Well, hello there.
I, like many of you, am here in attendance at ATD 2026.
Ok, I’m not physically there, but if I were, I’d guide you through the vast, confusing expo floor.
Best of all, I’m saving the planet by not throwing you a bunch of stuff you will never read into your whatever ATD gives you this year.
Knowing the vast majority of vendors at the show, I’m going to provide you with a tour of who to see, plus a handy guide on what you can expect from some vendors’ messaging.
Key points
If I note that the vendor was in my top 10 for 2025, click here to see the post.
Each vendor has a link on the expo site, I believe, but I placed them here for those who may read the guide after the show, which is okay.
Knowledge drives interest.
If you wish to use my latest RFP template, click here.
The Guide
I didn’t spend time reading where the vendors’ booths are located because, even with the numbers, the layouts at these shows are bonkers. Plus, they gave you that list of them in tiny print to find.
My list: I should note that if the vendor is in FindAnLMS (FAL), which is my site, it will be noted. There, you can compare vendors and/or get more details. Regardless, even if they are not in there, the list I have will still recognize them.
- Absorb (FAL) – Ranked #1 in my Top 10 learning systems for 2025 – To get details on the Top 10, go here. They are strong in AI for those wondering. Ideal for customer/partner training (aka enablement on the partner side) and L&D. If you are seeking a system for frontline/deskless or blue-collar roles, it’s definitely worth a visit. Overall, pricing is good – especially because you get a lot, including one of the best mentoring platforms in the industry, included at no additional fee.
- Biz Library (FAL) – They are in FindAnLMS for BizLMS with BizSkills. Top 10 for 2025. You get a lot for the buck, as I would say. Top 10 multiple times in past years. This is L&D all the way, but I can see them for the frontline and blue-collar too. Continues to impress each year. Awesome UI/UX. Skills-wise, definitely top 10 in 2026; I should add that they were the first vendor to ever do skills mapping in the industry – and that started years ago.
- DigitalChalk (FAL) – Top 10 Learning System for 2025. Definitely will hit it again in 2026. I love “Content Factory,” which is a built-in authoring solution that goes beyond much of what you see today. AI-wise is solid, but I can tell you by the end of the year, they will be among the top in the market (I know some things, sorry, can’t share). This system continues to get better with each version. Definitely a player to watch. Easily could slide into the top five in 2026 (as of today). Product Review coming this summer.
- D2L Brightspace (FAL) – Top 5 learning system for 2025. I list them in these rankings for corporations and associations. #1 for Associations in 2025, and still the leaders in 2026 for associations. Thus, I would slide them into the L&D side, plus the association segment, which in turn slips them into customer training/partner enablement. I constantly nag them to include their “built-in authoring tool” as part of their system at no cost, rather than an add-on. Anyway, I love the system. For those angling for EdTech (higher education), a multi-year run at #1.
- CYPHER LEARNING (they go by all caps) (FAL) – Top three for AI in 2026 (as of 5-18-26). You want a fast-forward thinking system around AI and what it can do – here you go. Top 10 learning for 2025. L&D here. If you want an L&D system, here you go. Frontline is doable, blue-collar too. Built-in Authoring tool is in my top three for 2026. Top 10 learning system for 2025
- 360 Learning (FAL) – Solid in AI; honestly, they should be much further along. The system is worth a look. Definitely more on the L&D side these days – IMO. I wouldn’t buy them for customer training/partner enablement. The system skews L&D. They are ranked in my Top 10 for 2025.
- Bridge – Just saw the system last week. This is really for L&D, with frontline/deskless too. AI is okay at this point. I think they have come a long way, the metric UI/UX is brutal – actually common look in the industry – they need to update that in a big way though. Solid system worth a visit. Hence, being in my guide.
- Docebo (FAL) – AI strength is growing, after a bit of a stall. I really dig Harmony, their AI assistant, and I like the Chrome extension. They still have a way to go for AI compared to, say, the top five in the space. This system is increasingly focused on L&D, with a target audience of L&D and HR professionals. Top 5 Learning Systems for 2025.
- Despite the split – i.e., combo, for customer/partner training and L&D, I would check them out for L&D, but not for customer/partner training. I want to stress, they are not an HCM, nor do they want to be. They are, IMO, edging closer to a Talent Development System, which I have always seen becoming the #2 market behind LMS in the years to come. TDS is growing faster in 2026. That said, going all in for L&D with some HR capabilities was my takeaway – still really dig the system.
