TrainingPros Rocks the 2025 Greater Atlanta ATD ACE Conference
The TrainingPros team brought both expertise and energy to this year’s Greater Atlanta ATD ACE Conference, one of the region’s most anticipated Atlanta L&D conferences. Held on August 14, 2025, at the Southern Exchange in downtown Atlanta, the event drew more than 200 learning and development professionals for a full day of professional development, networking, and retro fun.
The 2025 conference theme—the 1970’s—set the tone for a lively and creative atmosphere. Attendees embraced the throwback vibe by wearing bold prints, bell-bottom pants, and platform shoes. 70’s music filled the halls between sessions, and the event featured playful contests like a photo competition and trivia games. A professionally designed conference magazine gave attendees an easy way to keep up with the day’s agenda, speakers, and exhibitors.
Keynotes That Inspired and Challenged
The day began with a warm welcome, followed by the opening keynote from Crystal Kadakia, who delivered Leading On the Job Change. Crystal’s talk challenged attendees to view change as an opportunity rather than a disruption, providing practical strategies for cultivating adaptability within their organizations.
In the afternoon, Dr. Keith Keating took the stage with his session Evolve. Or Else. The Path to Becoming Trusted Learning Advisors. Keith emphasized the importance of L&D professionals moving from a “training provider” mindset to that of a trusted business advisor, an essential shift for driving measurable results.
TrainingPros was proud to sponsor Keith’s participation in a special way: every attendee received a complimentary copy of his book, Hidden Value, courtesy of TrainingPros. Keith then joined us at the TrainingPros exhibitor table for a book signing, which quickly became one of the most popular attractions in the exhibit hall.
Breakout Sessions for Every Learning Professional
Between the keynote sessions, attendees had their pick of dozens of engaging learning and development breakout sessions, each designed to address key challenges facing today’s L&D leaders. Session highlights included:
- When Training Isn’t the Answer: What to Do Instead – a performance consulting approach to solving business problems without defaulting to training.
- The AI Challenge: Prompt Like a Pro with ChatGPT – hands-on strategies for creating better outputs with generative AI tools.
- Level Up Your Learning Game: How to Train Gen Z with Play, Purpose, & Progress – insights for engaging younger learners using gamification and purpose-driven content.
- Closing the Credibility Gap – led by TrainingPros Relationship Manager John Buschiazzo, this session explored ways L&D teams can strengthen trust and influence with business stakeholders.
Whether participants wanted to refine their facilitation skills, enhance their use of AI in instructional design, or improve their strategic value, the Greater Atlanta ATD ACE Conference provided practical takeaways for everyone.
Networking and Exhibitors: Building Community in L&D
The exhibitor hall hosted 17 vendors, each offering tools, services, and ideas to support corporate training initiatives. TrainingPros welcomed attendees throughout the day for conversations about connecting organizations with highly skilled instructional design consultants, eLearning developers, facilitators, and other L&D consultants.
Networking opportunities abounded, from hallway conversations to scheduled breaks. The event wrapped up with a lively raffle and after-conference networking at a nearby restaurant, giving participants one more chance to make connections and share insights from the day.
The TrainingPros Team in Action
Representing TrainingPros at the ACE Conference were Leigh Anne Lankford, Lori Fancher, Cheryl Manning, John Buschiazzo, and Frankie Robinson. The team engaged with dozens of attendees, shared resources, and cheered on John during his breakout session.
Reflecting on the experience, Leigh Anne Lankford, President of TrainingPros, shared:
“The ACE Conference is one of my favorite L&D events because it blends professional growth with a sense of fun and community. The 1970’s theme this year made it extra memorable, but the real highlight was the energy in the room.”
Frankie Robinson who was also one of the conference organizers said:
“What stood out most to me at this year’s conference was the sense of community, from the volunteers, speakers, and attendees to the venue staff and team. Everyone I met was so passionate about helping people and organizations grow. It was inspiring to see the talent development community in action with such excitement, innovation, and support for each other.”
Why the Greater Atlanta ATD ACE Conference Matters
For anyone in corporate learning and development, the Greater Atlanta ATD ACE Conference offers a unique mix of professional education and peer-to-peer connection. This year’s event reminded us that L&D is more than just delivering training, it’s about solving business challenges, fostering innovation, and building relationships that last well beyond the conference.
From the inspiring keynotes and practical breakout sessions to the energetic networking and exhibitor showcases, the 2025 ACE Conference once again delivered on its promise. TrainingPros is proud to support events like this that strengthen the learning and development community in Atlanta and beyond.
We’re already looking forward to next year’s conference and until then, we’ll keep applying the ideas, strategies, and connections we gained at this year’s event to help our clients achieve their learning goals.
Agentic AI vs. Generative AI..
What's the Difference?
Ready to Work with Us?
Does your L&D team have more projects than people? TrainingPros has been named a Top 20 Staffing Company internationally by Training Industry, and recognized as a Smartchoice® Preferred Provider by Brandon Hall Group for 2025. We’re also proud to be named a Champion of Learning by the Association for Talent Development (ATD)—an international honor that reflects our dedication to excellence in corporate learning. These accolades underscore TrainingPros’ unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality, tailored training solutions.
If your projects need virtual classroom producers, facilitators, or other L&D consultants for your custom content projects, reach out to one of our industry-expert relationship managers today.
When you have more projects than people™, let TrainingPros find the right consultant to start your project with confidence. Schedule a consultation today.
