ATD23: Visit These Vendors on our Learning Systems Innovation Tour!

Finally, pandemic travel issues are behind us and tradeshows are back in full swing. That’s why training and development professionals everywhere are packing their bags for the ATD23 International Conference and Expo, May 21-24. Even if you can’t attend in person, we invite you to join our “Learning Systems Innovation Tour” right here on our blog. For the full story, read on…

About the ATD Annual Conference

Attracting more than 9000 people from 80+ countries, the ATD conference is the world’s largest gathering of learning professionals — and with good reason. Attendees benefit from intensive formal and informal learning opportunities, networking activities and updates on key industry trends. It’s a memorable and enriching experience I recommend to anyone in the learning community.

My personal favorite experience is meeting representatives from the 300+ vendors that show off their products and services in the expo hall. (Wondering which brands will be there this year? Check this handy interactive ATD23 exhibition hall map.)

Of course, there’s never enough time to talk with everyone. Trying to cover all the bases is overwhelming. And trying to pick your favorites among all the options can be just as exhausting.

Curating the ATD23 Exhibition Hall

As an independent learning technology analyst, I meet with learning systems vendors for product briefings and demonstrations — not just at industry events, but every single day. In fact, since I founded Talented Learning in 2014, I’ve conducted more than 200 vendor introduction calls or solution updates each year.

At nearly every session, I discover something innovative, creative or different. That may seem impossible, but it’s true. Learning systems are so diverse and innovation is always moving in countless directions, so I’m always finding new and interesting capabilities.

If, like me, you’re interested in innovation, this is a great time to be part of the learning industry. But if you aren’t face-to-face with vendors every day, trying to catch-up with all 300 vendors in the ATD23 exhibition hall can wear you out. So, to save you time, effort and frustration, I built a shortlist of recommendations.

This “ATD23 Learning Systems Innovation Tour” below is based on multiple resources. I cross-referenced my own notes with profiles from our Learning Systems Directory, our 2023 Learning Systems Market Report and the ATD23 vendor exhibition list. The result is a simple guided tour featuring some of the most interesting and innovative learning solutions available today.

Follow the tour through all 10 stops and you’ll see the best in AI, user interface design, ILT management, gamification, cohort learning, analytics, integration, content creation, ecommerce, interactive video, learning systems automation and much, much more.

Want a Little More Motivation to Complete the Tour?

In case you’d like extra incentive to finish, I created a “Learning Systems Innovation Tour” game with only 3 easy steps:

1. Collect a card from all 10 vendors

2. Follow Talented Learning on LinkedIn and post a picture of the cards. (Be sure to call out our account in your post so we’ll see it!)

3. Receive a $1000 discount on our new 2023 Learning Systems Market Report

Let’s Go! Start Your ATD23 Learning Systems Innovation Tour

Begin your tour over at the lunch area on the West side of the ATD23 exhibition hall. Why? It’s always better to take an innovation journey on a full stomach! Next, turn left and find D2L, your first destination. Then proceed through the list to visit each of the following booths:

D2L — Booth 2543 — View profile in our Learning Systems Directory

You might know D2L as an academic LMS, but their corporate LMS solution is one of the fastest growing in the industry. D2L’s strengths include support for ILT, social and informal learning, and learner experience design along with 1800 no-code/low-code application integrations. When visiting their booth, ask to see their industry-leading cohort functionality. It’s ideal for moving a group of students through a program together. Also, ask about their integrated Creator+ authoring tool, designed to accelerate the process of authoring great content.

Docebo — Booth 2231 — View profile in our Learning Systems Directory

Docebo is the fastest-growing all-purpose learning system in the world. Its end-to-end solution includes an LMS and LXP, along with authoring, analytics and impact tools. It’s an ideal fit for extended enterprise, employee learning or member training. Ask to see their “Connect” application that facilitates no-code LMS integration with hundreds of popular software applications. Also, check out their AI-powered “Shape” authoring tool that instantly converts videos, presentations or documents into e-learning courses. This can easily save dozens of hours of development time. And if you want to streamline LMS administration processes, make sure you ask about their innovative, super powerful “Automation Engine.”

Schoox — Booth 2105 — View profile in our Learning Systems Directory

A specialist in complex compliance, regulatory and distributed organizational learning, Schoox is a powerful and very popular global LMS. This platform stands out with its strong capabilities for group management, performance management, content curation, ROI impact measurement, goals management and social learning, as well as its extensive application integrations. When you stop by, ask to see their graphical interface for direct and indirect organizational management, drag-and-drop content creation and powerful analytics tools.

