The suitcases are being packed once more here at dominKnow as we prepare for ASTD 2010 International Conference and Exposition in Chicago, which runs from Sunday May 16 through to Wednesday, May 19.

Organizers are predicting that more than 8,000 people will attend from more than 70 countries in all. That's a big event – with a lot to take in.

Here's a list, in no particular order, of the five things the dominKnow team is most looking forward to.

Abandoning ADDIE with Thiagi

Saturday, May 15, features a full-day pre-conference workshop with Sivasailam Thiagarajan (better known to most of us as Thiagi) titled Faster, Cheaper, Better: An Alternative Approach to Instructional Design. "Rapid" has become a term most strongly associated with e-learning development tools but the Thiagi workshop will offer ways to reduce the design time for any learning project, including alternatives to the ADDIE model.


Taking a Drive with Daniel Pink

The Monday morning General Session
will see author Pink share his insights into what get peoples' drive started. Motivation plays such a crucial in performance, and Pink's latest book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, explores the factors that lead to high performance and personal satisfaction. Hint: it's not the boss looming over your shoulder, muttering about that deadline...

A Night at the Museum

On Tuesday night, May 18, the ASTD conference will move into Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry for the ASTD 2010 Celebration. Food, music, and the chance to explore the museum's nearly 14-acres will make for an awesome evening. Organizers offer this strong suggestion: "comfortable shoes are a must."

Booth Hopping at the Expo

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday offer a great chance to wander down the aisles to check on new products and services and just generally get inspired at the ASTD Expo. It's one of the biggest collections of vendorsin the training and learning development space, all in one place. The dominKnow team will be at booth 1835 – drop by and get your hands on our latest mobile learning development solution and take a tour of the dominKnow LCMS.

Getting the Solutions You Need

The Solution Evolution event, set for Tuesday, May 18 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Expo, offers seven different facilitated group discussions designed to help you get the help you need. The seven discussions are very targeted for different learning and development roles, and the question and answer format means that the discussion will only cover relevant issues for each.


If you're going to ASTD, pop by both 1835 and say hi to the dominKnow team – and let us now what your highlight list includes!

Chris Van Wingerden is Vice President Learning Solutions at dominKnow Learning Systems.