- Metalark.AI from OnPoint Digital. They are the #1 new product – i.e., learning technology for 2026. AI dominates here and is an expert in learning. You aren’t buying this for the UI/UX, you want it for what it can do with the data, a core – okay, THE CORE – for learning and training. Metrics will always tell your learning story. If I were running a training department, I’d buy them. Robert Gadd, who founded the company, is a pioneer in the online learning space, and even before that, with CD-ROM – remember those?
- Thrive Learning – From an AI standpoint, if I were to rank top AI systems today, they would be #2. Overall, I really like the system. I see them more focused on the L&D side, but there is potential, depending on their vision, to start tapping into customer/partner training with some functionality adds and metrics. If you are debating between them and other systems that push around AI, Thrive wins. I will have a product review on their platform coming this summer. Lastly, if I were to rank the system overall, as of today, it would easily be in my Top 10 for 2026.
- LearningPool – Wonderful learning system. Skews towards L&D. Top 10 in my 2025 rankings. Solid in AI. The whole LCMS thing doesn’t work for me, but it is a segment making a comeback, albeit it is best suited for folks who still believe SharePoint can be an LMS or at least be used for learning, which is where the LCMS market always targeted.
- LearnUpon (FAL). Top 10 learning systems in 2025. I like the system, there I said it. Combo for L&D and customer training/partner enablement. I’d rate them in the top five for the association segment. AI can be better, but they are definitely ahead of a lot in the industry, which says something. Now, if I were to say top 10, I’d place them on the fence. That said, I admit I get confused about where they really want to play, and that is definitely a concern.
- dominKnow – Look, there is a slight learning curve with the authoring tool’s advanced capabilities, but for a start-and-go authoring tool, they play well. I like them better than Articulate, even with their Rise platform. These folks know instructional development far better, IMO, than any other authoring tool solution on the market. While I no longer do, rankings for authoring tools, if I were to, I would place them #1. Heck, I’d buy their product. If Paul is in the booth, you want to talk to him (let him know Craig Weiss said you should talk to him) – I’ve done interviews with him in the past on my blog – here and here. He is the only ‘interview’ person I have asked multiple times. That should say something.
- Chronus – Mentoring platform (L&D). Ranked in my top three mentoring platforms for 2025. Lots to like – the pre-assessment, which drives everything, is sweet. I want more. AI is fair. Sadly turned down a product review option – I guess going through the “gauntlet” wasn’t something they were willing to do – I found that odd, anyway, still like them.
- Sythesia – Learning Technology platform. A lot of folks love them, definitely a drive in the AI market. Nevertheless, they are outstanding from a learning technology and what they can do standpoint. If you want audio dubbing, though, the player that many vendors use on their own platforms is Eleven Labs. I use them too.
The Promises (According to the Vendors – okay, a chunk of them)
- AI-First – This is going to be hot. AI everywhere. Fantastic, yet nobody is really AI-first unless you can find the very first vendor who added machine learning (a form of AI) to their system many, many years ago. This whole idea of AI-first is to entice you to come and see them – the twist – I have provided in a previous post, questions to ask the salesperson to ascertain their level of knowledge around AI. For those who wish not to click on the link, here are the top three to recognize
a. No system, learning tech, or any platform using AI can say they are 100% accurate. AI can make mistakes; that is just a fact. I don’t care if they tell you they have guardrails, RAG, and it is your own content in the system; the system is trained on your own content – it can still make mistakes. Oh, and you can have AI bias. And wait, every LLM (learning language model) – a vendor may say ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini (each is an LLM)- has strengths and weaknesses.
The point is nobody is perfect, worse, those data centers (energy consumption monsters) are needed for an LLM. Notwithstanding, there is this little thing called token fees. You pay for them. Always relevant to ask whether the vendor has an AI assistant, an AI chat box, or whatever they want to call it, so your learner can ask questions and receive responses. It’s not a big deal if you have 100 people price-wise hitting that thing; with 10,000, 25,000, or 100,000 humans, it’s another thing.
b. MCP is the next big thing – I wrote a post last week about it, so click to read more. It stands for model context protocol, and the post I wrote presents what it is – a universal remote for AI. I don’t expect many vendors to have it yet, but you want to find out: a) do they know what it is, and b) if yes, when do they expect to see it. Note, that not all versions of say a LLM from a vendor, let’s say OpenAI (they make ChatGPT) will have it.
