Jump to navigation

iVentiv Celebrates 250th Event at Visa University, California

From CEO & Founder Russell Butler’s garage in 2008, to an international series of events today, iVentiv has now been fostering interactive, collaborative spaces for L&D leaders for over 15 years. Our recent 250th Executive Knowledge Exchange at Learning Futures California, held at the scenic Visa University in Foster City, was no exception.

The full group at Learning Futures California

A Rich History of Collaboration


Starting with its inaugural event in Germany in 2009, iVentiv’s uniquely global community has continued to grow. Since that first event, Heads of Learning, Talent, Executive Development, Procurement, and Legal functions have come together in cities around the world, from the United States to Europe, the UAE and Australia. The 100th iVentiv event took place in Zürich in 2020 and, adapting to global changes during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, our 200th event took place online in 2021.

This year's gathering in California was chaired by Theresa Cook of Sky and participants gave the event a 98% satisfaction score on average. The conversations brought together L&D leaders from top Californian companies to discuss pivotal issues such as skills, culture, and learning technology.

Eric Berger, Global Head of Learning, and his team at Visa, hosted proceedings at their Foster City offices, helping to ensure that the Heads of Learning who attended had a truly impactful experience over course of the two-day event.

Delegate sin conversation at Learning Futures California

Key Agenda Points Included:

  • The iVentiv Collaborative Café, with topics focused on the future of L&D such as generative AI, adapting to external change, learning culture, and employee thriving
  • An insightful session by Kristen Howe on strategies for retaining and advancing women leaders
  • Breakout discussions led by experts Shveta Miglani from Micron Technology, Selena Yuan from Jazz Pharmaceuticals, and Joel Constable from Intuit. These sessions highlighted the importance of skills, transformative learning, and cultivating a leadership development culture.
  • Andrew Connolly's talk about the critical role of curiosity in the ever-evolving corporate world.
  • Eric Berger's session, revealing the transformative journey of Visa University.
  • An interactive workshop on sustainability and strategic thinking conducted by Professor Shon Hiatt from USC Marshall School of Business.
  • Breakouts focused on the role of onboarding in the talent journey, maximising talent potential, and developing a leadership brand with Neha Singla (WW), Deep Mahajan (Juniper Networks) and Sharon Schwartz (Equinix)
  • Peer coaching sessions and the unique iVentiv Fishbowl experience, rounding-off with closing remarks.

Feedback: A Testament to iVentiv's Impact


Participants lauded the event for its unique structure, relevance, and the opportunity for genuine, meaningful conversations. Feedback highlighted the immersive and collaborative nature of the sessions, emphasizing the valuable networking opportunities and rich content delivered. Attendees praised the event's ability to connect peers in similar spaces, fostering connections and affirming their journeys in the L&D realm. Comments included:

“Great content and dynamic conversations. I particularly appreciate the diversity of the participants, speakers and wider topics!”

“Great knowledge, sharing and networking opportunity with peer learning leaders.”

“Two days of authentic, meaningful and inspiring conversations with fellow travellers on the road to human development.”

In essence, iVentiv's 250th event in Foster City underscored what this community has always been about: facilitating deep, impactful conversations among L&D professionals and forming real connections that last.

250? We’re just getting started.

See a photo gallery of iVentiv’s 250th event here.

More Insights

Why Customer Education Matters

In today’s competitive, hyper-informed market, you can’t win customer loyalty with a strong product or slick branding alone. Instead, you need trust, relevance, and a consistent demonstration that you understand your customers' needs. 

That’s where customer education events come in. 

These aren’t just glorified sales pitches. They’re strategic opportunities to deliver value, deepen relationships, and build communities around your offering.
When done well, these events don’t just teach; they transform customers into advocates. They help your business stay front-of-mind while giving your clients the tools and insights to succeed with your product or service at the centre of their strategy.

Curious to learn more? Read now.

Solving the Knowledge Silo in Global Learning Teams

In many large learning organisations, global L&D teams face a recurring challenge: knowledge silos. 

Why?

Regional groups or functional departments often operate in isolation, creating, developing, and executing learning programmes with little visibility into what their peers are doing elsewhere. That isolation leads to duplicated effort, inconsistent practices, and lost opportunities for synergy.

In this blog, we’ll explore how thoughtfully designed events—virtual or in-person—can break down silos, strengthen global L&D collaboration, and foster sustained knowledge sharing across your organisation. Read it now.

Designing Events for Knowledge Sharing: Practical Techniques

In today’s workplace, knowledge is your most valuable asset, but it’s also the easiest to lose. As staff turnover rises, careers become more fluid, and hybrid work scatters teams across time zones, keeping that knowledge alive and connected has never been harder. 

For anyone running a large global L&D operation, it can feel like trying to keep dozens of spinning plates in the air at once.

