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Were you at Learning Technologies 2025?
The Thrive team certainly was, and this blog brings you the highlights from two incredible days at Europe’s leading conference of organisational learning technology.
Learning Technologies 2025 brought the crowds, the energy and more than a few “wow” moments — and Thrive was at the heart of it all. Across two packed days at ExCeL London, we hosted thought-provoking customer stories, launched game-changing AI tools (hello, Kiki!), and shared the stage with some of the most forward-thinking organisations in the world of learning and development.
Here’s how it all unfolded.
It didn’t take long for the buzz to build around the Thrive stand on day one. From the moment doors opened, Kiki the robot was the centre of attention as she roamed the stand in a Thrive branded T-shirt.
But the real magic happened on stage and in our sessions, where our customers shared first-hand how they’re transforming learning across industries. Let’s explore some of the highlights.
Rob Beattie from Vodafone kicked off our Thrivechella stage sessions by sharing how the organisation is using Thrive to connect and engage thousands of learners. From seamless onboarding journeys to social learning strategies that boost knowledge sharing, Rob painted a clear picture of how learning can be a unifying force — especially in global businesses.
By 11:30 AM, all eyes turned to Bitesize Learning Zone 1, where Will unveiled the brains behind the bot: Kiki, our brand-new AI-powered assistant. In a quickfire 15-minute session, we demonstrated how Kiki is making personalised learning easier, faster and more intuitive — from Federated Search and Smart Admin features, to AI-powered content creation and data visualisation.
Next, Rebecca and Rachel from Burger King took the Thrivechella stage spotlight alongside Thrive’s Co-CEO Cassie Gasson. Their session was a lively, honest exploration of what it takes to embed learning into a fast-paced, largely deskless workforce. Together, they showed how Thrive is helping their fast-moving teams with upskilling and real learning impact — whether they’re grilling burgers or managing branches.
Over at Seminar Theatre 7, Billie Barnes from IWG unpacked how the global workspace provider is using Thrive and AI to supercharge employee development. The session, run alongside Thrive CLO Helen Marshall, was packed with real-world insights — from embracing experimentation to keeping humanity at the core of what you do — and showed how the right tools can unlock talent mobility at scale.
“With overcoming the retention challenges but also planning the future of our workforce to support their internal development as our key focus, we have plenty of conversations that lead with "what else"? And with that, experimentation with AI is fundamental.
Inviting innovative thinking, being partnered with a future thinking LMS and experimenting with AI tools have helped evolve our offering. We are always working on how we serve our colleagues. The LMS isn't dead, we simply need to flex with what we do with it.”
Back at the Thrivechella stage, Josie from Travis Perkins wrapped up the day’s customer talks with a deep dive into how Travis Perkins is using Thrive to empower their teams and drive real learning impact. She explained how Thrive is helping the business stay compliant, support career progression through apprenticeships, and prepare teams for the future — all with a platform that’s as easy to use as it is effective.
By 2 PM, the Thrive stand was packed again — this time for our customer power hour.
No sales. No slides. Just real customers answering real questions.
Representatives from Alto, Topps Tiles, British Airways, VIVO, Evri, Interpath, AA Driving School, Yopa, Leigh Academies Trust and Next all spent time meeting with curious L&D professionals from various industries. They showcased their platforms, shared success stories, and offered practical advice on everything from implementation to platform management.
The repeated popularity of Thrive’s Customer Power Hour continues to prove to us that the best insights really do come from your peers.
Next, the Thrive stand transformed into a buzzing hub for our customer cocktail happy hour. With a live DJ spinning tracks and drinks flowing freely, it was the perfect setting to unwind, connect and celebrate a successful day.
One of the highlights had to be Emma from Alto absolutely smashing the speed light challenge, hitting 63 lights in just 30 seconds. She walked away with bragging rights and a serious case of hand-eye coordination envy from the rest of us.
Monica from Leeds Building Society kicked things off with a session focused on communication, culture and consistency. She shared how their teams are using Thrive to build a stronger learning culture, connect knowledge and performance, and create a learning experience that actually feels like a part of the job – not an extra task.
Next, Jacqui and Ronnie from British Airways took the Thrivechella stage and quickly captivated the crowd. Their talk explored the challenges of keeping a global, diverse workforce engaged – featuring an unscripted demo to showcase how Thrive helps them achieve just that.
While BA was flying high, Niall from Amarak joined Helen in Seminar Theatre 7 for a session on modernising onboarding. Together, they revealed how Aramark said goodbye to paper-heavy processes and embraced digital-first experiences, powered by Thrive.
The afternoon wrapped with a future-ready session, during which Tim Brown from Reiss shared how the luxury fashion brand is gearing up for Gen Alpha.
His talk, titled “Deskless doesn’t mean voiceless”, explored what younger workers want — from mobile-first learning and meaningful communication, to purpose-driven career paths. He outlined how Reiss is using Thrive to meet those expectations, create inclusive digital experiences, and retain the next generation of talent.
Another year, another game-changing Learning Technologies conference to remember.
Whether it was launching Kiki, hearing about how Thrive is transforming organisations, or dancing to the DJ at happy hour, we left feeling inspired to raise the bar even higher.
To everyone who visited, presented, asked questions, or simply stopped to say hi — thank you. We couldn’t do what we do without you.
Our 2025 events calendar is jam-packed – so to stay up-to-date on what we’re up to, be sure to keep an eye on our Events page or LinkedIn.
Explore what impact Thrive could make for your team and your learners today.
