The recently concluded mega expo at San Jose – ASTD TechKnowledge 2011 – saw 1200 visitors and over 65 exhibitors from the learning technology space showcase their solutions and services. The attendees represented a wide cross section of the learning industry – including Instructional Designers, eLearning developers, L&D Managers, CEOs and HR executives.

Upside Learning, a silver sponsor of the event, was one the 67 exhibitors demonstrating its latest offerings in Custom eLearning Development, LMS and Mobile Learning Solutions.

The company’s booth was one of the most visited stalls at the expo with a constant stream of visitors dropping in to not only witness the latest range of solutions but also discuss their learning challenges with the Upside Learning team. Among the visitors were professionals from some of the most progressive companies in the world.

Drawing crowds to Upside Learning’s booth was the company’s new revolutionary platform for mobile learning – Upside2Go, which was launched at the expo. Not only was the launch well received, the product was also duly appreciated for its innovativeness and effectiveness. The excitement of finding a solution that could cater to the unique learning needs of the mobile workforce was almost palpable amongst the attendees. The excitement was further accentuated with the fact that they could witness Upside2Go live in action and could also get a hands-on experience.

Upside Learning also rolled out its special expo offer worth over USD 12500. Five lucky winners stand a chance to win 1 year FREE access to Upside2Go [with an option to access UpsideLMS (integrated with Upside2Go) for 1 year] with 10 video courses (from 50Lessons) for up to 100 users. The company will be announcing the winners’ details in the coming days.

The last couple of years have witnessed Upside Learning ride the growth wave and introduce new products. And as a part of its continued growth strategy, the company has recently welcomed its Sales Director for Europe – Simon Meager – who will be based out of London, UK.

A Sales and Marketing professional with over 30 years of experience, Simon brings on board, among other things, extensive eLearning knowledge and understanding of Europe market. He has a strong understanding of learning and development of eLearning solutions and has to his credit a number of successful product launches in the industry, as well as a proven track record of sales in eLearning and allied fields. With B.A. in Law & European Business Management, he has also completed a couple of Sales oriented courses at the Wharton Business School.

Welcoming Simon to the company, Amit Garg, Founder and Director of Upside Learning, said, “We’re delighted to see our Europe sales team strengthened by Simon’s arrival. His expertise and experience will help Upside Learning achieve its mission of providing effective eLearning solutions to the global community.” Further, he added, “Having a Sales Director based out of London will enable us to be closer to our partners and clients, and help us serve them better. It’ll surely make our existing partnerships in the region stronger and help establish new ones.”

e-Learning for Kids (EFK), as a part of its initiative to provide fun and free learning to kids across the world, wanted to develop new courses for its Environmental Skills curriculum. For this assignment, EFK partnered with Upside Learning, a global leader in custom eLearning development.

As a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and with a view to providing effective learning solutions to the global community, Upside Learning has been actively participating in various social initiatives. And one of the ways it is doing this is through its partnership with EFK. This CSR activity, aimed at strengthening the company’s global mission, will see Upside Learning creating eLearning courses on various topics ranging from environmental awareness to language arts.

One of the focal points for EFK is increasing environmental awareness. EFK, along with its pool of Instructional Designers, worked with Upside Learning to design two new courses in this category. Aptly named ‘The Global Guardian’, these eLearning courses address one of the most important and challenging topics in environmental awareness – Global Warming. Using scenarios and graphics, these courses focus on the key concerns causing global warming and the after effects of global warming. Also, the courses have been designed with a view to keeping the target audience engaged and as such will help children connect easily with the global scenario.

Commenting on the development, Amit Garg, Director of Content Solutions at Upside Learning, said, “I am confident that these courses will help children understand global warming and its adverse effects on our lives. Courses will definitely help increase awareness about environment preservation and green world”. Further, he added, “We are happy and honored to be associated with EFK in their initiatives.”

