Mind Tools at Learning Technologies 2019

 This year was the 20th anniversary of the prestigious event, which attracted more than 8,000 visitors to its new home at ExCel London. It was also the fourth year running that Mind Tools had attended. It's appropriate that an event dedicated to supporting learning at work, and the technologies that deliver it, was also a genuine learning opportunity for us and the many other exhibitors. As well as presenting a 20-minute live demonstration of our Mind Tools Corporate solution (a slick, professional performance from our not-at-all-nervous EMEA Sales Manager Simon Hulcoop!), we were able to broaden our knowledge of the latest thinking and the most up-to-date technologies in the world of L&D. It was inspiring and rewarding to know that there is still such passion and enthusiasm for learning out there! Here are some of our top takeaways from the presentations and sessions that we attended:

The future L&D team: Essential skills and emerging roles (Presented by CIPD)

In our fast-changing world, there is an increased demand to drive performance. Andy Lancaster, head of L&D content at CIPD, talked about changes in the skills that L&D teams will need to deliver as the industry evolves. Andy presented the findings of CIPD's new study, "Professionalising Learning and Development." He introduced us to its Profession Map, which defines an updated foundation for anyone working in L&D and enables them to take a fresh, critical look at people's functions within an organization. The session took a deep dive into the knowledge and behaviors that each role requires, and provided a clear framework to support values-based decision making.

Creating tomorrow's learning today (From AstraZeneca)

To be at the forefront of innovation within your own industry, you must first unlock the true potential of your people – and the key to that is learning. AstraZeneca, one of Mind Tools' clients, discussed how it has changed the perception of learning within the organization. AstraZeneca aims to make the most of its employees' skills and passion by actively helping them to reach their full potential, no matter where they start in the company. The pharmaceutical giant supports the learning requirements of more than 61,000 employees in more than 100 countries. The firm stressed the importance of investing time and energy in learning, and told us that doing so can have an overwhelmingly positive impact on your organization as a whole. Mind Tools Corporate is working closely with AstraZeneca to help it to build and maintain a positive learning culture. To find out how this relationship has succeeded, watch this video.

Research and reports at Learning Technologies 2019

As well as seminars and presentations, we were pleased to see the range and depth of research and reports produced by participants at Learning Technologies. One study that caught our eye was "The Transformation Journey -“ 2019 Annual Research Report," by expert learning analysts Towards Maturity. This report identified the "four stages of transformation" that organizations need to navigate to take their people on an effective learning journey. As we highlighted in this blog post, this process requires using data analytics to reveal "the most effective combinations of actions, tools and strategies for making the next step-change on the learning transformation journey." This year marks Towards Maturity's 15th anniversary, and Mind Tools is proud to be an "ambassador" for this worthy organization. Last year, we produced a special report with Towards Maturity called "Bridging the Divide," which explores the extent to which L&D is getting closer to, or failing to meet, the increasing expectations of the modern, continuously learning workforce. You can download the report here.

We'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who visited the Mind Tools stand at Learning Technologies 2019, and we hope to see you again next year!