Administrate — Booth 1931 — View profile in our Learning Systems Directory

Administrate excels at driving efficiency and unlocking measurable ROI in the world’s largest training organizations. This training resource management system solves complex, high-volume, instructor-led learning scheduling, resource allocation and learning plan execution challenges. When visiting, ask for a demonstration of their new AI-powered “ILT Scheduler,” which lets training administrators automatically create a training schedule that can accommodate hundreds of classes, multiple sessions, multiple locations and rooms, qualified instructors, equipment, pre/post work and more. This tool can literally save hundreds and hundreds of training administration hours. If you are a techie, make sure they show you the new GraphQL-based developer toolkit.

Litmos — Booth 1405 — View profile in Learning Systems Directory

Litmos is an easy-to-use, all-purpose LMS designed to support the diverse needs of employees, customers and partner audiences. This solution is used by thousands of organizations to support content creation, video assessments, automation, gamification, e-commerce, scalability, globalization and instructor-led training. When you stop by, be sure to ask about their built-in content authoring capabilities, AI-driven video assessments and adaptive learning capabilities.

You’re Half-Way Through!

Take a moment to relax and absorb everything you’ve seen. Then get a drink and some ice cream and get ready for the second leg in our learning systems innovation tour! Start at the Thought Industries booth…

Thought Industries — Booth 1014 — View profile in our Learning Systems Directory

Thought Industries is an enterprise-grade learning system built specifically to empower customer, partner and professional training. TI seamlessly combines LMS, content management, ecommerce, content authoring capabilities, powerful application integration tools and a strong team of extended enterprise experts. When you swing by the booth, ask to see their famous “Panaroma” feature that instantly spins up custom organizational customer portals, populates purchased content, and provides easy administrative access for learner management, reporting and more. Also, take a deep breath and smell the power of their “Helium” developer framework for building sophisticated custom learning experiences with headless technology.

Training Orchestra — Booth 1122 — View profile in Learning Systems Directory

Training Orchestra develops and delivers a training resource management system that easily supports high-volume, global ILT and VILT training businesses. Training Orchestra helps automate training administration, session creation, instructor assignment, resource allocation, sales cycle planning, reporting and financial analysis in ways that LMS platforms do not. Don’t miss an opportunity to see their instructor management and collaboration tools, as well as their “Resource Allocation Schedule,” where administrators can easily drag-and-drop elements to schedule courses, resources and instructors.

Gyrus Systems — Booth 830 — View profile in our Learning Systems Directory

For more than 30 years, Gyrus has been developing and selling LMSs to small businesses as well as local, state and federal agencies. Key differentiators include compliance management, skill and competencies support, configuration and audience segmentation. When visiting their booth, check out their AI-assisted administration health check feature, which scours LMS data looking for inconsistencies and makes recommendations to resolve any issues. And for more sophisticated needs, ask about their support for niche government requirements such as SF-182 training form submission, EHRI integration and 508c accessibility interface functionality.

DigitalChalk — Booth 722 — View profile in our Learning Systems Directory

DigitalChalk offers a purpose-built learning platform for training companies and associations that create and sell continuing education or certification or licensing of professionals. Key differentiators include video learning, immersive simulations, social learning, gamification, assessments, ease of implementation and exceptional customer support. Stop by the booth and ask to see their interactive video, ecommerce capabilities and CEU management features.

Absorb LMS — Booth 604 — View profile in our Learning Systems Directory

Absorb is a popular, full-featured learning system that integrates LMS with LXP, authoring and analytics tools. Absorb LMS excels in customer, partner and employee training for most industries. Ask to see their “learning-in-the-flow-of-work” application called “Infuse.” This lets organizations embed the LMS and learning content in other commercial or proprietary software applications for instant access at the moment of need. Also ask to see their automation engine and observation checklists.

Wrapping Up the ATD23 Learning Systems Innovation Tour

Whew! Congratulations, you made it from end to end. After visiting with only 10 of the best learning system vendors, I’m sure you saw a diverse and impressive range of best-in-class innovations, including AI, ILT management, content creation, analytics, accessibility tools, interactive video, organization management, developer toolkits, learner experience design, instructor management, and learning-in-the-flow-of-work capabilities.

What could be better than our efficient tour of 10 exceptional learning systems? An independent market report that covers 40 of the world’s top learning system solutions!

Remember: If you collected cards from all 10 vendors, follow Talented Learning on LinkedIn and post a photo of them on your account, along with a call-out to our page so we’ll see it. We’ll reward you with a $1000 discount for our in-depth Talented Learning 2023 Learning Systems Market Report!

Thanks for reading. Enjoy your time at ATD23. It was a pleasure being your guide!

Need Help With LMS Selection? Schedule a Free Consultation Call

If you’re in the market for a new learning system, don’t go it alone! Schedule a complimentary consultation call with me, John Leh, and I’ll help get you started in the right direction. Fill out the form below to get going: