COCON24 was the hashtag for this year's edition of the Copetri Convention in Offenbach. And somehow this designation is totally fine, as it bears little resemblance to a traditional HR trade fair. I tend to go with “Happening”: Presentations, workshops, and loungers on green grass meet Offenbach industrial romance – any questions?

HR Trade Fair with Event Flair

Visitors from previous years know: When Copetri is on, good weather usually prevails. This year was not as hot as last year; nevertheless, the huge outdoor area of Fredenhagen, a former factory hall converted into an event location on the city limits of Offenbach, saw a great deal of activity. Many visitors recognized each other from previous years, as COCON24 was the third edition of these two event days.

A Different Type of Event Location: Fredenhagen in Offenbach-South

According to the organizers, around 5,000 people pilgrimage to Offenbach each year to find out what is currently moving the HR and education world. The high proportion of presentations and workshops, where sometimes very prominent names gave insights into their world, provided attendees with significant further educational value.

Much new was seen and heard, disturbing experiences were encountered (for example, from my perspective, a job interview + onboarding with an AI bot), and attendees went home with new impressions. And yes, Copetri does not consider itself a classic sales event: With topics like People, Transformation, and Innovation, it is more of a network or think tank where large and small companies learn from each other in regular exchange formats. The convention is merely the highlight of the year where “providers” (not exhibitors) meet on-site.

As a high value is placed on sustainability throughout the Copetri cosmos, the booths are made of wood. There are no carpets, and you find almost no paper, as much of it runs excellently digitally – very commendable, as it is known how much waste such events usually produce. This impression is further enhanced by the relaxation area with green lawns and sun loungers, as well as the food trucks, which also offer a lot of vegan and healthy options.

Pitfalls in E-Learning

That a lot of rubbish is also produced here and there in E-Learning was the subject of a workshop by Canudo’s managing director Hajo Noll: “E-Learning: Failures, Misfortunes, and Mishaps” was the title of his workshop, which attracted many interested parties from the further education sector.

Of course, it was primarily about what can be improved in E-Learning, but first, problems were revealed, and the biggest failures discussed. For example, one company once boasted about the introduction of an entire fleet of E-Learnings, only to then – naturally after the prototypes were completed and after months of work – realize that the WLAN connection in-house was not sufficient to serve the present learners with corresponding digital learning content. In other places, learning cubes for further education at the PC were set up in factory halls, which were then joyfully used by the employees as smoking and break rooms. E-Learnings without WLAN and smoking lounges - quite a shame...

Knowledge Gets Lost in (Digital) Folders

As the workshop progressed, many participants complained that the carefully created E-Learnings or all LMS were available but not being used. A widespread problem that, as Hajo Noll reported from his experience, requires great marketing efforts for E-Learning within the company. One must first show people what E-Learnings can do and that they provide significant added value - also for one’s own advancement. Activities must be desired, appreciated, seen, and rewarded by management; otherwise, knowledge remains in the (digital) folders that motivated people have painstakingly created.

Furthermore, technical hurdles were reported, such as when handling SCORM containers across multiple LMS. Here, I may recommend THIS PAGE in my own interest and in my role as Blinkie, where our LMS connector solves exactly this problem. :-) And of course, creating and maintaining the learning content of E-Learnings is a topic that ties up considerable time for HR developers and L&D officers and sometimes consumes a budget whose ROI is hard to quantify.

Hajo Noll, Canudo GmbH

Well Spun Holds Better

A real surprise guest at the Copetri was Spiderman - at least in the form of a presentation and as a role model from whom one can learn. Basti Koch, Product Director at Haufe Academy for their Future Skill Guide “sparks,” explained why E-Learning and learning in general is no longer a one-way street today, but why many “threads” are crucial to becoming a true skill Spiderman.

Thus, sparks offers the opportunity to consume small smart lessons on various topics via smartphone in every free moment. The further qualification does not occur in the classic school scenario or in the LMS, but rather on the side while you have time, playfully and almost without even noticing it! This way, the average Peter Parker can equip himself with skills that one would not have otherwise expected of him.

Basti Koch, Haufe Academy

LMS vs. LXP

On the Haufe Partner Stage right at the entrance of COCON24, there was enlightenment about the famous LXP term: Stefan Krüger, Head of Learning Platforms, explained the initially hard-to-see distinction between LXP and LMS in the Haufe context. In this case, the LMS serves as an administrator-centered learning distribution tool that mainly includes training that concerns everyone and has a compulsory nature. The LXP, on the other hand, is the more personal learning place that, with connections to various curated learning content, including from external sources, fosters the individual and enhances their skills in a more playful and media-oriented way.

Stefan Krüger, Haufe Academy

AI in E-Learning

And then there is the ubiquitous topic of AI: Stephan Rothe, Business Owner Digital Learning Content at Haufe, somewhat tempered enthusiasm for this future technology by pointing out that real AI innovation arises only through individuals and not because people make their work easier through it.

There need to be application cases where AI can help and contribute to a real uplift. Otherwise, it is just a kind of end in itself, serving to say that one is doing “something with AI.” According to Stephan Rothe, it is primarily about the what and the why. At the same time, there needs to be an awareness that an AI can only offer good services if the data foundation it works on has a correspondingly high quality. However, this is still not the case in many companies, so considerable groundwork is needed before AI can be introduced.

Overall, it was perceived at COCON24 that AI is the all-dominating topic – all the more refreshing to hear a statement that adds some realism to the hype. Also in these points, the Copetri Convention 2024 distinguishes itself as an event that, while talking a lot about innovation, does not lose sight of the people and the individuals involved. In the end, with AI, it is also about how it is applied by people within ethical and moral standards and should generate business cases that ultimately help everyone.

We hope you enjoyed our report from the Copetri Convention 2024 and wish you continued success with your E-Learnings!