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Were you at Learning Technologies 2025?
The Thrive team certainly was, and this blog brings you the highlights from two incredible days at Europe’s leading conference of organisational learning technology.
Learning Technologies 2025 brought the crowds, the energy and more than a few “wow” moments — and Thrive was at the heart of it all. Across two packed days at ExCeL London, we hosted thought-provoking customer stories, launched game-changing AI tools (hello, Kiki!), and shared the stage with some of the most forward-thinking organisations in the world of learning and development.
Here’s how it all unfolded.
It didn’t take long for the buzz to build around the Thrive stand on day one. From the moment doors opened, Kiki the robot was the centre of attention as she roamed the stand in a Thrive branded T-shirt.
But the real magic happened on stage and in our sessions, where our customers shared first-hand how they’re transforming learning across industries. Let’s explore some of the highlights.
Rob Beattie from Vodafone kicked off our Thrivechella stage sessions by sharing how the organisation is using Thrive to connect and engage thousands of learners. From seamless onboarding journeys to social learning strategies that boost knowledge sharing, Rob painted a clear picture of how learning can be a unifying force — especially in global businesses.
By 11:30 AM, all eyes turned to Bitesize Learning Zone 1, where Will unveiled the brains behind the bot: Kiki, our brand-new AI-powered assistant. In a quickfire 15-minute session, we demonstrated how Kiki is making personalised learning easier, faster and more intuitive — from Federated Search and Smart Admin features, to AI-powered content creation and data visualisation.
Next, Rebecca and Rachel from Burger King took the Thrivechella stage spotlight alongside Thrive’s Co-CEO Cassie Gasson. Their session was a lively, honest exploration of what it takes to embed learning into a fast-paced, largely deskless workforce. Together, they showed how Thrive is helping their fast-moving teams with upskilling and real learning impact — whether they’re grilling burgers or managing branches.
Over at Seminar Theatre 7, Billie Barnes from IWG unpacked how the global workspace provider is using Thrive and AI to supercharge employee development. The session, run alongside Thrive CLO Helen Marshall, was packed with real-world insights — from embracing experimentation to keeping humanity at the core of what you do — and showed how the right tools can unlock talent mobility at scale.
“With overcoming the retention challenges but also planning the future of our workforce to support their internal development as our key focus, we have plenty of conversations that lead with "what else"? And with that, experimentation with AI is fundamental.
Inviting innovative thinking, being partnered with a future thinking LMS and experimenting with AI tools have helped evolve our offering. We are always working on how we serve our colleagues. The LMS isn't dead, we simply need to flex with what we do with it.”
Back at the Thrivechella stage, Josie from Travis Perkins wrapped up the day’s customer talks with a deep dive into how Travis Perkins is using Thrive to empower their teams and drive real learning impact. She explained how Thrive is helping the business stay compliant, support career progression through apprenticeships, and prepare teams for the future — all with a platform that’s as easy to use as it is effective.
By 2 PM, the Thrive stand was packed again — this time for our customer power hour.
No sales. No slides. Just real customers answering real questions.
Representatives from Alto, Topps Tiles, British Airways, VIVO, Evri, Interpath, AA Driving School, Yopa, Leigh Academies Trust and Next all spent time meeting with curious L&D professionals from various industries. They showcased their platforms, shared success stories, and offered practical advice on everything from implementation to platform management.
The repeated popularity of Thrive’s Customer Power Hour continues to prove to us that the best insights really do come from your peers.
Next, the Thrive stand transformed into a buzzing hub for our customer cocktail happy hour. With a live DJ spinning tracks and drinks flowing freely, it was the perfect setting to unwind, connect and celebrate a successful day.
One of the highlights had to be Emma from Alto absolutely smashing the speed light challenge, hitting 63 lights in just 30 seconds. She walked away with bragging rights and a serious case of hand-eye coordination envy from the rest of us.
Monica from Leeds Building Society kicked things off with a session focused on communication, culture and consistency. She shared how their teams are using Thrive to build a stronger learning culture, connect knowledge and performance, and create a learning experience that actually feels like a part of the job – not an extra task.
Next, Jacqui and Ronnie from British Airways took the Thrivechella stage and quickly captivated the crowd. Their talk explored the challenges of keeping a global, diverse workforce engaged – featuring an unscripted demo to showcase how Thrive helps them achieve just that.
While BA was flying high, Niall from Amarak joined Helen in Seminar Theatre 7 for a session on modernising onboarding. Together, they revealed how Aramark said goodbye to paper-heavy processes and embraced digital-first experiences, powered by Thrive.
The afternoon wrapped with a future-ready session, during which Tim Brown from Reiss shared how the luxury fashion brand is gearing up for Gen Alpha.
His talk, titled “Deskless doesn’t mean voiceless”, explored what younger workers want — from mobile-first learning and meaningful communication, to purpose-driven career paths. He outlined how Reiss is using Thrive to meet those expectations, create inclusive digital experiences, and retain the next generation of talent.
Another year, another game-changing Learning Technologies conference to remember.
Whether it was launching Kiki, hearing about how Thrive is transforming organisations, or dancing to the DJ at happy hour, we left feeling inspired to raise the bar even higher.
To everyone who visited, presented, asked questions, or simply stopped to say hi — thank you. We couldn’t do what we do without you.
Our 2025 events calendar is jam-packed – so to stay up-to-date on what we’re up to, be sure to keep an eye on our Events page or LinkedIn.
Explore what impact Thrive could make for your team and your learners today.
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