Wrapping up ATD26 in Los Angeles: reflections from the week

Wrapping up ATD26 in Los Angeles, what a week.

10,000+ talent development professionals. 80+ countries. 450+ sessions. One question: how do we embrace disruption and direct the future of our profession? A few reflections as the conference closes.

Keynotes

Zack Kass was the standout for me: a clear-eyed, honest take on the rise of AI and what it means for humans. Not hype, not fear, just a real conversation about staying active participants in what comes next. I grabbed his book, The Next RenAIssance, right after.

Will Guidara’s “Unreasonable Hospitality” was a powerful reframe of service and human connection. And I closed the conference with Liz Wiseman on leading brilliantly through uncertainty.

Sessions

The range was the gift: case studies, honest “what didn’t work” conversations, and deep dives into AI in learning, skills-based organisations and leadership pipelines.

Expo and people

Hundreds of exhibitors showing where the market is investing, and hallway conversations with practitioners from every continent. Networking you simply cannot replicate anywhere else.

I leave with new perspectives, new connections and a notebook full of ideas to bring back to SEVEN and the HR community in the Kingdom. Thank you to everyone I met over the past four days.

First published on LinkedIn.