The buzz of the Learning Technologies Exhibition and Conference may have faded over the past few weeks, but our reflections on the event have brought some key themes into sharp focus. Those few days in London proved to be a significant moment for the L&D community, offering a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces, strengthen ties with our valued customers and partners, and forge some truly exciting new relationships.
Looking back at those two busy days, a clear trend has emerged from the wealth of innovation and knowledge shared: a definite return to the fundamental principles of effective learning. This year held a palpable sense of optimism and a renewed focus on what truly matters.
Here are the five key takeaways that have really resonated with us in the weeks since the 2025 event:
1. Back to our roots: A renewed focus on learning
This year's event signalled a welcome change: a renewed emphasis on the learning itself, rather than solely on shiny, new technology. The conversations moved beyond showcasing cutting-edge solutions to addressing the real-world challenges faced by L&D practitioners and how to better support their learners.
It felt like a collective return to our fundamental goals: enabling growth, improving performance, and driving organisational transformation through impactful learning experiences.
2. AI integration: From potential to practice
Building on that, the conversation around AI has matured considerably. Gone are the broad, future-gazing statements; instead, the focus has sharpened to explore the practical integration of AI directly within the learning workflow.
While AI's presence remained significant, the narrative surrounding it had evolved. It felt less like the star attraction and more like an integrated tool within the existing L&D ecosystem, much like a learning management system. The key questions shifted from the broad possibilities of AI to the specific ways it could address current challenges, prompting a valuable transition from speculative hype to practical application and demonstrable value.
A particularly noteworthy theme was the emphasis on accountability and knowledge sharing when experimenting with new AI tools. Tracking AI utilisation by both L&D professionals and learners, and actively disseminating successful use cases across the business, was highlighted as crucial for meaningful adoption. This very subject was recently addressed by a panel of L&D experts in our latest roundtable on The Future of Talent Management, which you can watch on demand here.
3. A skills-first approach needs hyper-personalisation
Organisations are increasingly prioritising skills-based approaches to build resilient and adaptable workforces capable of navigating future uncertainties. This commitment is evident in the growing adoption of internal talent marketplaces, initiatives promoting internal mobility, and content curation driven by real-time skills intelligence. The overarching goal is to create agile, data-informed learning experiences that directly correlate with the skills individuals need to excel in their roles.
This transformation is being driven by a clear mandate from business leaders for L&D to address tangible performance challenges. The response is a move away from outdated, one-size-fits-all training towards dynamic, personalised learning pathways rooted in data, not guesswork. This not only democratises access to skills-based development but also empowers individuals to take ownership of their learning journeys, providing the right resources at the right time and cutting through unnecessary noise.
4. Proving the impact: L&D under the microscope
The pressure to prove the impact of learning remains a constant, and arguably, it’s growing stronger. Stakeholders are demanding greater accountability, posing critical questions about the return on investment, the real-world application of learning, and the tangible business outcomes. Their scrutiny is valid and necessary.
The key message? L&D teams must evolve into data-savvy functions, capable of speaking the language of business. Whether it involves quantifying skills growth, demonstrating performance enhancements, or illustrating behavioural shifts, the ability to construct a compelling data narrative is no longer a supplementary skill; it’s a core requirement for demonstrating impact and securing future buy-in.
5. Data fluency: The new L&D superpower
Following the focus on proving impact, data fluency is rapidly solidifying its position as the new essential superpower for L&D. It’s about moving beyond surface-level metrics to extracting deep, actionable insights.
L&D professionals are increasingly integrating data into the very fabric of their work, informing decisions about content creation, engagement tactics, and learning pathways. This evolution necessitates a critical new skill set: the ability to confidently analyse, interpret and strategically leverage data.
This year’s event highlighted a fundamental shift: to truly influence stakeholders and drive significant organisational impact, L&D must become fluent in the language of the business. And that language, without a doubt, is data.
While the L&D landscape may at times feel uncertain, this year’s Learning Technologies event provided a powerful reminder: the foundation of our work is, and always will be, learning itself. Moving into the future, our strategy must be resolute: amplify what drives genuine progress for individuals and organisational performance, prioritising what truly matters.
Technology, in its most valuable form, should empower us to achieve this with greater effectiveness.