges that may lie ahead.
The List of Training Conferences
We’ve rounded up the best learning and development conferences for you or your team members to consider attending, sponsoring, or supporting, this year and beyond.
1. The LearnOps Summit
Produced by Cognota, this first-of-its-kind virtual LearnOps Summit will empower learning professionals to rethink corporate learning operations, technology, strategy, and insights. Attendees will come away with a stronger understanding of the need to incorporate LearnOps into their organizations and the technologies that exist to manage and streamline their training operations.
The lineup of speakers includes such renowned industry leaders as Elliott Masie, Dr. Sydney Savion, Charles Jennings, Claudio Erba, Brandon Carson, Patti Phillips, Christopher Lind, JD Dillon, Myra Roldan, and more.
- When: 12pm to 3:30pm ET, September 27, 2023
- Location: Virtual
- Size: 2,500+
- Audience: Learning and development executives, managers, and technologists.
2. Learning Live
Source: SecondNature
Owned and operated by The Learning and Performance Institute Ltd, Learning Live is reserved exclusively for those responsible for learning in their organization. It is free to attend but members must first apply for consideration.
- When: September 13-14, 2023
- Location: London, UK
- Size: N/A
- Audience: Senior-level learning leaders
- Best known for: Meeting other senior-level learning leaders
3. TechLearn 2023
Source: TechLearn
TechLearn is the annual learning technology conference for corporate trainers and eLearning professionals. This annual eLearning conference, formerly known as the Online Learning Conference, is produced by Training magazine and Lakewood Media Group, LLC. Training Magazine Events has produced conferences for more than 45 years, including its flagship training industry event, the Training Conference & Expo.
- When: September 19-21, 2023
- Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Size: 500+ attendees
- Audience: CLOs, instructional designers, training managers, and “anyone charged with increasing workplace performance through the use of online learning technologies,” according to their website
- Best known for: Discovering the newest in eLearning technologies
4. Corporate Learning Week
Source: YouTube
Produced by event management company IQPC, which also owns the media portal Corporate Learning Network, Corporate Learning Week is a conference dedicated to new tools and capabilities to help transform learning organizations.
Corporate Learning Week also includes the CUBIC Awards that celebrate excellence in the L&D profession and offers the Running Learning Like a Business Certificate Program.
- When: October 2-4, 2023
- Location: Atlanta, Georgia
- Size: N/A
- Audience: Corporate training professionals of various titles, from manager to CLO
- Best known for: Corporate Learning Week is smaller and more intimate and is thus great for networking. There is a small “Solutions Showcase” but this is not a large, Las Vegas-style tradeshow.
5. HR Technology Conference & Exposition
Source: HR Technology Conference & Exhibition
Produced by Human Resource Executive magazine, the HR Technology Conference & Exhibition has been produced for more than 25 years and showcases new tools, strategies, and processes needed to run successful HR operations.
- When: October 10-13, 2023
- Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
- Size: 10,000+ attendees, with 300+ speakers and 400+ exhibitors
- Audience: L&D is not the only HR group represented here, but learning leaders could benefit from the HR Technology conference by discovering innovations in other areas of HR
- Best known for: The technology driving HR operations, which also includes that used for learning, training, employee engagement, and workforce development
6. CLO Symposium
Source: CLO Symposium
The CLO Symposium, now in its 19th year, is the premier event for learning and development executives to gather and exchange ideas, best practices, and emerging trends. Developed and driven by the editors of Chief Learning Officer magazine, the CLO Symposium is where learning, training, and development professionals come together to learn from each other.
- When: October 16-18, 2023
- Location: San Diego, California
- Size: N/A
- Audience: Registration for CLO Symposium events is restricted to internal learning and development practitioners and a limited number of sponsors with clearly defined roles. As such, all registrations are subject to review.
- Best known for: Senior learning leaders networking and discussing best practices and industry trends in a respectful, relaxed environment.
7. DevLearn Conference & Expo
Source: DevLearn.com
The DevLearn Conference & Expo is the largest learning and development technology event in North America. Designed for learning professionals interested in exploring emerging technologies that can be used for learning, DevLearn features over 150 sessions covering topics such as managing, designing, and developing technology-based learning.
