eACH 2016 Reflections

eLearning Alliance of Canadian Hospitals, popularly known as eACH, is a much sought after conference amongst the eLearning fraternity of the Canadian hospitals. eACH 2016 was a grand affair and having attended it on behalf of Harbinger Group, I must say that there is no way an eLearning professional not return home inspired to make a difference after attending it. The conference created an amazing atmosphere for all participants to network, engage, learn and grow as eLearning professionals. With so many experts under a single roof, the wealth of experience gained is always priceless.

The vast amount of knowledge shared around learning technologies and information deserves a special mention. Just to give the readers an idea of the conference sessions, it included workshops on some interesting topics like:

• An Introduction to Storyline, By Tracy Parish
• Better Than Bullet Points, By Jane Bozarth
• Building a Strong Foundation, By Cindy Plunkett
• Interactive Video for eLearning Designers, By David Anderson
• Digital Storytelling: Making Educational Videos That Speak to the Learner, , By Sarah Dewar, Sharon Navarro

With so much to catch up on, I could only attend couple of sessions, but even those were immensely helpful and informative, as the speakers and topics were top notch.

Another big attraction was ‘Show & Share’ where a few eLearning developers showcased their innovative designs to the attendees. The designs included game based courses, scenario based modules, responsive designs, mobile apps etc. The examples were so good that it must have inspired many to implement some new techniques and strategies in their company’s training this year.

The exhibit hall which was very decently arranged, had significant traffic and there was much interest in our booth. Since most visitors had used Harbinger’s flagship eLearning tool Raptivity in the past, they were already familiar with the product side of Harbinger’s business. We had Todd Kasenberg, Interactive Learning Thought Leader and a Raptivity champion, join us at the booth. This time we were exhibiting the services side of our activities, which is customized development of learner centric trainings. Unlike most other vendors who were LMS companies, we stood out as being a service provider. Visitors to our booth appreciated the screenshots of our work and the live samples. Most mentioned that they would like similar quality of eLearning at their organization too.

Other vendors in the exhibit hall were helpful and informative. I wouldn’t deny that the Harbinger team learned a lot from them.

It may seem unnecessary to talk about, but being a foodie, I can’t miss talking about the food. We were taken care of very well, and so were our tummies. The delicious breakfast items, lunch and ingoing shots of caffeine kept our engines fueled throughout.

As a concluding note, exhibiting at eACH provided Harbinger with an opportunity to interact with other eLearning professionals who are serious about advancing in their field. The networking opportunities were tremendous and the talks were insightful and relevant. All in all, a great event!