It’s been ten years since Kim Ellis went to her first World of Learning, and it still feels like coming home. She looks back at what the Free Spirits team got up to on the stand, with a few words from Andy and Craig about how it went for them too.
Where it all started
I’ve always loved the World of Learning expo (WoL). It was the first one I ever attended, and my first conference experience too. Way back in 2016 when I was bright eyed and bushy tailed and probably a little naïve.
I’m saying naïve because up to this point, I’d been employed in organisations with L&D departments, and how we developed was determined by what we needed to do. I was encouraged to broaden my horizons with webinars here or there, but I was always so busy designing or delivering that it was difficult to fit in around the day job.
So, when my employer sent me to World of Learning, I was like a kid in a sweet shop. Everything was new and shiny, the seminars were inspiring, people were doing things I’d never heard of. I came back buzzing with ideas (and quite a bit of merch).
Now, a decade later, coming to World of Learning feels a bit like coming home.
It’s the conversations that stick
Because I’ve been going to WoL for over a decade, I’ve got to know a lot of the regular exhibitors and visitors, and I always make a point of saying hello and having a catch up (when they’re free). Whether I’m a visitor or an exhibitor, what most stands out are the conversations and how willing people are to share.
WoL is truly a place where you can have a proper conversation with people. Yes, the exhibitors are there to sell their wares, but I find when I tell them I’m a freelancer and I’m looking to add companies to my mental rolodex for when a client needs ‘X’, they relax and we just chat about their product or how their day is going.
Keeping up to date with what the exhibitors are doing also helps when I’m chatting to a visitor (or another exhibitor) and they say they’re looking for ‘X’; I can then tell them where to go and who to chat to. It’s something a lot of the regulars do, it builds relationships and it really shows the community spirit of exhibitions.
Sharing the stand
This year was the third time L&D Free Spirits has exhibited, and the third time we’ve run our exclusive stand share competition.
When Free Spirits was first set up, I was chatting to Tom McDowall at another WoL event, and we floated the idea of splitting the stand so a freelancer could share it. It’s not cheap to exhibit, so if we can offer that opportunity to people who might not be able to afford it, that’s a massive bonus.
Watching our members having conversations and making connections they maybe wouldn’t have made brings me a huge sense of pride. Last year Jayne Bates from Growth Spark Training landed clients as a direct result of sharing the stand. It’s a bit early to see if this year’s winner, Craig Stevenson, converts any conversations, but time will tell.
The best advocates you could ask for
It wasn’t just me on the stand. I was joined by COO Andy Candler, Wizard Hayley Maisey and our competition winner Craig. Plus, over the two days, members Jill Sainsbury, Usha Puri-Dewage and Emma Lancia all took a shift on the stand, chatting to visitors about their own businesses and how Free Spirits had supported them.
Truly, can you get better advocates for your community than your actual members? I think not. And I was so grateful to everyone for taking a shift, because we were properly busy… we even had people waiting to talk to us on day one!
During the two days, so many of our members came by to say hello and have a chat. In fact, many of them would come back during the day to tell us how it was going, or just to have a minute away from the crowds.
I even gave people homework
When I was chatting to people on the cusp of going self-employed, I was giving them pointers to make the most of the expo. Mainly, make as many connections as possible, because your network will be your most important asset.
I loved how so many people, whether members or not, went away feeling good about their choice and with a clear idea of what they could do right away. That, and loads of people went away with homework to tame their wobble gremlin, find their passion and profit niches, build a business plan or our weekly goal setter desk pads.
A fancy pants new banner
Our new banner also went down an absolute treat. So many people said they were drawn in by the top two lines… which means we nailed the messaging (it only took 7 versions to agree on the wording).
Freelancing is brilliant
But it’s also blooming hard
The difference between our old banner, which just said ‘The community for the self-employed’ with a bunch of images, and the new one was absolutely massive. It’s really easy to want to put everything on a banner, to flood it with your offering or pictures and examples. But when you really think about it, having the right words and a clear message right in the eye line is the most important thing.
In their own words
I asked Andy and Craig for their reflections on the expo too…
What surprised me most was how the spirit of our membership community was carried over to a busy, noisy exhibition floor. Over the two days, people kept returning to our stand, not to be sold anything, but to grab a chocolate or biscuit, take a seat to decompress, and chat to friendly faces. In a sea of noise and bustle, our stand became a safe harbour. That’s exactly what L&D Free Spirits offers its members all year round: a welcoming, supportive place where freelancers, and people thinking about taking the leap, can find practical advice and good, friendly company. The whole world of L&D is full of generous people, and I genuinely believe our community brings out the best of that.
Andy Candler, COO, L&D Free Spirits
Exhibiting at World of Learning with L&D Free Spirits was a fantastic experience, particularly as it was my first time exhibiting at the event with Arck Learning. As a small business, getting in front of the right people and building new relationships is incredibly valuable, but exhibiting at a major event can be a big commitment. Being part of the L&D Free Spirits stand made that opportunity much more accessible. Over the two days, I had some brilliant conversations with potential clients, made new connections and finally met people I’d known or worked with online for years. It’s given Arck Learning greater visibility, opened the door to some promising opportunities for new work and helped me feel more confident about putting the business out there. It was a genuinely enjoyable experience, and one that’s given me plenty to build on.
Craig Stevenson, Arck Learning
You get out what you put in
Not all expos and conferences are equal. Some are awesome, some are meh and some are just awful. And while you can’t control everything about the experience, you can control what you put into it.
For me, the best approach has always been to turn up with an open mind, take a genuine interest in what other people are doing and not treat every conversation as a potential sale. Because you never know where those conversations might lead. A new client, a future collaborator, someone you can recommend to somebody else, or simply a new friend who understands the world you work in.
When I first went to World of Learning back in 2016, I came away excited about all the things I’d learned. Ten years later, I still come away buzzing. But these days, it’s less about the products, platforms and shiny new things. It’s about the people.
Who I’ll see has become just as important to me as what I’ll learn. Catching up with familiar faces, meeting people I’ve only ever spoken to online and making new connections are all part of what makes the experience so special.
And I think that’s true of being part of a community too. Its value isn’t always measured by the work you win, the opportunities you find or the things you learn.
Sometimes, it’s simply knowing you’ve got people around you.