Anyway, if you want the latest, there you go.
c. How does it benefit the learner? AI (generative AI for now), the talk is all about Agentic Agents that can handle a task or a series of tasks.
Perfect if you think of it as a co-worker for the office, not though from a learner perspective.
That to me is the challenge. What will it really do to get the learner to learn? Comprehend? And most importantly, synthesize?
I see its strength more so on the admin side.
I’ll be writing a post in a few weeks on Agentic Agents, task-driven for administrators, regardless of whether you have L&D, training, or zero experience – and the latter is where I see Agents doing their best work.
That said, even with an L&D or Training background, more and more people want a learning system (regardless of type) to do the heavy lifting.
Promise 2
We will follow up. Let me scan your badge.
Less than 10 percent will follow up with you, even if you say you really want to talk to someone.
In my tests over the last three years at various trade shows, including ATD, and in discussions with buyers (folks looking for systems), the follow-up rate is around eight to nine percent.
That stinks.
What you get, though, is auto-added to their newsletter and spam stuff. Heck, maybe your name gets handed off to a marketing list OR is added to say Trust Radius or similar, like G2, who magically reaches out to you, to seek your opinion on a system you have never really tried out or seen – in return for a gift card.
I’ve had this experience.
Vendors should be ashamed of themselves for the whole scan badge scam, and that is what I will call it.
Either you follow up on a commitment, or you don’t.
And those that don’t should go on your “never follow-up” list. Scratch them from future consideration.
Promise
You will see a lot of G2 listing – leader things, or G2 high feedback on the booths.
Take it for what it is – after all, it is marketing.
What is left out are the following:
- That random gift card e-mail sent to you – I got one of mine by seeking to see a system, and filling out a “contact us” form on a vendor’s website. Data shows that if you are offered a tangible item (a gift card), you are more likely to leave a positive review than a zero review or a negative review
- AI bots are becoming a real problem. Any site, regardless of whether it is G2 or Fred’s Best Picks, or heck, Trust Advisor, that has a place where people can leave comments is seeing huge increases in comments and five-star ratings. It’s very hard to validate, and that is a real challenge, because, for all the legit star comments and feedback, some may be false. Sad to say, that is just reality.
- What you are looking for in a use case and specific functionality and feature sets may not be what the person who rated that vendor highly in the overall score is looking for. It is like YELP. How many times have you gone to a place to eat that has high comments – let’s say five stars, and from Elites no less, and think that this place is going to be great, only to be disappointed? It happens all the time. Everyone is different, thankfully, and each case, although it seems the same, isn’t true – a small tweak can make a difference.
Bottom Line
There you go, the guide for the #ATD26 expo floor.
I never understood the whole sponsorship for Bingo thing – because I’ve never seen a vendor score a deal with someone who wants a stamp.
Nor do I get the full selection of candy to choose from at their booth. Pens are super cheap, people love them, and will use them over and over again. IMO, it is a cheap and great promo route.
I am also not a fan of vendors who won’t give you their promotional/marketing gift unless you talk to them (I’m not referring to something that costs a few hundred bucks and requires a drawing; I’m thinking more along the lines of a stuffed toy or something like that).
The whole reason you have those as a vendor is for marketing and getting your name out, which is why you (a vendor) attend trade shows.
If you are doing it because you think you are going to land a lot of sales, remember that high lead numbers never equal sales (actual numbers).
Lastly, if your salespeople or whoever is in your booth is more interested in looking at their smartphone than looking at the floor, standing up and being seen, welcoming people into their booth, with a friendly high, and not a fear factor of hard sell, then that person shouldn’t be allowed on the floor at all.
The goal is to be friendly and approachable, and to have the expertise to provide insight.
I personally hate it when folks in a booth seem disinterested in talking about their system, answering questions, or looking around while they are talking to you, or eating in the booth.
It shows that the person walking by isn’t important – and it turns off a lot of folks.
Plus, it lacks a professional image.
Which, if you are dropping thousands on a booth, doesn’t say, “Come and see us.”
IT says,
Don’t.
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