Michael Williams, EFK’s Director of Courseware Development, further commented, “e-Learning for Kids’ focus on 21st century issues is crucial to expose learners to various issues that affect our planet. Upside Learning has been integral in helping us reach our goal with strong Flash development, rich graphics, and strong project management. The Global Warming courses are beautiful and I look forward to working with Upside Learning on future initiatives.”

About e-Learning for Kids

e-Learning for Kids is a global 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation that is dedicated to opening doors to education worldwide. Established in 2004, e-Learning for Kids is dedicated to fun and FREE learning on the Internet (or via CD ROM) for children aged 5-12 with over 200 best-in-class courses in math, science, language arts, computers, English as a second language, health and life skills. The courseware is also available in Spanish, French, Portuguese and in Indian English. In 2010, more than 2.3 million children benefitted from one or more EFK courses. A large volunteer staff consists of education and e-Learning experts and business professionals from around the world committed to making a difference. We are actively seeking funding, sponsors and courseware developers. Get involved! For more information, please visit us at: http://www.e-learningforkids.org.

After its huge success at ASTD TechKnowledge 2011, Upside Learning has announced today its plan to participate in CIPD HRD 2011, an HRD conference and exhibition. Organised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the HRD is a leading learning and organisation development event for L&D Professionals. Scheduled to take place on the 6th and 7th of April 2011 in London, this event will see leading learning and organisation development suppliers in a range of disciplines including training, L&D, OD, leadership, coaching and more, come together under one roof.

Upside Learning will be showcasing some of its award-winning custom eLearning solutions, its triple Brandon Hall award-winning, best value LMS and some truly innovative mobile learning solutions. Attendees at the exhibition can look forward to experiencing the company’s entire range of learning solutions, interacting with the team and discussing their learning needs and requirements.

The Upside Learning team will help organisations gain practical insights and ideas on the role that eLearning can play in building a strong and effective training function. Visitors can learn how the company’s solutions are already helping organisation, across the globe, maintain continuous learning and development within the constraints of the current economy. Upside Learning will also demonstrate the value of new components (like social and informal learning) and how they can be integrated into a well developed learning programme for training that is future focused and effective.

“Upside Learning’s participation in CIPD HRD underlines the company’s growth plans for the Europe market. With our recently established local presence in the UK, I am confident that this event will enable us to get closer to our prospects, partners and clients, thereby enabling us to serve them better.”, said Amit Garg, Director of Custom eLearning Solutions at Upside Learning.

Upside Learning’s representatives will be present at Booth No. 500 throughout the event. To pre-arrange a meeting with a member of the Upside Learning team, drop a mail at sales@upsidelearning.com

Two lucky visitors at CIPD HRD 2011, an HRD conference and exhibition, can look forward to winning an iPad each. As a part of Upside Learning’s HRD 2011 special expo offer, visitors can try their luck at winning these iPads by visiting the company’s booth at the expo. Organised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), this expo is to be held on 6^th and 7^th of April in Olympia, London.

To participate in the offer, visitors would need to submit their details at Upside Learning’s booth (number 500). Two winners will be chosen via a random draw and announcement of the winners thereof will be done post the event.

Visitors can also get to experience Upside Learning’s new, revolutionary platform for mobile learning – Upside2Go, along with its entire range of learning solutions. These include its award-winning custom eLearning solutions, triple Brandon Hall award-winning, best value LMS – UpsideLMS and other innovative mobile learning solutions. Besides this, attendees can also interact with the team and discuss their learning problems and requirements.

The company’s representatives will be present at booth no. 500 on 6^th and 7^th of April. To pre-arrange a meeting with a member of the Upside Learning team, drop a mail at sales@upsidelearning.com

Founded in 2004, Upside Learning celebrated its 7^th Anniversary on 7^th April, 2011. Over the past seven years, the company has grown from strength to strength. From a 6 member team to 150+ professionals, today it is a global leader in Custom eLearning Development, Learning Management System and Mobile Learning Solutions with over 12 awards and recognitions.

