The ATD 2024 International Conference & Expo was a fantastic event held in New Orleans that highlighted key themes shaping the future of Learning and Development (View the video recap below!) For all three days the general conference room was over-flowing for the keynote speakers—Matthew McConaughey, Daniel Pink, and Venus Williams. Each speaker was truly inspiring in their own way, sharing their valuable insights on leadership, motivation, and resilience.
These are the key themes that stood out in the sessions our team attended and conversations
with attendees at our booth this year:
- Generative AI’s ability to personalize learning, automate tasks, and provide data-driven insights.
- The shift towards microlearning in all its forms.
- Human-centered instructional design with discussions on how story-based and situation-based training can boost engagement and retention.
- Emotional intelligence (also known as emotional quotient or EQ) and well-being in the workplace. I loved hearing leaders holding discussions about the importance of EQ and well-being in the workplace, with the focus on how to create better organizational cultures.
The conference was filled with networking opportunities, from meet-and-greet events to roundtable discussions. One of the main highlights of the week was definitely Networking Night at Mardi Gras World, where we enjoyed live music, more Beignets (can you ever have too many?), a Taste of New Orleans, and lively conversations with other conference attendees. In our down time, we got to savor the amazing food that New Orleans is known for. Despite the hot and humid weather, everyone’s spirits remained high, and we made the most of every moment.
For those who missed this year, be sure to mark your calendars for ATD25 in Washington DC from May 15-21, 2025, and we’ll see you there—we’ve got a lot of exciting things planned that we can’t wait to unveil in the coming year!