I was at an exhibition earlier this week and it felt really different.

A few months ago I saw there was a small business show on in London and looked at what the event covered. To clarify – this was a big event aimed at small business, not a ‘small’ business event! Nothing much immediately stood out but I saw a link to something called Retrain Expo. It was described as “The Leading Event For Retraining & Upskilling” and, since L&D are STILL debating what this means, I thought it might be worth attending.

Firstly, seeing the halls of the Excel centre without the enormous stands you get at some of the other events held there was quite refreshing. Everyone was in a 6 of 9 metre plot with decent footfall and nothing more than sweets and a bit of swag to attract people; why are we still giving away plastic tat by the way?

I started wandering around and realised that I knew none of the people exhibiting. When I go to events now, there are usually a few brands which I know of – this was the difference I mentioned. I was able to have quality conversations with dozens of people without the usual dancing around what context I was from – we simply chatted.

I did recognise one person and they commented how different this audience felt. It’s almost as if getting outside the learning bubble and into the spaces where other people are having conversations about work, people and learning is where the good stuff might be happening.

I ‘know’ I’ll be doing some work with some of these people in the future simply because the connections felt more relevant and more authentic.

The same questions apply for people working in L&D – are you relevant and authentic?

And how do you know?