June 3, 2024
4 Min. Read
The Association for Talent Development (ATD) recently hosted its highly anticipated annual conference, ATD 2024, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Excitement and energy were in the air as thousands of learning and development (L&D) professionals from around the world gathered for four days of insightful keynotes, educational sessions, and invaluable networking opportunities.
The Schoox team was thrilled to see many customers and partners in New Orleans—and to give them a first look at its next-generation user experience and new AI-driven skills mapping feature.
The conference was full of ideas, insights, and “aha” moments that prepared attendees to tackle their greatest L&D challenges. Let’s take a look back at some of the biggest moments to go down in the Big Easy.
Hooters of America Demonstrates the Power of Supporting Your People
ATD 2024 was abuzz with stories and testimonials about the importance of talent development. But it isn’t just about rewarding employees for a job well done — it’s about connecting learning to development so employees continuously sharpen the skills required to drive business growth.
While plenty of companies make bold claims about how much they invest in their people, only a few walk the talk. Cheryl Kisch, Chief People Officer at the iconic Hooters of America, challenged ATD 2024 attendees to be honest about how vital talent development is to their company culture.
Hooters offers career development training, mentorship programs, tuition assistance, and more to develop their employees into well-rounded leaders who continue to take the company to new heights. During a riveting session Monday afternoon, Cheryl presented an illuminating look at the critical role talent development plays in the success of the Hooters franchise and demonstrated what it means to support your people and contribute to their growth.
“Tuesday Takeover” with Schoox Sparks Connection and Celebration
On Tuesday, Schoox was honored to welcome all attendees to the morning keynote with best-selling author Daniel Pink and, later, esteemed guests to the official ATD 2024 networking party at Mardi Gras World—a whimsical warehouse and event space that houses the infamous Mardi Gras parade floats.
Guests traversed through the larger-than-life floats before grabbing a round of beignets from Café Du Monde and joining the real party inside. Once they arrived at the grand ballroom, they enjoyed an array of local New Orleans flavors, aerial performers, and tarot card readers and danced the night away.
Schoox CEO Lefteris Ntouanoglou took the stage to offer a moment of appreciation and inspiration to ATD 2024 attendees. At a conference packed with so much to offer, he encouraged guests to make the most of their networking experience, make meaningful connections, and have a great time. The night marked a momentous occasion for Schoox as the company celebrated the launch of the next generation of its learning and talent development platform.
L&D Professionals Want Real Solutions to Real Problems
While vendors were heavily focused on the potential applications and benefits of AI, many L&D professionals were more interested in finding practical solutions to their learning management system (LMS) woes. Many are stuck using a platform they don’t like—or worse, one that simply doesn’t fit their organization’s needs.
A learning management system is a significant investment. If an LMS fails to meet the company’s needs or is incompatible with existing systems, it can substantially waste resources. More critically, it can impact employee engagement and morale. Here are some of the most challenging lessons learned by companies that chose the wrong LMS:
- An ineffective or poorly designed LMS can hinder employee productivity and learning effectiveness. Employees may struggle to access and complete training if the system is difficult to navigate, lacks essential features, or fails to provide a seamless user experience.
- As businesses grow and evolve, their learning and development needs may change. If an LMS lacks the scalability and flexibility to accommodate new requirements—such as supporting a larger workforce, offering mobile learning capabilities, or expanding to more regions—the organization may need to replace the system prematurely, incurring additional costs and potential disruptions.
- Choosing an LMS that does not integrate seamlessly with existing platforms such as human resources information systems (HRIS), content management systems (CMS), and collaboration tools creates data silos and disrupts workflows. This lack of integration can result in duplicated efforts, data inconsistencies, and additional costs associated with bridging the gaps between disparate systems.
The Right Learning Technology Partner Makes All the Difference
As the preferred learning technology partner of some of the world’s most beloved brands, Schoox knows what it takes to deliver learning experiences that resonate and move the needle on metrics that matter. That’s why we were thrilled to meet so many L&D professionals who understand the importance of choosing the right partner. We’re excited to continue partnering with our customers and an expanding network of L&D leaders as we all move toward the future of learning.
See you next year for ATD 2025 in Washington, D.C.!
In the meantime, discover what’s new in Schoox.