- When: October 25-27, 2023
- Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
- Size: 3,000+ attendees
- Audience: L&D professionals who lean on technology, including learning designers, developers, architects, and projects managers, in addition to directors and CLOs
- Best known for: Discovering the newest in learning technologies, from vendors and from practitioners using the technology with results to share
8. CLO Exchange
Source: YouTube
Produced by event management company IQPC, which also owns the media portal Corporate Learning Network (also the producer of the much larger Corporate Learning Week event – scroll up to #4), the CLO Exchange is an event of focused knowledge exchange, high-level relationship building, and structured business development.
Because the event is invitation-only, CLO Exchange allows learning leaders to pre-schedule face-to-face business meetings with pre-qualified solution providers and other senior decision-makers.
- When: November 5-7, 2023
- Location: Miami, Florida
- Audience: Senior-level learning leaders
- Best known for: Meeting other senior-level learning leaders and pre-vetted solutions providers
9. HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest
Source: HR and L&D Innovation & Tech Fest
The HR and L&D Innovation & Tech Fest Is an event that continues a trend uniting HR and training disciplines in the same conference, much like the Learning Solutions Conference & Expo recently renamed Learning & HR Tech Solutions (see #17 below).
- When: November 15-16, 2023
- Location: Sydney, Australia
- Size: 1,000+ attendees
- Audience: Both HR and L&D professionals, in addition to service providers and technology vendors
- Best known for: Named ‘the global standard for HR + L&D events’ by Amazon, the event attracts human resources and training professionals of all levels, mostly from the Australasia region.
10. Learning 2023
Source: Learning 2023
Produced by the Learning Guild, with Training Industry as the media partner, Learning 2023 is one of the more popular corporate training and instructional design conferences and aims to cover the strategies, skills, and solutions that learning teams face every day.
- When: December 5-7, 2023
- Location: Orlando, Florida
- Size: N/A
- Audience: Learning professionals and instructional designers of all levels of their careers
- Best known for: Networking, meeting industry professionals, and sharing best practices. Though not a large tradeshow, Learning 2023 will host an “Innovation Gallery” where attendees can discover the latest in learning technologies and solutions.
11. ATD TechKnowledge
Source: ATD
ATD TechKnowledge is a three-day, immersive experience for talent development professionals who utilize and embrace learning technologies. The event is one of several produced by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), the global, non-profit organization that supports the learning, training, development, and instructional design disciplines.
- When: February 7-9, 2024
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Size: About 500 attendees
- Audience: Learning leaders and course designers and developers who are responsible for sourcing and managing the technology stack within their organizations
- Best known for: Discovering the latest technologies available for course design, development, and delivery.
12. Human Capital Management Excellence Conference
Source: YouTube
Produced by the human resources industry analyst firm Brandon Hall Group, the Human Capital Management Excellence Conference covers a broad range of workplace-related topics. L&D practitioners who attend the HCM Excellence Conference can come away with a better understanding of how corporate learning and talent management fits into organizations’ overall human capital strategies.
- When: February 13-15, 2024
- Location: West Palm Beach, Florida
- Size: N/A
- Audience: Practitioners in all areas of HR, including generalists, benefits, recruitment, DEI, compliance, leadership, and training
- Best known for: Learning about the “big picture” in HR, especially from an academic, research-driven perspective; Brandon Hall’s analysts figure prominently in the programming and content of the event.
13. 47th Annual Training 2024 Conference and Expo
Source: TrainingConference.com
Training magazine‘s Training Conference & Expo is one of the longer-running learning and development networking events and provides sessions and content covering train-the-trainer essentials (design, development, delivery, management, evaluation, and measurement), behavioral analytics, games for learning, leadership development, digital learning, emerging technologies, and more.
- When: February 26-28, 2024
- Location: Orlando, Florida
- Size: N/A
- Audience: The conference attracts training and development, learning, and performance professionals from a wide scope of backgrounds and environments, including corporations, governments, the military, universities/colleges, and non-profit organizations.
- Best known for: Meeting others who are responsible for training in industries outside your own, or where there is lesser exposure, such as for government or the military.
14. 24th People Development Summit
Source: Summit Events Ltd
The People Development Summit is “a relaxed and time-effective way to convene with like-minded peers.” The Summit aims to introduce service providers to senior learning professionals in a smaller conference environment.
- When: March 13-15, 2024
- Location: Madrid, Spain
- Size: About 100 attendees
- Audience: 80 senior L&D professionals from corporations in Europe; 40 L&D solution providers, including business schools and learning technology providers.
- Best known for: Smaller, intimate networking environment for director-level L&D leaders.
