For the past 26 years, we have made significant donations to key non-profit groups that extend the world of Learning and Social Impact.
This year, we are honored to make a $10,000 donation, from the fees of our participants, to the following non-profit organizations that we deeply support:
We will make donations to our 2016 Learning Gives Back organizations on Monday and Tuesday.
I'm taking the TRAIN today to LEARNING 2016!
This is a tradition that I have done most years, since 1989. I love to take the Amtrak TRAIN to host and curate Learning each year.
Today, I board the Silver Star Train at 3:00 pm in Washington, DC. For the next 18 hours, I will love the train down the backyards of America. With a cute little bedroom and some munchy food to eat, I'll be using the time to finalize my keynote sessions and polish our planning for Learning 2016.
If you live along the way, I would love to at least call you - as my train goes past your region. And, there a few times when the train stops at your station. Glad to meet you - if you will bring a few slices of pizza.
Here is the map of the Amtrak Route and if you would like to chat, send me a note to
By the way, my music for the ride includes, "City of New Orleans", dedicated to the historic nature of riding the rails across America.
How do we engage 1,600 learning colleagues who are participating in over 207 sessions, 6 Keynotes and a host of activities? Digital Signage meets Learning!
There will be 10 very large screens (60" plus), placed around the convention area to be part of our experimental LearningTV Signage.
We are adapting Android Media Servers to turn each display into a remotely controlled digital signage - with the ability to publish - on a timed schedule a graphical mix including:
It will be fun to experiment with the role of LearningTV Signage at Learning 2016. I will share our learnings and aha's from this process
George Takei, our Featured Keynoter on Tuesday at Learning 2016, will explore how Virtual Reality and Stories can fit together. Using the beta HoloLens from Microsoft, he will demonstrate how to put him into your Story. Here is a video of him prepping for this:
My Name Badge for Learning 2016 arrived today, along with 1,600 others for "All Access" at Learning 2016.
When you register, we will give you a personalized nametag, along with a unique QR code that you can have a new colleague scan, which will provide them with permission based contact information.
And, you will need your Name Badge for access to all sessions, Keynotes, meals and of course, your ticket for Tuesday night at Epcot.
Attendees will receive a print copy of this at Learning 2016.
Every year, MASIE Productions adds several amazing talented theater performers from Broadway to our Learning event. We are honored to announce two amazing talents at Learning 2016:
Katie Rose Clarke is an amazing actress, singer and performer. She was a star in Wicked (Glinda), The Light in the Piazza (Clara), Allegiance (Hannah) and more. Katie will be "singing in" several of our General Session Keynotes. We believe that music and content and engaging events go together in a wonderful blended format. Katie's bio is on Wikipedia.
We are also honored to have Rumi Oyama, an award winning choreographer and dancer, who has appeared on Broadway in Allegiance (Mrs. Tanaka) and won The Fred and Astaire Award for Outstanding Female Dancer in Sayonara. Rumi will be performing an original dance about "Character" as well as leading a dance demo class. Her bio is online
And, to get a sense of the dynamics of performing on Broadway, 8 shows a week, to over 1,000 audience members, here is a video that Katie did explaining her dressing room energy maintainers. Click to watch!
On Monday Night of Learning 2016, we have added a fun option for our 1,600 participants. Join us for a rousing and engaging "Grease Movie - Sing-A-Long"
With fun lyrics on the screen, join your fellow learning professionals, in a sing-a-long of the popular songs from Grease. John Travolta and Olivia Newton John will accompany you in the words :)
Yes, we will design and experiment with a Learning Escape Room at Learning 2016!
Imagine a room, where learners have 45 minutes to solve learning challenges - in order to Escape! This is one of the most unusual recreational activities that people are exploring. So, why not take this "Gamification" model and ask a collection of our participants to design our very own Learning Escape Room!
We will give them a room - that can be almost fully sealed (with a safety exit), some materials and scenery - and ask them to create and experiment with our very own Learning Escape Room. The design will happen on Monday evening. If it works and has good User Experience, we will open the Learning Design Room for participants on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Get ready. The Learning Escape Room awaits you at Learning 2016.
