TrainingPros Sponsors the 2026 Chicago
eLearning & Technology Showcase
August 18, 2026 — TrainingPros was proud to sponsor the 2026 Chicago eLearning & Technology Showcase, a one-day professional development event bringing together learning and development professionals from across the Chicago area.
Held at Northern Illinois University’s Naperville Conference Center, the annual Showcase focuses on eLearning best practices, learning technology, instructional design, and emerging approaches shaping the L&D profession.
TrainingPros President Leigh Anne Lankford attended the event, connecting with learning leaders, instructional designers, eLearning developers, consultants, and other L&D professionals from throughout the Chicago area.
“Events like the Chicago eLearning & Technology Showcase are important because they give L&D professionals an opportunity to learn from one another, build relationships, and stay current as our profession continues to change,” said Lankford. “TrainingPros believes strongly in supporting professional development within the L&D community, and we’re proud to sponsor events that create these opportunities.”
Connecting Learning More Closely to the Work
The insurance client faced a significant change in how customer advocates were hired and prepared for their roles. Under the previous approach, learners completed their training before transitioning to live customer calls. That transition could be stressful for learners, and performance gaps sometimes became apparent only after substantial time had already been invested in training.
The redesigned program took a different approach: learning and real-world performance were intentionally interwoven throughout the training experience.
The blended learning solution combined virtual instructor-led training, instructor-led training, eLearning, multimedia and interactive activities, and on-the-job learning through live call handling. Rather than completing all training before applying their skills, learners progressed through a series of learning segments. After learning a specific type of customer interaction, they applied that knowledge in a controlled live environment before returning to training to develop the next level of skill.
This progressive approach allowed learners to build both competence and confidence while gradually taking on more complex customer interactions.
Exploring What's Next for L&D
The 2026 Showcase featured a keynote and 16 concurrent sessions spanning instructional design, eLearning development, learning strategy, performance improvement, measurement, and artificial intelligence.
AI and its implications for the L&D profession were a significant theme throughout the day. Sessions explored how learning professionals can use AI to diagnose performance problems, accelerate development, support organizational AI adoption, and improve performance support while continuing to apply the human judgment and expertise that effective learning solutions require.
Other sessions addressed topics including learning evaluation and business impact, storytelling and practice in eLearning, cognitive science, microlearning, learner engagement, virtual learning, and effective digital learning design.
The speaker lineup included many well-known voices in the learning and development community, including Josh Cavalier, Vanessa Milara Alzate, Joe Leslie, Megan Torrance, and Shannon Tipton. Their sessions tackled topics ranging from AI-enabled performance analysis and global AI adoption to learning measurement, instructional storytelling, AI implementation, and more.
Supporting the L&D Community
For TrainingPros, sponsoring industry events is about more than visibility. It is part of the company’s commitment to supporting the people and professional communities that move learning and development forward.
Local and regional events such as the Chicago eLearning & Technology Showcase give L&D professionals access to new ideas and practical approaches while creating opportunities to develop relationships with peers who face many of the same challenges.
TrainingPros was pleased to support the 2026 Showcase and especially appreciated the opportunity to meet so many members of Chicago’s learning and development community.
Comparing the Major Performance Consulting Models and the Evolving Role of Instructional Design
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