15. ASU+GSV Summit
Source: Arizona State University
The ASU+GSV Summit is an annual conference uniting leaders in education and business to discuss how to transform society and business through learning and work. The conference is a collaboration between Arizona State University (ASU) and Global Silicon Valley (GSV), a venture capital firm focused on the education market. The summit started in 2010 and is now in its 15th year.
- When: April 14-17, 2024
- Location: San Diego, California
- Size: About 16,000 attendees, both in person and virtually
- Audience: Leaders from the enterprise, investment firms, higher education, and pre-K-12 communities.
- Best known for: Meeting investors and advisors to the industry to get a high-level perspective about where the learning and development industry is headed (you may not necessarily meet boots-on-the-ground L&D project managers and instructional designers).
16. Learning Technologies
Source: Learning Technologies
Learning Technologies is Europe’s largest workplace learning conference, with sessions, networking, and a tradeshow floor with 200+ exhibitors.
- When: April 17-18, 2024
- Location: London, United Kingdom
- Size: 10,000+ attendees
- Audience: Learning professionals of all levels.
- Best known for: With the majority of attendees from Europe, attendees from North America can come away with a better understanding of the L&D industry in Europe.
17. Learning & HR Tech Solutions
Source: LearningHRTech.com
Produced by the Learning Guild for over 10 years, the long-standing Learning Solutions Conference & Expo was recently renamed Learning & HR Tech Solutions to expand its offering and incorporate content serving the broader human resources and human capital management practice areas.
On the move to rebranding and expansion, Learning Guild CEO David Kelly notes, “The worlds of learning and HR have always been connected, but in recent years we’ve seen an exponential increase in the number of systems and processes that integrate with one another. Combine that with the increased focus organizations are placing on the complete employee experience and the evolving needs of a changing workforce and you have a recipe ripe for disruption and transformation.”
- When: April 23-25, 2024
- Location: Orlando, Florida
- Size: N/A
- Audience: Formerly for L&D professionals only, the event is expected to attract broader HR professionals interested in attending more than just a learning and leadership development conference.
- Best known for: The sessions, as the programming leans heavily on the knowledge base and professionals of the Learning Guild.
18. ATD International Conference and Expo
Source: ATD
In what is the biggest L&D conference in the industry, the ATD International Conference and Expo is considered the world’s most comprehensive event for talent development and learning professionals and is produced by the Association for Talent Development (ATD).
The ATD is a non-profit organization that has hosted conferences for 80 years to educate and inspire professionals in the talent development field. The ATD was formerly known as the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD).
- When: May 19-22, 2024
- Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Size: 10,000+ attendees
- Audience: Learning practitioners of all levels across all industries.
- Best known for: Meeting members from other ATD chapters across the U.S. and the globe; new content, techniques, and understanding for how to better run your local ATD chapters and organizations, as well as the training function within your organization.
19. Training Industry Conference and Expo (TICE)
Source: Christy Tucker Learning
Though the exact dates and venue haven’t yet been announced for 2024, the Training Industry Conference and Expo (TICE) is one of the more well-known and well-attended corporate training conferences, thanks to its production and oversight by the news portal Training Industry.
The good news is that there is still time to submit a speaking proposal, with submissions due November 1, 2023.
- When: June 2024
- Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
- Audience: Training professionals of all levels eager to network, learn from peers, and advance their careers.
- Best known for: According to TICE, attendees “will meet other professionals who are dedicated to developing learning programs that make a difference.” The event organizers are focused on attendees forging relationships, in an environment where “you will gather with your peers to discuss how you can create strategic alignment and overcome organizational obstacles.”
20. The Learning Ideas Conference
Source: LearningIdeasConf.org
Though the exact venue hasn’t yet been announced for 2024, The Learning Ideas Conference blends both an in-person and online event experience.
The call for speaking proposals opens in September 2023.
- When: June 12-14, 2024
- Location: New York, New York and online
- Audience: Training professionals in a range of industries, in addition to those working in higher education
- Best known for: Because it incorporates academia, there is a focus on research and findings as part of the content and programming.
Final Thoughts
The events listed above represent a cross-section of learning and development conferences for 2023 and 2024. Most are in-person, though some are online and hybrid; some are produced by trade associations while others are by third-party companies and publishers. Some have even expanded, to incorporate and synthesize content from traditional HR areas, for a bigger-picture, multi-disciplinary approach.
Attend one, attend them all: absorb as much as you can from these events to not only strengthen your domain expertise in L&D but also impart this newfound knowledge to supercharge your work in delivering excellence for your organization’s learners.
