Upside Learning recently concluded a great show at CIPD HRD 2011, an HRD conference and exhibition. Held on 6^th and 7^th of April 2011 at Olympia, London, the event saw 4000 visitors from various disciplines including training, L&D, OD, leadership, coaching and more. Not only did the company bag appreciation from these visitors, but the company’s booth (#500) too bagged the runner-up award in the best stand category. The stand was chosen from amongst 155 stands at the show.

Upside Learning’s stand was conceptualised and designed by the company’s internal marketing and design team. The aim was to create a space that not only reflected the company’s branding and image, but also made the visitors feel welcomed. The highlight of the stand was a life-size cut out of the company’s latest mobile learning solution – Upside2Go – along with its mascot, which attracted eyeballs and garnered curiosity.

The award criteria for the best stand were based on two key elements – Stand and Staff. The ‘Stand’ was judged on the basis of:

• Clarity of message for product/service on offer
• Use of branding to promote overall organisation
• Quality of materials/ resources available to customer
• Use of space/ shell to create inviting/ appropriate atmosphere
• Use of techniques/ tools to entice customer to stand

While, the ‘Staff’ was judged on the following:

• Skill of staff in attracting customer to stand
• Knowledge – industry, organisation and product
• Approachability
• Efficiency of enquiry – both customer and company focussed
• Overall professionalism of team – appearance and attitude

Speaking on winning the award, Amit Garg, Director of Custom eLearning Solutions at Upside Learning, said, “We had planned and prepared well for the event, but the award for the best stand truly came in as a surprise!”. Further, he added, “Overall, it was a great show. We had some rich interactions with the visitors. I am positive that this event will be a perfect beginning to our Europe focused growth strategy.”

Simon Meager, Sales Director for Europe, who was present at the event with Amit, commented, “The 2 days at the show were full of learning, connecting and new ideas. We ensured that all the visitors at our stand were well entertained. I’m now eagerly looking forward to meet some of them in the coming weeks.”

Come May 22^nd, Upside Learning will participate in the world’s largest training association’s annual expo – ASTD International Conference and Expo 2011 (ASTD ICE 2011). Every year, this premier event welcomes over 8,000 professionals, from various walks of learning and development, from more than 70 countries across the globe.

Featuring more than 250 educational sessions from industry-leading experts and a world-class expo filled with the latest products and services from top suppliers, ASTD ICE 2011 would be bigger in scale as compared to its February counterpart, where Upside Learning was a silver sponsor. The company hopes to repeat the success it achieved earlier at the February event in this May event too.

Attendees at ASTD ICE 2011 can look forward to experiencing Upside Learning’s entire range of award-winning solutions and services at the company’s booth (#649). These would include some of the latest offerings in Custom eLearning Development and Mobile Learning. Besides this, visitors can also explore UpsideLMS, the company’s multi award-winning, best value Learning Management System. They can get a firsthand view of its 160+ features and learn how these can benefit their organization in delivering training in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

Furthermore, visitors can interact with the team, gain practical insights and ideas on the role that eLearning can play in building a strong training function, and discuss their learning problems and requirements. As learners continue to seek knowledge beyond formal modes and turn to newer technologies, the Upside Learning team will also demonstrate the value of these new technologies and suggest solutions on how they can be leveraged to make learning more effective.

One of the major attractions on display would be the company’s latest revolutionary platform for mobile learning designed specially for the mobile workforce – Upside2Go. Launched at ASTD TechKnowledge, within a short span of 3 months, Upside2Go has won appreciation for its innovativeness and effectiveness, specifically in addressing needs of the mobile workforce, from some of the biggest corporates in the US and other markets. It has also been recognized as ‘Best New Product Debut’ at the same expo by an independent ex-Brandon Hall consultant. Visitors can get a firsthand experience of this revolutionary product and can also see it working in live environment.

“ASTD ICE 2011 would be very significant for us in enabling direct engagement with potential clients and gaining a better understanding of how we can help them.”, said Amit Gautam, Director of Technology Solutions at Upside Learning. Further, he added, “We are excited to demonstrate some of our latest offerings to professionals and experts alike from workplace learning and development domain.”

Upside learning’s representatives will be present at booth number 649 throughout the event. To pre-arrange a meeting with a member of the Upside Learning team, send an email specifying your preferred time and date to sales@upsidelearning.com.

Announcing its special expo offer for ASTD International Conference and Expo 2011 (ASTD ICE 2011), Upside Learning revealed today the prize to be won at the event. The company would be giving away a Kindle Reader (Wi-Fi version) absolutely free to a lucky visitor at the expo to be held from 23^rd May to 25^th May in Orlando, Florida.

One winner will be chosen via random draw, and announcement of the winner thereof will be done post the event. The company’s representative will contact the winner personally via email.

Besides participating in the offer, attendees can experience Upside Learning’s entire range of award-winning solutions and services (UpsideLMS, Mobile Learning Solutions, Upside2Go and Custom eLearning), interact with the team, and discuss their learning problems and requirements.

Overall, in this 3 day expo, filled with the latest products and services from top suppliers, visitors can figure out how technology will give an edge to learning at their companies, with their clients, and to their own future as learning professionals.

Upside learning’s representatives will be present throughout the event and can be found at booth no. 649. To pre-arrange a meeting with a member of the Upside Learning team during the conference, drop a mail at sales@upsidelearning.com.