Following the international Train the Trainer sessions for our new solutions, the week continued with DIRECT, our yearly strategic conference. The goal was not only to reflect on what we have achieved so far in 2026, but to look ahead, exchange ideas across the network and turn shared learning into concrete action for the second half of the year.
Introducing our newest learning solutions
The week began with international Train the Trainer sessions introducing our completely renewed B2C SALES training portfolio. The program prepares retail salespeople to succeed with today’s highly informed customers – helping them move beyond product pitching and turn hesitation into confident buying decisions.
We also unveiled two highly relevant and challenging new programs:
The AI-Ready Leader training prepares leaders to navigate a workplace where AI is rapidly becoming part of everyday work and decision-making, while keeping human judgment, accountability, and team ownership at the center.
TITAN, our advanced sensemaking and decision-making program, uses the real-life OceanGate Titan case to challenge participants to navigate information overload, engage in constructive dialogue, and make sound decisions in complex environments.
And last but not least, we introduced The Black Gold Empire – an engaging new team-building board game focused on strategic decision-making and collaboration.
Together, these new solutions expand the ways we can create practical, memorable, and impactful learning experiences for our clients.
Strengthening our strategic partnerships
Our strategic partners also joined us in Budapest. Mark Leisegang, Doug Kirk and Caragh Irving from Insights and Marianna Khonina from AIBLE Simulations. They shared the results of our collaboration so far and, even more importantly, what’s coming next for them and how we can continue building together. Both partnerships play an important role in expanding the solutions and learning experiences we can offer our clients internationally.
Celebrating impact with the Growth Ignition Award
DIRECT is also a moment to recognize people whose work makes an exceptional difference.
During the conference, we presented the Growth Ignition Award again to trainers whose contribution and results are exemplary both within the DEVELOR network and in the impact they create for our clients.
The award celebrates more than excellent delivery. It recognizes the professional commitment, client impact, and contribution to the wider community that helps us continuously raise the standard of what we do.
Recognizing sustained excellence: Best Achievement Award
DIRECT also gave us the opportunity to celebrate another outstanding achievement across the DEVELOR network.
This year, the Best Achievement Award was presented to DEVELOR Greece. This recognition is especially meaningful because it is not awarded based on one successful business year alone. It celebrates teams that have delivered outstanding performance across two consecutive business years, demonstrating that strong results are not a one-off achievement, but part of a sustainable trajectory.
Over the past period, the Greek team has gone through a significant transformation. Under the leadership of Chrysa Tsitlaidi, DEVELOR Greece has entered an impressive phase of renewal and growth, building momentum and delivering remarkable progress.
Their journey is a strong example of what sustained focus, leadership, and commitment can achieve over time.
Congratulations to the entire DEVELOR Greece team on this well-deserved recognition. đź‘Ź
A very DEVELOR evening
Strategy conferences need energy too. The highlight of the first evening was our “DEVELOR’s Got Talent” show, where colleagues from across the international network stepped onto the stage to share talents that do not usually appear in a training room or business meeting.
The performances brought plenty of surprises, laughter, and an unforgettable atmosphere, and reminded us once again how much talent, personality, and diversity there is across our community.
Learning from the best practices across our network
Friday shifted the focus back to learning and action. We heard five best practices from across the DEVELOR network, sharing approaches, experiences, and ideas that can help us create even stronger (and truly legendary) results for our clients.
Rather than keeping successful practices within individual countries or teams, DIRECT gave us the opportunity to learn from one another and explore how these ideas can be adapted and applied across the wider network.
Looking ahead to the second half of 2026
And, of course, DIRECT was also about strategy. Together with leaders and colleagues from across the network, we reviewed our direction for the second half of the year and aligned around the priorities that will shape the months ahead.
It was an intensive day and a half, filled with learning, discussion, decisions, workshops, and plenty of work. But we left Budapest with something even more important: fresh ideas, inspiration, shared energy and a strong readiness to act.
The second half of 2026 promises to be ambitious, exciting and full of opportunities.
And we are looking forward to bringing everything we learned, discussed, and created during DIRECT into the work we do with our clients.
