ARRIVAL – MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
Ask The Experts
30-minute sessions with any DiscoverLink team member about anything of your choosing. Bring materials if you wish or just meet to brainstorm ideas!
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Welcome Party!
A fun evening of appetizers, drinks, networking and games at the outdoor Pavilion. Check out the pictures from last year’s Welcome Party on our Facebook page to see what you’ll miss if you don’t join us for this event!
6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
DAY ONE – TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1
Ask The Experts
30-minute sessions with any DiscoverLink team member about anything of your choosing. Bring materials if you wish or just meet to brainstorm ideas!
7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
Conference Kickoff
Meet the team and get ready to learn! This is also your chance to vote on your favorite Custom Login Page and Success Story, so don’t be late!
8:30 – 9:30 a.m.
John Poulos – President, DiscoverLink
Best-in-Class Performers – What’s Their Secret?
Today’s operating climate is challenging for restaurants; many are struggling to grow profits while retaining employees. This is not the case for everyone. There are companies that have struck the balance between increasing sales and minimizing turnover. How are they staying on top? In this session, we will discuss the roles in your organization that play a pivotal role in its success – your general manager. Join us as we uncover some of the latest insights from TDn2K on best practices in operational and people performance.
9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Melissa Doolin-Koehne – Vice President of Business Development, TDn2K
Exceptional Exploits: Pushing the E-learning Envelope
These e-learning experts know no limits when it comes to exploiting their learning management systems. Hear about how these leading brands use e-learning technology to do exceptional things. This session is all about new ideas, and you’ll see first-hand how these innovators are pushing the e-learning envelope in unconventional ways. Join us for an interactive panel discussion where they’ll demonstrate these unique LMS applications and answer all of your questions.
10:45 – 11:45 a.m.
Moderator: Zach Golden – Account Manager, DiscoverLink
Jessicah Pounds – Sr. Dir. of Training and Ops, Moe’s Southwest Grill
10:45 – 11:45 a.m.
Mary Margaret Dent – eLearning Manager, Pappas Restaurants
DiscoverLink Content Library Update & Roadmap
Discover new courses to improve compliance and round out your learning programs, and find out what we have in the works.
11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Ellen Keiser – Manager of Content Development, DiscoverLink
Best Practices Lunch
Grab your lunch, and keep the learning and networking going at a topical round-table of your choice hosted by a client expert.
12:15 – 1:45 p.m.
Blended Learning Program Design – Gayle Shuff, Texas Roadhouse
Success Metrics/Knowledge Score – Felicia White, Church’s Chicken
Resource Area Uses – Allen Northrop, Moe’s Southwest Grill
Operator Buy-In – Craig Story, Perkins
GM Engagement – Nate Breen, Pizza Ranch
Content Development Strategy – Konnie Sadler, Culver’s
New Store Openings – Manuel Gomez, Golden Corral
Ask The Experts
30-minute sessions with any DiscoverLink team member about anything of your choosing. Bring materials if you wish or just meet to brainstorm ideas!
1:15 – 1:45 p.m.
Breakout 1a: DiscoverLink Talent Top 10 Underused (But Awesome) Features
Find out about some of the most underutilized features in DiscoverLink Talent in this fun, fast-paced session. For each feature, we’ll highlight its most common uses, provide a quick demo, and answer whatever questions you may have. This is a great way to make sure you’re getting the most out of your LMS investment.
1:45 – 2:25 p.m.
Michelle Killian – Director of Client Services, DiscoverLink
1:45 – 2:25 p.m.
Stuart Campbell – Director of Engineering, DiscoverLink
Breakout 1b: Driving Adoption of E-learning Through Completion Optimization
“Build it and they will come” doesn’t always work. To increase participation in your training programs, operations, middle managers, GMs, and employees must clearly see the value. This breakout will provide proven ways to increase participation and prove ROI, with case studies based on dozens of client consultations.
1:45 – 2:25 p.m.
Jeff Tenut – CEO, DiscoverLink
Breakout 1c: Harassment Prevention Learning Program Workshop
Keeping up with the ever-changing harassment prevention laws can be a real challenge. In this cross-country tour, we’ll highlight current training requirements from California to New York and every place in between. Then we’ll get down to business working together to develop an ongoing blended learning program and create some sample exams and practice activities for your learners.
1:45 – 2:25 p.m.
Moderator: Josh Lowry – VP of Customer Success, DiscoverLink
E-course Show & Tell
Clients share their best e-learning courses, best simulations, and best interactive activities.
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Moderator: Mike Andrews – Account Manager, DiscoverLink
Felicia White – Senior Director of Training and Development, Church’s Chicken
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Angi Lamkins – Instructional Design Manager, McAlister’s Deli
Amy Keen – Director of Training, Granite City
DiscoverLink Talent Update & Money Talks
Find out how our latest enhancements can help you meet your goals. Afterwards, help us prioritize new feature development for DiscoverLink Talent.
3:30 – 4:15 p.m.
Tom Tankelewicz – COO, DiscoverLink
Campus Compare
Join us for speed dating – DiscoverLink style! Pick a campus that you want to explore and after 20 minutes are up, rotate to another table!
