As you look for ways to develop your personal learning network and build your skills, don’t overlook in-person small learning and development conferences and events. These small conferences are sprouting up all over the world.

Although larger events have many advantages, small conferences can provide unique opportunities that you may not find at larger ones. Due to the intimate environment, they make it easier to strike up conversations, get to know other attendees, and interact with speakers. By the end of the conference, you’ll probably recognize familiar faces. Also, small conferences may be able to innovate because of their size. They are usually less expensive to attend, often run for a shorter time, and regional ones reduce the expense of travel.

The conferences below are intentionally smaller than the industry’s major events. Although attendance varies from year to year, these conferences tend to offer a more personal experience with greater opportunities to interact with speakers and other attendees. I hope this list provides new learning and sharing opportunities for you. Note: The web address of conference pages often changes every year. Therefore, many of these links go to the organization’s page, where you can look for Events in the menu.

Australia and New Zealand

iDESIGNX Live!

This is a small one-day event in Sydney for learning professionals. The conference focuses on strategies “for growing and scaling learning design projects successfully and generating significant ROI for clients and stakeholders.” Location: Sydney, Australia.

LearnXLive 

LearnX Live is a rapid-fire one-day conference that “packs a punch like no other event on the planet.” The focus is on talks that expand the perspective of the L&D community. The event strives to be innovative and engaging. LearnXLive is another affordable conference for learning professionals. Location: Melbourne, Australia.

NZATD

The New Zealand ATD hosts a biennial Learning and Development conference as part of their L&D week programming. The conference focuses on the vital role continuous learning plays in shaping the future of workplace organizations. Their goal is to offer a place for “sharing knowledge, sparking change, and building a thriving L&D community.” Location: Rotating among cities in New Zealand.

Canada

Canadian eLearning Conference (formerly EaCH)

The Canadian eLearning Conference brings together learning professionals from workplace learning, higher education, government, and nonprofit organizations to explore practical approaches to designing and delivering effective learning experiences. Sessions cover topics such as instructional design, eLearning development, learning technologies, AI, accessibility, visual design, evaluation, and emerging trends. Although the conference is based in Canada, it regularly features speakers and attendees from the United States, creating opportunities to exchange ideas and perspectives across North America. Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario.

I4PL Conference

The I4PL National Conference is hosted by the Institute for Performance and Learning, a Canadian organization with 16 chapters across Canada. The event is held over two days and brings together workplace learning and development professionals from across Canada to share practical ideas, emerging trends, and proven practices. Sessions cover topics such as instructional design, facilitation, leadership development, performance improvement, learning technologies, and AI. Location: Toronto, Ontario.

Europe

E-Learning Fusion (ELF)

ELF is the only international conference in Poland dedicated to digital learning. This one-day event located in Warsaw focuses on new technology, skills development and digital learning ecosystems. It hosts international and local speakers. The main focus changes slightly year to year. In 2018, the event focused on the future of eLearning in the rapidly changing environment of work. However, each year the conference covers topics connected with designing effective eLearning solutions, such as using the latest technologies for eLearning. The conference includes presentations, case studies and panel discussions, as well as planned opportunities to network. Approximately 250 people attend the conference. Location: Warsaw, Poland.

Learning Live

This free conference is programmed for learning leaders. Attendance is limited senior corporate talent and learning professionals, decision-makers, and those actively shaping L&D strategies within their organizations. Attendance is complimentary, but eligibility checks apply to ensure a focused, high-level peer environment. The unique feature of this event is that they build the agenda by crowdsourcing attendee challenges. Location: London, UK.

Nordic EdTech Summit

The Nordic EdTech Summit is a more of a business-oriented event focused on how technology, pedagogy, and artificial intelligence are transforming learning and workforce development. This one-day event connects Nordic and Baltic countries, focusing on high-level ecosystem strategy where founders, investors, publishers, and policymakers share ideas on scaling products and navigating market shifts. The event structure divides the learning lifecycle into core tracks, typically addressing K-12, Higher Education, Publishing, and Corporate Learning. Location: Rotating among the Nordic countries.

Offbeat Fest

Offbeat Fest is a two-day, in-person professional conference for internal and independent Learning and Development (L&D) practitioners. Hosted at an informal venue and intentionally restricted to non-sales professionals, it focuses on peer-to-peer knowledge sharing. The schedule pairs concise, 30-minute case-study keynotes on AI integration and business impact measurement with hand-curated, expert-facilitated roundtables, where attendees are grouped by role and company size to workshop shared operational challenges. Location: London, UK.

United States

ATD New England  Area Conference

This is a small regional conference hosted by a consortium of ATD chapters in the area. It includes pre-conference professional development sessions, interactive breakout sessions, networking opportunities, and a keynote speaker. The sessions cover a range of topics intended to help learning designers improve performance by applying evidence-based best practices. Location: Rotating locations in New England.

ATD Southwest Learning Summit

This regional one-day conference is sponsored by the Dallas chapter of ATD. The focus is on sharing new ideas and resources, networking and building expertise for learning and development in the workplace. Around 400+ people attend. Some topics covered in years past include: talent management, organizational development, innovative learning solutions and managing learning programs and teams. Location: Plano, Texas.

Chicago eLearning and Technology Showcase

This Chicago-based conference has been running since 2008. There is a full day of presentations and networking, with “an emphasis on the role of technology and interactive methods in organizational training.” The focus is on all aspects of eLearning—instructional design, production tools, media resources, virtual classrooms, social and interactive applications, mobile learning, rapid eLearning, and more. This is an excellent small conference for Learning and Development professionals. Location: Chicago, Illinois.

CORE4 from ATD

CORE4 events are smaller two-day conferences put on by ATD every year in varied locations in the US and Canada. As a previous speaker, I can vouch for the quality of their programs and the intimacy of the event. The conferences focus on the essential skills and concepts that Learning and Development professionals need on the job. Locations: Rotating locations in the US.

ISPI Small Conferences

ISPI is a professional association that serves academic and Learning and Development professionals who research and apply evidence-based human performance improvement in the workplace. In addition to its larger conference, ISPI has smaller conferences in the U.S. and Europe every year on a specific theme, such as storytelling or the future of work. There is a Summer Institute with around 60 attendees and a Fall Symposium with around 125 attendees. The European conference, ISPI-EMEA, offers a unique interactive experience with around 125 attendees. Check the ISPI website for conference details. Locations: Various cities in US and Europe.

The Learning Ideas Conference

This annual conference brings together an international cohort of approximately 100 researchers and practitioners specializing in digital learning and workforce development. Hosted at Columbia University in New York and online, the event serves as a collaborative bridge: researchers gain exposure to real-world operational challenges, while practitioners explore evidence-based cognitive theories and empirical studies. Past attendees and presenters represent nearly 50 countries across a variety of professional backgrounds, including corporate training directors, learning sciences researchers, eLearning consultants, human resources leaders, chief learning officers, and instructional technologists. Location: Columbia University, New York.

Wrap-Up

If you’re looking for a heightened experience, more networking, and less commotion, consider attending one of these small learning and development events. Small conferences are one way to build your personal learning environment (PLE). I recommend them!

If you know of any small learning and development conferences around the world, add it to the Comments section with a link. Thanks.

Don’t miss one issue. Get my monthly instructional design newsletter with articles, resources, and freebies!