The LearningCafe UnConference has over the last 6 years become a regular fixture in the L&D professional development calendar with a reputation for high-quality content and presenters scoring above 4.15/5 for the past six and selling out. So why the pivot?
It ain’t broken but we fixed the UnConference.
The reason – Learning in the workplace has become critical to business success but L&D is not adapting fast enough. The new focus and format are designed to help L&D, acquire new skillsets and mindset.
More focus on skill acquisition – Skills and knowledge development in the form of workshops. The 1-hour session will comprise of three stages 1. Raising awareness through primer 2. Experiencing through a mini-workshop/demo 3. Gaining insights through a panel discussion on the practical impact ie use case, budget and opportunities.
Target Audience – Learning Professionals interested in the management and design of organisational Learning including Learning Manager, Business Partners, Project Managers, Team Leads, Learning Technologists.
Research-Based Content – We are including more research-based content and involving experts in the fields.
Venue – We have a more space and easily accessible venue – UTS Aerial.
UnConference format – While the format remains one focussed on the discussion (UnConference format) we have pivoted in the following ways.
Emphasis on Quality and Value Add -For over five years, LearningCafe has been working on providing unhindered clarity to HR/L&D about the direction and pathways to develop future skills. The LearningCafe UnConference is recognized as one of the best professional development events in Australia known for its innovative structure, quality of content and leading L&D facilitators.
This event will be very different to any standard conference you have been to before. If you are not sure what an unconference is, start here,
There are a number of key differences between a standard conference and an unconference including:
The format of the event is very different too. The day will be broken up into a number of free-flowing discussion groups based around subjects as suggested by the attendees in the lead up to the unconference. Unlike a normal conference, these groups will be small and you are free to move between them at any time. If the conversation is not value added for you, simply get up and move onto the next!
The UnConference is all about a freewheeling exchange of ideas, learning experiences and best practices with senior practitioners and thought leaders in Australia. It is a unique gathering of experienced professionals, who collaborate, discuss and share knowledge around workplace learning.We discuss what’s relevant and not what’s sponsored. Limited to 110-130 participants, the UnConference has always had its focus on quality and personalisation enabling quality discussions, answering some of the big questions on current opportunities and challenges faced by HR/L&D profession. It has been receiving a rating of 4.25/5 over the last 5 years for its unique and innovative learning approach designed exclusively for the L&D.
12 discussion sessions of 40 minutes each. Facilitators are free to use their own structure / agenda as long as it adds value and encourages discussion.
Learning Labs essentially comprises of organisations talking about substantial business issues in learning and crowdsource solutions from participants.
Immersion Labs are a “hands on” exploration of some newer tools available to us.
We take a problem and try and solve it in the Hackathon by crowd sourcing solutions.
The open session is essentially a soap box (4 mins each), an opportunity to raise issues or express your opinion pertaining to learning, as long as it fits into the scope of the UnConference. It is not necessary to prepare, you can speak up about an idea or question that you may have in mind.
If you have any questions for panel discussions please let the organizers know.