Though I’ve attended several learning conferences in the past dozen years, this year’s visit to the ATD International Conference and Expo was certainly a perspective shift. Likely because I’ve recently started making the rounds as a speaker on the professional Learning and Development (L&D) circuit.
ATD ICE is by far the biggest, and with this there are simply more intersections of every kind. Whether it’s the size of the expo hall or the number of presenters or the variety of roles of attendees or the diverse array of industries represented or the global draw of the event, ATD ICE seems to have something for everyone involved in any aspect of training.
Whatever you’re into, there’s a lot of it here.
As I’ve written about previously, the networking IS the value of any such conference, and it’s the activities around the official schedule that yield the greatest reward. Yes, of course you want to hear the wise words from the stars of L&D, but chatting about what you’ve learned with other attendees is inevitably the juiciest and most memorable part.
This is exactly why I have taken to speaking — to gain greater access to the unofficial events where “the cool kids” hang out. I didn’t ask Shannon Tipton if I could write something for her Learning Rebels blog, I just cared about what she does and made a point of saying so in a relaxed context. Then an unexpected opportunity appeared. Score!
Unlike some other speakers, there’s nothing for me to sell. I’m not looking for work, and I have no product to hype. I go to conferences because I’m passionate about L&D and I want to meet others who are too, though I’m not naturally great at initiating conversations. Upon seeing the Speaker ribbon on my nametag, people inevitably come up and talk to me about something I happen to know a lot about — or at least am interested in. When that happens, all I have to do is respond.
When I first walked into the room to set up for my session and noticed it held about 250 people, it seemed…big. Especially being up against nearly 20 other concurrent sessions on Day 1 (a Sunday, no less!), I did not expect good audience numbers. And yet by the time I started it was comfortably full.
It went very well.
Operating an event that straddles serious and fun at this scale is no small matter. As someone who has produced events in the past, it’s easy for me to spot when the edges are fraying. I see it all the time, but happily not at ATD ICE. The staff was professional and friendly, the volunteers were enthusiastic and informed, and the attendees and presenters were directed clearly and consistently by everyone as things changed.
From every angle, I was impressed with my ATD 2016 experience.