By Lorri Freifeld
In the land where dreams come true, Training 2013 Conference & Expo took attendees down new learning paths that stimulated the mind, challenged the body, soothed the soul—and dared us to attempt the impossible. Some highlights from the three-day conference held February 17-20 at the Walt Disney World Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, FL:
- Captain Michael Abrashoff revealed how he got his crew on board with a new mindset on the Navy’s USS Benfold.
- Roger Smith took us on an excursion of innovation through the centuries.
- Ray Kurzweil walked us through the miracle of 3-D printing everything from a wrench to a human ear.
- Paul DePodesta offered his take on baseball and talent development.
- Jenn Lim proved it really is possible to have happy employees.
- Matt Harding taught us not to be afraid as hundreds of Training 2013 attendees joined him on stage to dance badly. (For those who want to view Harding’s keynote again or for those who missed it, check it out at http://www.trainingmag.com/content/matt-hardings-keynote-training-2013.)
- Some 600-plus representatives from the 2013 Training Top 125 organizations celebrated their achievement and found out their rankings during an Enchanted Evening black-tie Gala.
Some 1,954 training professionals attended 167 conference sessions and 27 sponsored speaker sessions while visiting 89 exhibit booths on the Expo floor. “I was impressed with not only the content but the structure of the event,” one attendee shared. “There were many fabulous ideas shared by both the presenters/facilitators and the participants. I cannot wait to see which ones I can build into our coaching program. The keynotes were inspirational. I loved the fact that we were dancing at the conference!”
Who says training can’t be fun?
Download the PDF below for photo coverage and takeaways from Training 2013.