Learning Leadership and DevLearn will run consecutively in Las Vegas from November 2 – 6, connecting professionals across strategy, design, technology, and practical application
New York, NY – October 22, 2026 – The inaugural Learning & Performance Tech Week will bring together professionals from across the learning field, including learning and talent development leaders, instructional designers, customer education professionals, higher education teams, and those working across performance, skills, data, measurement, and learning technology.
The week will combine two events at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Learning Leadership will take place from November 2 – 3, followed immediately by DevLearn Conference & Expo from November 4 – 6.
Together, the events will create a strategy-to-execution path across the learning profession. Learning Leadership will focus on strategic discussion, peer exchange, and benchmarking, while DevLearn will broaden the conversation into learning technology, hands-on experiences, demonstrations, and practical application.
“As learning and development teams navigate a period of unprecedented transformation driven by AI, our approach to meeting their evolving needs also needed to change. Learning & Performance Tech Week, featuring the Learning Leadership and DevLearn core events on back-to-back days, in the same location, creates a more connected experience. Learning leaders gain time with their peers to discuss new strategies, and then join their team the next day to discover how to turn those strategies into meaningful performance outcomes” noted Lenore Higgins, Sr. Event Director of the Learning Guild.
Strategic leadership and peer discussion
Learning Leadership is designed exclusively for internal leaders responsible for guiding learning and talent development teams. Its discussion-based program will focus on the decisions shaping the profession, including how learning strategy can respond to AI-driven change, create measurable business value, support future performance, and navigate uncertainty.
The program will open with From Learning Function to Value Engine, a fireside chat featuring Dr Keith Keating, Learning Leadership Event Host, Chief Learning & Development Officer at BDO Canada, and author of Hidden Value, and Dr KimLoan Tran, Senior Vice President of Professional Development at Compass International Holdings. The session will explore how learning teams can move beyond a traditional service role and create greater strategic impact.
From strategy to practical application
DevLearn, North America’s largest learning technology event, will feature more than 160 all-new sessions across 12 conference tracks, including AI and Automation, Instructional Design, Customer Education, Leadership and Strategy, Data and Measurement, Higher Education, Tools and Platforms, and Team and Project Management.
Ten new Learning Paths will help attendees find content aligned with their professional and business goals, alongside new programming for Higher Education, Customer Education, and Team and Project Management. The program will also include 90-Minute Mastery sessions, BYOD experiences, Leadership Exchange Discussions, Buzz Discussions and Expert Panels.
AI across the week
AI will provide a connecting theme across Learning Leadership and DevLearn. Learning Leadership attendees will also be able to take part in the AI for Learning Summit on November 3, before DevLearn continues the conversation through sessions and hands-on experiences focused on AI’s role in learning design, development, workflows, data, performance and organisational transformation.
Other Pre-Conference Learning experiences will include workshops covering topics such as vibe coding and performance consulting, the new Storyline & Rise Pro Lab and an Instructional Design Certificate Program.
The DevLearn keynote lineup will feature Dan Pontefract, Dr Luke Hobson and Dr Tasha Eurich. Dr Luke Hobson will also bring a live podcast format to the DevLearn main stage, exploring how AI is changing learning design and the work itself.
Technology, community and connection
The DevLearn Expo will feature Platinum and Gold exhibitors, as well as more than 50 Expo Stage sessions and demonstrations showcasing tools, platforms, products and services in action.
Community-created learning solutions will also take center stage at DemoFest, now in its 22nd year. Taking place on November 5, DemoFest will showcase approximately 30 projects and give attendees the opportunity to speak directly with their creators.
Further opportunities to network and connect will include two Learning Tech Meetup opportunities: Industry Night and Hot Topics, Buzz Discussions, and the Expo Reception.
Learning & Performance Tech Week will take place at MGM Grand in Las Vegas from November 2 – 6. A Dual Conference Pass is available for those interested in attending both events.
Media Contact:
Meghan Dowden
Marketing Coordinator
The Learning Guild, a CloserStill Media business
About The Learning Guild
The Learning Guild is a community of practice for learning professionals, offering conferences, online events, resources, and research to support ongoing growth and innovation in learning and development.
About CloserStill Media
CloserStill Media specializes in high-value, content-driven events and the nurturing of B2B or professional communities. The Company operates events across a wide range of sub-vertical sectors within Technology, Healthcare, Learning & HR and Future Transport & Infrastructure with 850 employees across the globe and offices in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Spain and Singapore. For more information, please visit https://www.closerstillmedia.com/