The last year was quite eventful for the company as it witnessed many proud moments and also achieved many firsts in its 7 year journey.

Among the firsts were – launching of a new corporate identity emphasizing the company’s ‘you-centric’ approach, and its focus on growth through learning and performance. Another was the development of India’s first Layar for an Indian city. Pune Layar, an augmented reality application for mobile phones, was developed by the company’s Innovation and New Projects (INP) which allowed users to explore the city and find significant landmarks using their mobile phones.

It was a proud moment for Upside Learning when its flagship Learning Management System – UpsideLMS – won 3 Brandon Hall Awards (1 Gold & 2 Silver) under the 2009 Brandon Hall Awards for Excellence in Learning Technology. Making this win truly exceptional was the fact that UpsideLMS was the only product to have won three awards, more than any other product. Furthermore, it was named as one of ‘The top five emerging LMSs’ in Chief Learning Officer magazine and later was included in the ‘2010 Top 20 Learning Portal Companies’ List by Training Industry.

The year also saw the company adding a new product to its solutions and services portfolio. Upside2Go – a revolutionary platform for mobile learning designed to cater to the unique needs of the mobile workforce – was launched in the US and the UK market.

2011 has been a year of events for the company. A Brandon Hall Research webinar, sponsored by Upside Learning, on ‘How to Select the Right LMS for Your Small/Medium Business’ kick started the new year, followed by expos like ASTD TechKnowledge 2011 and CIPD HRD 2011 where the company was a sponsor and exhibitor respectively.

As the company enters its 8^th year, the focus on expanding its operations across the globe would be further underlined. This has already been highlighted by the appointment of a Sales Director for Europe region. Besides this, strengthening its solutions and services portfolio would be another significant focus area for the company.

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.

June 2009 – Upside Learning emerged with winning entries in the Apex Annual Awards for Publication Excellence Competition for the third year running. This year, we won two Apex 2009 Awards of Excellence. These awards were for a white paper on adopting digital game-based learning, and a custom eLearning solution for potential Branch Managers of a major chain of builders merchants.

The white paper, “Do You Need Games In Your Elearning Mix?”, was entered in the Special Purpose Brochures, Manuals, and Reports sub-category of the Brochures, Manuals, and Reports category.

Recognizing that today’s workplace generation of gamers has different expectations, the white paper recommends the use of games to interest this learning audience. The author advocates casual games as a good first step for organization setting out to include games in their eLearning mix. He then goes on to describe several types of casual games and explains what kinds of learning they can help achieve. You can download a copy of the complete white paper from here.

The “Branch Manager Commercial Skills” eLearning solution was entered in the Web and Electronic Publications sub-category of the Electronic and Video Publications category.

Targeted at potential Branch Managers of a major builders merchants chain, it is presented within the context of a typical branch manager’s day, with a clear focus on practice and application of the skills and knowledge that a branch manager must possess. The program is game-like in approach. The learner, in the shoes of a branch manager, is set a challenge to earn a target amount of money for the branch by the end of the ‘day’. This can be achieved through good performance on quizzes for ‘activities’ undertaken by branch managers as a part of a normal working day.

The Apex Awards are sponsored by the editors of Writing That Works, a newsletter published by Communications Concepts, Inc.
(www.apexawards.com). These awards are presented annually to recognize excellence in graphic design, editorial content, and the ability to achieve overall communications excellence. This year, there were 11 major categories and 122 sub-categories. The Awards of Excellence recognize exceptional entries within these sub-categories.

This year’s competition had around 3785 entries in total. There were 378 entries in the Brochures, Manuals, and Reports category, out of which 21 won Awards of Excellence in the Special Purpose Brochures, Manuals, and Reports sub-category. The Video and Electronic Publications category had 193 entries, out of which 6 won Awards of Excellence in the Web and Electronic Publications sub-category.