The Power of Being Back In Person

When Susan Mc Lernon (my wife & business partner) and I thought about the song for our first dance, one of the options was Lifeline by Jamiroquai with energising lyrics about being back on the road again. Being on the road, on the move, seeing new places and faces has defined our personal and working lives.

For me, the lack of "being on the road" in 2020 and 2021 was really difficult. Therefore, getting back to travel and in-person iVentiv events in 2022 has been so important to my personal well-being – by the way, for our first dance the final choice was “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen, the Jamiroquai lyrics included the line “her mama never liked me” which was not accurate when we got married 10 years ago…

Last year my company, iVentiv , delivered 18 in-person events, and there’s been one phrase I’ve heard again and again:

“I had forgotten how powerful it is being together in person”

That’s something delegates have always said at iVentiv events over the years, how valuable the experience of an iVentiv event is, but it is great to get back and be reminded. Global Heads of Learning, Talent, and Leadership come together to share their challenges in a collaborative format and then they generally realise two things. They realise that the issues they’re facing, implementing a new program, engaging their senior leaders, or establishing a learning culture, are the same issues that everyone else is facing. They also realise that being in-person with the iVentiv format offers an experience that cannot be replicated elsewhere.

The value of in person

The value of in-person experiences extends beyond iVentiv (as you can imagine). Susie and I took our children to Disneyland California and the difference between sitting at home watching Disney+ compared to the experience of being there, in person was magical (to borrow the words of Walt).?

After two years where our children were locked down, home-schooled, and cut off from their friends, it was a huge relief to see them living and experiencing.

That’s been true for iVentiv too. After two years where we couldn’t get together in person, two years of lockdowns and home working, the delegates who attend our face-to-face events are remembering how much value they get out of discussing common challenges with their peers and co-creating solutions.

The world has re-opened at a different pace depending on where you are. Not everyone has been ready to come back in person, and it’s clear to all of us that conversations online will continue to be an important part of how we connect with each other.

Nonetheless, it has been a real relief to reconnect. At our two-day event in London in March, we brought our Executive Development Community back together for the first time since 2020. We had perfect weather and took our breakout sessions outside for a classic London backdrop. Doug Scott FCIM , our Event Chair, also reminded me of the ultimate aspiration in life, from a mug at GE’s Crotonville Campus: “I want to be the person my dog thinks I am.” Another nugget he might not have shared outside of the in-person environment. ?

In April, I was back in London at the EF英孚教育 Regional Hub, our first event hosted at a corporate office after the lockdown. Then, in May, I made a trip to the States for ATD. When I think back to that conference now, I do not think of a presentation but of reconnecting with old and new contacts. It is the experiences we remember, not PowerPoint.

Every new trip was an old friendship reconnected or a new connection forged. In June, I met CLOs and learning providers at our event in Texas, which Performitiv ’s Chris LeBrun called “the most energizing industry event or conference I've ever been to.” As he wrote on LinkedIn afterwards, “it's one of those rare events where you leave feeling like a community of people, all in this together.” Remember what I said about coming together in person?

Back to New York

Later that month, we were at the LinkedIn offices in New York’s Empire State Building. New York was our last event before the lockdown, so it was an emotional experience for all of us to come back. To be there with Susie was special, as we do not get to travel as often together to events as we used to. LinkedIn’s Linda Jingfang Cai (VP, Talent Development) has shown real belief in the iVentiv model over a number of years. Linda and her team rolled out the red carpet for us and Jay Moore (Global Learning & Culture Leader, Crotonville Alumni ) chaired two days of in-depth knowledge exchange.

The second half of the year has been especially busy and enriching, with more in-person conversations. I was at the Visa offices in California in August for our Learning Futures California event, and it was quite remarkable to see that we had an attendee from each of the first three iVentiv events ever with Charles Jennings , Brad Benson and Tim Harman in the room. It is really special to maintain these connections over the years and I really value reconnecting with old friends. To reconnect in specially designed and crafted work and collaboration spaces like the fantastic Visa University adds the icing on the cake, thanks again Bee Ng, Ph.D. (Vice President, Visa University) ??

Hot on the heels of California, I was in Dubai in September and the EF英孚教育 Headquarters in Zurich in October for iVentiv events. One delegate in Dubai actually gave us a 200% event score on their feedback form, and a Chief Learning Officer at the event told me that the “sheer compassion and inclusion from the team as well as delegates has been heart-warming.”

What killed Learning and Development?

It’s that willingness to collaborate and learn from each other that I find most inspiring. At many of our events, we run a “pre-mortem” exercise, where we ask attendees to imagine that L&D as a function has disappeared. What killed Learning and Development?

As it turns out, there are a lot of answers the group can come up with. AI, poor leadership, ROI, and global turmoil. To see the energy of the group shift from what may kill off L&D to how we combat these challenges is always inspirational. ?

One of those is always driving innovative ideas and insights is Simon Brown ???? , Chief Learning Officer at 诺华 , whose output in books, articles, and podcasts speaks for itself. Simon invited us to the Novartis HQ for our Learning Futures Basel event in October. Over the last few years, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard the work Novartis are doing held up as the ultimate example of how to nurture a curiosity-driven learning culture within an organisation. Seeing that work up close and getting around the Novartis HQ was a great chance to reinvigorate our collective passion for learning.

?On the same day, Prof. dr. Nick van Dam (Director IE Center for Corporate Learning & Talent Management, Former Chief Learning Office and now Senior Advisor and Faculty at 麦肯锡 ) chaired discussions at the 花旗 HQ in New York. Nick and I sent messages from Basel to New York and vice versa after Day One. A real global community, sharing and developing ideas together.?

Later that month I flew out to the States for the Devlearn conference in Las Vegas, and from there we took the girls to Disneyland. During October/November I delivered further events in Chicago, Amsterdam, Cologne and London. In London we were hosted by 渣打银行 at the invitation of Kim McMurdo (Head, Leadership Capability), who made the offer after that first event of the year back in March. In December our final event of the year was delivered by Susie in Australia and chaired by Dr. Nigel Paine (former Head of People Development, BBC ).

?It hasn’t been all straightforward. The events industry wasn’t an easy place to be during the lockdowns, and we understand that 2022 was still a year of caution for many of you. It’s only because of the hard work of my team and the belief that the iVentiv community have shown for what we do that we’re still here. Our virtual events have expanded our reach and kept the conversation going. As we get back in person, I’m reflecting a lot on the passion shown by the delegates, speakers, chairs, hosts, and sponsors who helped us bring you all back together in 2022.

iVentiv in 2023

I now look forward to 2023, which will hopefully feel like a more normal year, enriched by the experience of in-person interactions, conversation and of course the laughter and positive energy that always comes out when people come together. I look forward to the whole year ahead with trips to Microsoft (Seattle), ASML (Eindhoven), Toyota and MetLife (NYC) all starred on my agenda, along with a first iVentiv session in Singapore , a country I have not visited for 20 years. Hopefully we'll see you there .