The eLearning Guild

What The eLearning Guild does

The Learning Guild (formerly The eLearning Guild) is a membership-based professional community serving learning and development (L&D) practitioners, primarily in the United States and Canada. Founded in 2002 and headquartered at 489 5th Avenue, New York City, the organization operates as a US subsidiary of UK-based CloserStill Media, Ltd., a diversified media conglomerate. The community targets L&D professionals — instructional designers, learning leaders, learning experience designers, and learning technology specialists — who need practical guidance, peer connections, and strategic resources to design and deliver learning experiences inside organizations.

The Guild's product surface is organized around three pillars. First, flagship in-person conferences: the DevLearn Conference & Expo (scheduled November 4–6, 2026 at MGM Grand Las Vegas, expanded in 2026 with new Customer Education and Higher Education tracks plus hands-on BYOD learning) and the Learning Leadership Conference (November 2–3, 2026). Second, virtual programming including the AI & Learning Design Online Conference (August 26–27, 2026) plus an archive of webinars. Third, an ongoing content platform — articles, research reports, eBooks, and checklists organized across 28+ topics (AI & Automation, Instructional Design, Learning Platforms, Data & Analytics, Learning Culture, Measurement & Evaluation, and others) — supported by a bi-weekly email newsletter ("Guild Insider") and an active social presence including a 102,144+ member LinkedIn group. Adjacent community services include a Job Board and a Supplier Directory serving the L&D vendor ecosystem.

The business model is anchored on Pro Membership subscriptions providing complimentary access to all online conferences alongside tools and resources. Revenue is supplemented by in-person conference registration and sponsorships, job board postings (employers and candidates), supplier directory placements, and sponsored webinars. The go-to-market motion is explicitly community-led: content marketing, conference programming, and peer networking drive engagement, and pricing is not publicly disclosed. The organization is not described as a technology company; AI is treated as an editorial theme and topic area of programming rather than as a proprietary product surface.

Name

The eLearning Guild

Legal name

The Learning Guild

Website

https://elearningguild.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Learning Guild is a membership-based community serving learning and development professionals, offering Pro Memberships, the DevLearn and Learning Leadership conferences, online events, articles, research, and an L&D job board. It operates as a US subsidiary of UK-based CloserStill Media, Ltd.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Learning & Development Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Course Bundle Subscriptions & Learning Membership Marketplaces (EDAFAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE), Digital Learning & Course Subscriptions (CRAFAIAD)

Keywords

• Learning and development
• Professional membership community
• ELearning conferences
• Instructional design content
• L&D training resources

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: The Learning Guild generates revenue through membership subscriptions. Pro Membership provides access to tools, resources, expert insights, and complimentary access to all online conferences. The membership model supports the organization's mission of providing tools, connections, and strategy to learning professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The eLearning Guild (The Learning Guild) sells a Pro Membership that gives learning and development professionals bi-weekly articles, research, ebooks, checklists, webinars, and complimentary access to all online conferences. It also runs paid flagship events — the in-person DevLearn Conference & Expo and Learning Leadership Conference — plus virtual conferences such as the AI & Learning Design Online Conference, supported by a Job Board and Supplier Directory.

Product overview

The Learning Guild (formerly The eLearning Guild) is a membership-based professional community and content platform for learning and development practitioners. The organization operates on a platform-plus-resources model, offering annual in-person conferences (DevLearn Conference & Expo and Learning Leadership Conference), virtual online conferences (AI & Learning Design Online Conference), and ongoing content resources including articles, research publications, eBooks, webinars, and checklists. Guild Insider membership provides bi-weekly content updates and complimentary access to online conferences. The company also maintains a Job Board and Supplier Directory to serve the L&D professional community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DevLearn Conference & Expo In-person annual conference and expo for learning and development professionals, featuring expanded tracks, hands-on BYOD sessions, and networking opportunities. Targeted at L&D practitioners, customer education professionals, and higher education practitioners.
• Learning Leadership Conference In-person conference for learning executives and leaders, featuring fireside chats and strategic insights for advancing and repositioning enterprise learning functions. Targeted at CLOs, VPs of Learning, and senior L&D leaders.
• AI & Learning Design Online Conference Virtual online conference focused on AI applications in learning design. Targeted at L&D professionals seeking practical guidance on integrating AI into learning experience design and instructional design workflows.
• Pro Membership (Guild Insider) Annual membership subscription providing L&D professionals with bi-weekly articles and insights, tools, resources, expert content, and complimentary access to all online conferences. Available in a Pro Membership tier. Targeted at individual learning professionals seeking professional development and networking.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CloserStill Media, Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Learning Guild is a subsidiary of UK-based CloserStill Media, Ltd. This parent company relationship provides organizational backing and strategic alignment for The Learning Guild's operations as a professional learning community.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brandon Hall Group: Brandon Hall Group is an HCM research and analyst firm that publishes research, hosts events, and runs awards programs for L&D and HR leaders — overlapping with the Guild's research, conferences, and advisory content.
• Chief Learning Officer (CLO) Media: CLO Media publishes content, research, and runs events targeting senior L&D executives — directly comparable to The Learning Guild's Learning Leadership conference and executive-strategy content.
• HR.com: HR.com is a large online community, content publisher, and event organizer for HR professionals, with a growing focus on L&D. It competes for the same audience and sponsorship dollars with a similar community-led model.
• eLearning Industry: eLearning Industry is a community-driven online platform for eLearning professionals with articles, courses, jobs, and a supplier directory. It serves the same eLearning/L&D audience with overlapping content and community offerings.
• Training Industry Inc. Training Industry operates a media and community platform serving corporate training and L&D professionals, with research, articles, events, and a supplier directory — a near-overlapping community and content model.
• Association for Talent Development (ATD): ATD is the largest professional membership association for talent development and L&D practitioners, offering conferences (ATD International Conference & Exposition), publications, certifications, and research. It directly competes with The Learning Guild for the same core L&D persona.

Broad incumbents

• Skillsoft: Skillsoft is a broad incumbent in enterprise learning with a content library, learning platform, and executive programs. While it overlaps on L&D content delivery, its core model is a learning platform rather than a community or conference organizer.
• LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn Learning is a broad incumbent offering video courses and learning paths to professionals. It does not run a community or conferences, but competes for the same L&D budget on the content side and hosts the Guild's primary LinkedIn community surface.

Others

• Learning Technologies (CloserStill Media portfolio brand): Learning Technologies is the UK-based sister event from the same CloserStill Media parent that owns The Learning Guild. While not a direct US competitor, it represents the parent company's broader L&D events portfolio and the most immediate ecosystem peer.

Emerging players

• The Masie Center: The Masie Center is a learning and performance-focused organization that runs conferences, labs, and a network for learning executives — overlapping with the Guild's executive L&D audience and conference format.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXKcVSJuehcu2w3MMFiSQOQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/265302656953
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-elearning-guild
• Instagraminstagram.com/learningguild
• Xx.com/elearningguild

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The eLearning Guild