Yet when knowledge sharing breaks down, the costs are high: duplication of effort, inconsistent experiences, and ideas that never reach beyond the local team. The solution lies in intentionally designed knowledge sharing workshops and internal knowledge sharing events that make collaboration systematic, not accidental.

This blog explores how to design those events effectively, turning conversation into impact and connecting the dots across your global Learning organisation. Read it now.

Planning Corporate Events For Small Groups: A Complete Guide

When done right, events designed for small groups (typically between 20 and 50 participants) can lead to deeper connections, richer conversations, and more meaningful outcomes. In a world full of overstimulated conferences and overcrowded rooms, intimate gatherings offer a refreshing opportunity to slow down and engage in real dialogue.

In this guide, you’ll find out how to plan powerful small-group events with intention, from designing sessions that spark genuine collaboration, to nailing the logistics that make all the difference. Read more here.

Why Internal Events Often Fail, and How to Fix Them

Organising an internal corporate event should be straight forward. After all it’s just a room full of colleagues, some snacks and a bit of knowledge sharing. Until the caterers don’t show up, half the team forgets to RSVP, the chairs are double booked for another meeting, the facilitator veers wildly off topic, people scroll their phones and then slip out early. And something that was supposed to energise the team does quite the opposite. 

If you’ve ever experienced this, you’re not alone. Internal events often fall short – not because the intentions are wrong, but because the planning is. Here’s how to avoid the common traps and make your internal event one that people want to attend and actually benefit from. Read on.
 

How to Engage L&D Teams Through Events

Planning a corporate event might sound simple, but creating something truly engaging and impactful takes careful thought. For Learning & Development teams, particularly in large, global organisations, it’s easy for events to fall flat: too generic, too passive, and too disconnected from daily challenges.

This complete guide explores how to design internal events that do more than fill calendars – they foster collaboration, spark conversation, and drive change. Whether virtual, hybrid or in-person, the key lies in co-creation, clarity of purpose, and designing for participation.

Read about how you can create events your team won’t just attend, but will genuinely look forward to.

Change Ecosystems, Rapid Reskilling, and Leaders of the Future with Majid Al Futtaim

In this insightful interview, Jay Moore, former Chief Learning Officer at GE, and Jo O'Driscoll-Kearney, Global Head of Learning & Leadership Development at Majid Al Futtaim, delve into the strategies that organisations can adopt to stay competitive in a rapidly changing world.

In a conversation with iVentiv's Hannah Hoey ahead of Learning Futures Dubai Jo and Jay discuss how to create ecosystems that continuously re-qualify employees, the role of marketing in Learning & Development, and the importance of fostering a growth-oriented culture. 

 

Watch and read more here.

 

Mindfulness as a Core Executive Leadership Skill, with Matthias Birk

In today's fast-paced business environment, the importance of mindfulness in leadership cannot be overstated. As leaders navigate the complexities of decision-making and relationship-building, mindfulness serves as a crucial tool for maintaining focus, fostering empathy, and enhancing executive presence. In this blog, we explore the insights of Matthias Birk, Global Director of Partner Development at White & Case, on how mindfulness can transform leadership. With decades of experience in leadership development, Matthias shares practical strategies for integrating mindfulness into daily routines, its impact on organisational culture, and the vital role of community in sustaining these practices.

Join us as we delve into the power of mindfulness to elevate leadership effectiveness and create more compassionate, connected workplaces.

Tech, Talent and Transformation with Expedia and Microsoft

In today's rapidly evolving tech landscape, companies like Expedia and Microsoft are harnessing the power of new technologies to drive learning, talent, and business objectives. Leveraging AI, including generative AI and tools like Microsoft's Copilot, these companies personalise learning experiences, enhance performance management, and streamline operations. Led by iVentiv's Hannah Hoey, we interviewed Liz Moran (VP of Global Talent Management, Expedia), Manasi Joshi (Senior Director, Learning & Development, Expedia), and Brian Murphy (Senior Director, Employee Skilling, Microsoft), to talk about new and emerging tech, transformation, and the power of learning and talent partnerships.

Watch now to learn how new tech is transforming corporate learning, improving operational efficiency, and supporting Talent Management to meet business objectives.

What are the Top Priorities for Chief Learning and Talent Officers in the First Half of 2024?

iVentiv has spent the first six months of 2024 asking Global Heads of Learning, Talent, and Leadership to share the top priorities and challenges for their function right now. At the end of 2023, the most popular area highlighted by respondents was Leadership and Executive Development. So far in 2024, more than 300 C-suite executives, all leading L&D and Talent functions for Global organisations, have responded. We can now reveal the results of the 2024 surveys so far.

In this blog, we explore the top priorities, with some preliminary exploration of what the figures tell us about the work of L&D teams across the world right now.

Pages