Reach New Heights at #LTEN2021
Member Attending – By David R. Brin
Whether attending in person or virtually, #LTEN2021 is a must
As the largest and longest-running gathering for life sciences trainers, the LTEN Annual Conference is a way to reach new heights by staying connected, building your network of learning leaders and discovering best-in-class solutions for every situation you can imagine.
This year, #LTEN2021 will take place November 8-11 in beautiful Colorado at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center. The conference will also be offered virtually for those unable to attend live. To stay in line with appropriate COVID protocol, in-person registrations will be limited, so don’t wait to reserve your spot if you plan to attend live.
Staying Safe
LTEN is committed to providing a safe environment by implementing updated health measures in accordance with hotel, city, state and federal COVID-19 protocol and guidelines, including a vaccine requirement for attendees.
As an in-person attendee, you can leverage contactless registration check-in and hotel service while participating in socially distanced networking environments. Mask protocol guidelines will be followed, hand-sanitizing stations will be offered and deeper, more frequent cleaning of general sessions, workshop rooms and surfaces throughout the hotel with enhanced technologies in line with recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization will be provided.
Don’t worry if you’re not able to make it in person, as the conference will cater to both live and virtual audiences. Also, if you registered for the live 2020 conference, which was cancelled, don’t forget to reach out to Member Services to transfer your 2020 live ticket to this year’s conference for either live or virtual attendance. Visit the FAQs on the conference website for more information.
Making the Most
Whether you’re attending LTEN 2021 in person or virtually, preparing for the conference is a must. These tips and tricks will ensure you leverage the incredible industry-leading content, maximize your engagement and network with training leaders and key decision-makers across the pharmaceutical, medical device, biotech and diagnostics organizations.
1. Customize your journey by choosing the right workshops.
There will be more than 50 workshops offering both live and on-demand content tailored toward your needs. Take the time to read about each and challenge yourself to learn something new.
Live event passes will allow you to attend in-person workshops as well as access recorded sessions featured on the virtual conference platform. Craft the best learning experience for you by combining live, in-person sessions with on-demand learning as it fits into your schedule.
- Gauging impact & ROI
- Healthcare reform and market access
- Instructional design & delivery
- Management & leadership development
- Medical device & diagnostics
- Partner sponsored
- Virtual learning tools, techniques & technology
2. Network & follow-up.
In the traditional sense, this means connecting with old friends and making new acquaintances. Setting up a strong, productive and sustainable network, however, requires you to commit and put in the effort:
- Do some research and find the winners from previous LTEN Excellence Awards competitions. Connect with them to see what they are focused on these days.
- Meet with someone from the LTEN Board or Advisory Board and ask them to share their vision for the future of learning and development (L&D).
- And at the end of every conversation, ask your colleague to give you two additional names of people that they would recommend you meet.
Networking can be fun and extremely fulfilling so use creative ways to follow up
and stay connected.
3. Spread the word on social media.
Use #LTEN2021 to provide hot topics and other conference updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
4. Get engaged.
Make time to visit the Learning Village Exhibit Hall, which will feature a welcome reception on Monday and dedicated time on Tuesday and Wednesday to meet face-to-face with training professionals. Not attending in person? See the schedule for virtual networking opportunities provided through the Learning Village.
Virtual Attendance Tips
Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to attend this year’s conference in person. So until we get back to the days of all being together, these additional tips will help you manage your online experience and facilitate an immersive, engaging virtual journey.
1. Stop trying to multitask.
It’s been proven that you can’t effectively do two things at the same time. Splitting time between two tasks simultaneously leads to lackluster engagement and return on investment with both.
You paid to attend #LTEN2021 virtually, so block time on your calendar to show you are busy and use this time productively to invest in yourself and valuable learning solutions that you can in turn share with your teams.
2. Find a small group that is also attending the conference virtually and stay connected to them throughout the conference.
Share best practices, key learnings and ways to implement the new ideas you have heard. Platforms like MS teams, WhatsApp or even a group text thread are convenient channels to keep conversations alive and increase virtual engagement and connectivity by helping you feel like you are sitting right next to colleagues and other learning leaders.
3. Get social about your surroundings.
If you have attended previous LTEN annual conferences, you know there is a certain energy about the way this group shares experiences. Don’t let the fact that you are attending remotely stop you from sharing your pictures of your surroundings and best practices for effective virtual engagement.
4. Visit the Virtual Learning Village Exhibit Hall.
Browse exhibitors’ online profiles, meet with industry partners through live video conferencing and find the right partnerships and solutions for your business needs.
Conclusion
L&D teams around the world have adapted to working in a “new normal” environment. Many people will argue that these L&D teams resourcefully led the charge while other groups were still figuring out how to deal with stay-at-home orders.
As we emerge from the pandemic, we know that the way we train, meet and socialize may not be the same as we remember, but one thing is certain: LTEN will always find ways to keep you connected with key industry partners and informed with best practices and smart training solutions to support your organization and drive the best learning experience.
See you in November!
David R. Brin is senior director, learning strategy & operations, USCAN, for GE Healthcare, and a member of the LTEN Advisory Council. Email David at david.brin@ge.com.