4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Featured campuses:
Celebration Dinner
Enjoy dinner, drinks and networking at a local restaurant. Bus transportation provided. Check out our photo album on Facebook to see last year’s celebration.
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
DAY TWO – WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2
Ask The Experts
30-minute sessions with any DiscoverLink team member about anything of your choosing. Bring materials if you wish or just meet to brainstorm ideas!
7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
Performance That Rocks: Managing Your Brand Ambassadors
One of the hardest things you may do is impact and influence the performance and behaviors of others. Often overlooked, this leadership skill is the means by which you attain great results…through your employees. This interactive session focuses on managing people and developing the performance of others.
Key concepts include:
• The Employee Life Cycle
• Virtuous vs. Vicious Cycles
• Hiring & Retaining “Rock Stars”
• Creating an Army of Giants
• Performance Tools
• The Emotional Bank Account
• Employee Engagement
• Leadership & Accountability
• Philanthropy
If you’re a fan of unpredictability and thinking about things differently when it comes to performance management, come hear what all the noise is about.
8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
Jim Knight – Owner/Founder of Knight Speaker
Keynote speaker and bestselling author Jim Knight will use the backdrop of several well-known brands, including Hard Rock International, via his 21-year run with that brand as the head of Training & Development, as a platform to discuss key strategies to create and maintain a strong employee performance culture…all told through the spirit of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Breakout 2a: Getting Started with the DiscoverLink Talent Mobile App
In this step-by-step session, we’ll walk you through the process of getting your campus ready to use the DiscoverLink Talent Mobile App. From setting up Resources to Messaging Permissions to Geofencing, you’ll walk away with a checklist of action items that will get you going in no time.
10:15 – 10:55 a.m.
Dan Corley – Client Services, DiscoverLink
10:15 – 10:55 a.m.
Alexis Garoufalis – QA Analyst, DiscoverLink
Breakout 2b: Course Development Tips & Techniques
Designed for instructional designers and course builders, this session will feature several clients who will share a portion of an e-learning course that they’re especially proud of — a cool interaction, activity, game element or some other aspect — and then, they’ll show you how they actually built it. There will be time for Q&A but for those who want an even deeper dive, plan to stay for the post-conference Content Co-Lab where we’re really get down into the details.
10:15 – 10:55 a.m.
Moderator: Josh Lowry – VP of Customer Success, DiscoverLink
Nicole Kunza – Instructional Designer, Perkins
10:15 – 10:55 a.m.
Jesse Boehm – Instructional Design Manager, Pizza Ranch
Lauren McCombs – eLearning Designer, Texas Roadhouse
Breakout 2c: Using Knowledge Score to Develop Bench Strength
In this session, you’ll discover the power behind using a Knowledge Score as a driver of bench strength within your organization. Learn how to apply Knowledge Score values to training content, and hear case studies illustrating how Knowledge Scores can be used as a predictor of restaurant success.
10:15 – 10:55 a.m.
Jeff Tenut – CEO, DiscoverLink
Mobile App Mania! Strategies for Going Mobile
Get the lowdown on going mobile from these early adopters of the new DiscoverLink Talent Mobile App. You’ll hear their mobile strategies, intended use cases, and pitfalls to avoid in deployment.
11:00 – 12:00 p.m.
Moderator: Tom Tankelewicz – COO, DiscoverLink
Craig Story – Sr. Manager of Training and Development, Perkins Restaurants & Bakery
11:00 – 12:00 p.m.
Chad Chmielowicz – Director of Learning, Naf Naf Grill
Jason Lechner – Director of Training and Development, Pizza Ranch
Conference Wrap Up
We’ll share prioritization results and wrap up the conference!
12:00 – 12:30 p.m.
John Poulos – President, DiscoverLink
Farewell Lunch
Your last chance to network and reminisce about the great time you had at LinkUp!
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Ask The Experts
30-minute sessions with any DiscoverLink team member about anything of your choosing. Bring materials if you wish or just meet to brainstorm ideas!
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Content Co-Lab
This hands-on workshop is an opportunity to collaborate with other content developers and instructional designers. Bring your laptops to share your creations, get help solving a problem you’ve been working on, or try out one of the ideas you saw at the Course Development Tips & Techniques breakout session. Presenters from the breakout as well as our in-house Storyline experts will be on hand to assist and/or provide feedback.
1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Facilitator: Josh Lowry – VP of Customer Success, DiscoverLink
1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Randy Skeen – Multimedia Specialist, DiscoverLink
Customer Advisory Panel Meeting
For Customer Advisory Panel members only. If you would like to become a member of the panel, please contact us.
This is a great opportunity to discuss future product enhancements and content library additions you want us to consider. In this session we plan to cover:
- Mobile App Enhancements: How do you intend to use this technology and how would you like to see it evolve?
- Communication Tools: What role does your LMS play in communicating with managers and employees, and how can it serve you better?
- Content Gaps & Formats: Where do you have gaps to fill in your training programs, and where should we focus our development efforts? What type of content are you focused on — videos, micro-learning courses, something else?
- Open Brainstorm: What other challenges are you facing in your organization, and what additional enhancement ideas would you like to share?
1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Facilitator: Stuart Campbell – Director of Engineering, DiscoverLink
1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Julie Schroeder – Instructional Designer, DiscoverLink
