GUEST EDITOR
Nannette Nolan
In my time as the director of marketing communications at LTEN, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing and driving countless innovations. Each year brings new challenges, opportunities and aspirations — but 2024 truly stood apart.
It was a year that pushed boundaries, tested resilience and redefined how LTEN will support members in the future. It wasn’t just the toughest year of my career; it was the most rewarding.
That journey of tinkering, experimenting and fearlessly tackling obstacles has led us to one of the most impactful transformations in LTEN history.
Your engagement and feedback sparked this transformation. In 2023 we realized our technology wasn’t serving you, our members, as it should. Siloed platforms left gaps in understanding your engagement; manual processes consumed staff time and fragmented systems created unnecessary barriers. These challenges limited not only our operations but also our ability to provide the seamless personalized experiences you deserve.
By late 2023 we began laying the foundation for change, diving headfirst into integration efforts throughout 2024. Your calls for better tools, more integration and easier access inspired us to reimagine what was possible. We envisioned a future where every interaction felt intuitive and every resource was just a click away.
With that, we embarked on a yearlong journey to revamp our technology stack, aiming to meet and exceed your expectations.
Your needs were at the heart of every decision. We set out to give you a unified profile capturing your achievements, activities and recognitions. We reduced the frustration of multiple logins with single sign-on functionality. Every touchpoint — from accessing the eLearning Lounge to exploring webinars — was reimagined to be frictionless and satisfying.
Operationally, our goal was clear: eliminate inefficiencies that took time away from supporting you. Automating manual tasks meant we could shift our focus to understanding your needs, creating new opportunities and delivering tailored solutions. This wasn’t just a technology upgrade — it was a commitment to you, our community.
Revamping a technology stack is no small feat (as I’m sure you all know too well). Over the course of 12 months, we partnered with nearly a dozen technology solution providers, meticulously integrating systems to ensure they “speak” to one another. The process was complex (boy, was it complex!), involving data migration, staff training and countless troubleshooting calls.
But the small-but-mighty LTEN team of eight approached each challenge with determination, enthusiasm and (if we’re honest) a steady stream of caffeine.
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Lauren Harbert, our executive director, for giving us the mandate to tackle this ambitious project and to the LTEN Board of Directors for their unwavering support and vision. They saw the opportunity and their guidance was invaluable.
Key innovations include:
A robust member profile capturing your engagement and achievements.
Single sign-on for fewer logins and more streamlined access.
An enhanced learning management system housing virtual courses, the eLearning Lounge and onboarding modules.
Tools to support our LTEN Ambassadors program, fostering peer-to-peer connections while reducing staff workload.
Integration of the LTEN Annual Conference registration and Excellence Awards portals into our system for a unified experience.
Streamlined access to LTEN webinars through the same connected platform.
Adoption of Zoom for webinars and meetings, leveraging its ever-evolving platform to enhance virtual interactions.
Introduction of show floor mapping to support our valued partners and improve search capabilities in our training supplier directory, helping you find the right partners for your projects.
Countless improvements internally that reduce the administrative load and help us to better visualize our members and their activities.
While we acknowledge this isn’t yet a perfect system, we see this as an iterative process. Each step positions us better for growth and innovation, and we’re more prepared than ever to meet the evolving needs of our community.
As we look to 2025, our commitment to enhancing your experience remains steadfast. Here’s what’s on the horizon:
Exclusive Member Resources: We’ll introduce templates, action guides and other tools designed to empower you in your professional journey.
Community Engagement Platform: A robust space for members to connect, collaborate and engage — accessible via desktop, email and mobile — all tied to your member profile.
Smart Personalization: Leveraging our technology to deliver tailored offers, solutions and opportunities that align with your unique needs.
Hotel Room Booking Tool: A new passkey system to ensure smooth hotel reservations directly tied to event registrations.
These initiatives build on the foundation laid in 2024, ensuring that our investments continue to unlock new possibilities for you and the entire LTEN community.
Ultimately, our success is measured by your satisfaction. We believe these changes will speak for themselves, enhancing how you interact with LTEN and reinforcing your trust in us as a partner in your professional growth.
To our members, thank you for your support, patience and insights that guided this transformation. Your continued engagement inspires everything we do. We invite you to explore the new tools, share your feedback and stay tuned for the exciting developments ahead.
Together, we’re transforming learning and creating a future where every interaction is seamless, every resource is accessible and every member feels valued. Let’s make 2025 a year of connection, growth and opportunity.
Nannette Nolan is director of marketing communications for LTEN. Email Nan at nnolan@L-TEN.org or connect through linkedin.com/in/nannolan.