I have the honor of interviewing amazing Keynoters every year. This weekend, I saw the movie "Sully", so I went back to watch my interview with Captain Sully Sullenberger, just 10 months after he safely landed his plane on the Hudson and saved all souls. Here is the video of a clip of that conversation. Sully is an amazing pilot, trainer, coach and man. And, Tom Hanks was amazing portraying him in the movie.
The weather in Orlando is great and Disney's Coronado Springs Hotel had no damage after the hurricane. We are ready for the 1,600 participants of Learning 2016 to come to Orlando in just a few weeks.
Disney had closed the park for safety as Hurricane Matthew approached Florida and we stayed in touch with our team members in the area. Luckily, the storm did not really impact the Central Florida area - and now the hotel and parks are up and running. Most of the flights have been restored to the airports in the region. And, many conferences like Learning 2016 are breathing a sigh of relief.
Right now, it is 87 degrees and Sunny. Here is an updated photo from the resort.
So, Come on Down! If you are still not registered, there are rooms available on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday night. Register and reserve your rooms as soon as possible.
Our thoughts are with other areas that had storm damage. And, we were impressed with the safety and readiness models used by government and hotel/resort institutions to cope with the forecast of the storm.
Designing & Producing Learning 2016 - for over 1,600 learning colleagues, involves many layers of complexity. We have over 205 sessions, breakouts, discussions, labs and more during 9 slots. And, there are 15 Keynote Speakers who will be featured during 6 General Sessions. That is complex, but then there are the Learning Experiences!
Our Design includes a significant set of experiences that are NOT in a classroom or ballroom and can engage the participants in active, challenging, entertaining, collaborating and inspiring activities. Each year, I focus on building new and different Learning Experience Options that will start as early as 6 am and extend to midnight. Here are just a few that you can experience at Learning 2016:
Designing and Producing Learning 2016 Experiences is different from the normal curriculum building model. We have to stretch our thinking, our program, our facilities and our boundaries to imagine what would SOME learners enjoy. It is one of the most different aspects to Learning 2016!
(Here is a sample letter to your Manager or Boss, from Elliott Masie, sharing some key benefits and reasons for you and your colleagues to attend.)
TO: The Manager of __________________
FROM: Elliott Masie, Host & Curator, Learning 2016
I am writing to you on behalf of your employee to support her/his participation in Learning 2016, to be held in Orlando, Florida from October 23rd to 26th.
As you know, the world of workplace learning is changing, evolving and being disrupted, with shifts in employee expectations, evolving technologies and a sharpening focus on business requirements for skills, compliance and employee development.
Learning 2016 is a unique opportunity for your Learning Professionals to be learners themselves and explore shifting trends in the field with over 1,600 colleagues from around the world. Anderson Cooper (Anchor, CNN's Anderson Cooper 360), Astronaut Scott Kelly, Twitter CLO Melissa Daimler, Sanjay Sarma (MIT Digital Learning), and George Takei are just a few of the over 16 Keynoters, who will interactively explore the innovation, disruption and changes in learning approaches.
There are over 205 small group learning activities, sessions and labs that involve benchmarking with major corporations and government agencies on their changing approaches to learning and workforce development. We will collectively build some prototype "Learning Apps", engage in a Learning Barracuda Bowl (our own SharkTank), engage with our 30 Under 30 Rising Learning Leaders and hear from over 12 Chief Learning Officers on their challenges, hopes and shifts.
Here are some of the other learning experiences and innovative activities that your employee could benefit from at Learning 2016, co-hosted by the Learning CONSORTIUM and ATD:
And, the culture of Learning 2016 reflects my 43 years in the learning field as a fiercely vendor-neutral analyst and advocate for experiential learning. Our culture is engaging, fun and transferable back to the workplace - with a minimum number of PowerPoint slides.
As a manager, I deeply respect the time and expense investments in sending an employee to an event. As producers, we promise to create a powerful learning experience for your learning professionals. Please take a few minutes to review our Learning 2016 website (https://learning2016.com and consider approving your colleague’s attendance at this unique event.
If you have any questions, please call our office at or email me at
Yours in learning,
Elliott Masie
Host & Curator, Learning 2016
We’re tracking a trend in the learning and development field — a shift away from modeling our efforts after the images from school. But I say, “Let’s stop taking our employees back to school.”
