Signs of green shoots for training companies as international markets pick up
By Martin Kornacki reporting from the CIPD conference in Manchester (19-11-2009)
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People development companies, many using increasingly audacious marketing techniques to attract delegates at the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development's (CIPD) annual conference in Manchester, say there is an increase in the number of organisations committing to learning investment compared to earlier this year.
The shift is being seen as the result of widely anticipated training budget increases expected in the next financial year.
Mai Apraiz, sales director of international e-learning firm Gamelearn, was cautious but optimistic especially about the influence of international markets on her business.
“The quality of delegates here is maybe better then usual. This year not many people have the budget but they are exploring opportunities for next year,” she said.
“For us the business has really picked up in our other regions like in Madrid.”
She said Latin America had boomed in recent years with countries such as Peru and Mexico developing a North American awareness of the importance of soft skills.
“In Latin America you would think there is no money but in fact we are doing great business there. As in North America these countries are developing a strong awareness of the importance of learning and soft skills training is becoming their business bible.”
And the increasing number of opportunities for training emerging in international markets was echoed by Louise Clayton of The Training Gateway, a broker service for businesses wanting to source training from UK universities.
“The largest contract we are working on at the moment is with the Libyan government who want 200 masters in health care, we have organised for three universities to go out there initially,” she said.
Other exhibitors, among the HR dominated stands, spoke positively about the quality and number of delegates, with the most successful companies tending to market themselves in unusual ways.
Simplyhealth, a corporate health insurance provider, was giving out free stress-busting massages and scooped an award from the CIPD for having the best stand at this year’s show.
But the real show stopper at the event was Worksmart solutions' ‘eye candy’ (pictured).
Cheryl Smallwood from the HR software solutions company explained her decision to have two almost naked male models give out cupcakes at her stand, risking a backlash both from customers and potentially the event’s organisers.
“It was a risk but it’s paid off,” she said. “We came up with the idea in the car on the way back from a conference in Birmingham. It’s totally paid off, we have had a really successful conference and we are finding people are coming to us with actual needs this year as well.”
Lee Smith, the model on the right, said: “70 per cent of the market here are female, we know the catch phrase, give out the cakes and pass them on to the experts. We don’t get embarrassed.”
And Darko Davidov, the rippling gentleman on the left, knew his remit and was sticking to it. “God I look good,” he said with a smile.
The shift is being seen as the result of widely anticipated training budget increases expected in the next financial year.
Mai Apraiz, sales director of international e-learning firm Gamelearn, was cautious but optimistic especially about the influence of international markets on her business.
“The quality of delegates here is maybe better then usual. This year not many people have the budget but they are exploring opportunities for next year,” she said.
“For us the business has really picked up in our other regions like in Madrid.”
She said Latin America had boomed in recent years with countries such as Peru and Mexico developing a North American awareness of the importance of soft skills.
“In Latin America you would think there is no money but in fact we are doing great business there. As in North America these countries are developing a strong awareness of the importance of learning and soft skills training is becoming their business bible.”
And the increasing number of opportunities for training emerging in international markets was echoed by Louise Clayton of The Training Gateway, a broker service for businesses wanting to source training from UK universities.
“The largest contract we are working on at the moment is with the Libyan government who want 200 masters in health care, we have organised for three universities to go out there initially,” she said.
Other exhibitors, among the HR dominated stands, spoke positively about the quality and number of delegates, with the most successful companies tending to market themselves in unusual ways.
Simplyhealth, a corporate health insurance provider, was giving out free stress-busting massages and scooped an award from the CIPD for having the best stand at this year’s show.
But the real show stopper at the event was Worksmart solutions' ‘eye candy’ (pictured).
Cheryl Smallwood from the HR software solutions company explained her decision to have two almost naked male models give out cupcakes at her stand, risking a backlash both from customers and potentially the event’s organisers.
“It was a risk but it’s paid off,” she said. “We came up with the idea in the car on the way back from a conference in Birmingham. It’s totally paid off, we have had a really successful conference and we are finding people are coming to us with actual needs this year as well.”
Lee Smith, the model on the right, said: “70 per cent of the market here are female, we know the catch phrase, give out the cakes and pass them on to the experts. We don’t get embarrassed.”
And Darko Davidov, the rippling gentleman on the left, knew his remit and was sticking to it. “God I look good,” he said with a smile.
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